Bradford reporter. (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, January 03, 1863, Image 1
(HE DOLLAR PER ANNUM INVARIABLY IN ADVANCE. TOAVANDA: Thursday Kerning, January 8, 1864. (Original |kttrt]. XEW YEAR'S ADDRESS. TO THE PATRONS OF The " Bradford Reporter." 2863. A happy New Y'ear! friends aud patrons all, \Ve have only come for a morning call, With a rhyme or two, for the pleasant day, Which dawned when the Old Year passed away ; Did you hear his sigh at the midnight hour, When the New Y'ear came iu his mighty pow'r? Ah no ! there was gladness o\.vall the earth, When the Old Y'ear uitd —for the New Y'ear's birth. Maiiiiold blessings the dead year brought— Golden dreams braided with sorrowful thought; Much that was beautitul, mirthful, and sad, Earth like au Eden bloomed fresh and was glad, Morning came up with fair banners unrolled, Eve crowned the hills with rare crimson and gold, Broad were the harvest fields yellow with-gr&iu, Soft aud refreshing the cool dropping rain, Only one shadow swept dark o'er the land, Staining the soil with a murderer's brand, Yet this one shadow of terrible name, Blighted the heait of the Nation with pain. Not much of iliangc for our little town, t The shire town of Bradford—wide its renown I) Busine-s Las kept up a pros; crows way, Fashion as yet holds her limitless sway, Devotees laithfully kneel at her shrine, Hailing her goddess-ship more than divine ; Well she may be, for we followers all Smile at her n< d. ami respond to her ea !. Yet we're not idle ; our town has sent forth, Brave ones to die in the cause of the North, There are tears for the absent this festival day, Hearts wait for Ibot.-teps that linger away. By all our hearthstones a dear oi.e i.- mi. sed, The boy that mother-lips loudly have ki.-.-td, When shall they e< me-; g. in '! Low. waul to rest T Lautc-1 crowned Uerot our bravest and best. A change of pold Aai views, it is true, lias come into f ivor, like every tiling new ; Men who seemed firm as a rock in it., pride, Left the good ship to the wind nd the tide. Bit meu though daikest ol ten. pests should frown, Shall the go. d .-hip LVpuLlic'uni-m go down. Steer: her timbers are staunch and her suits Woven to battle the strongest ot gates, -Brave heaits and true ■ tits jet trust in her might, H'-pe'iilly waiting for (>oi r.u:l the Right! And by our leader, brave LINCOLN, we ii stand. Long as the Stars and Stripes wave o'er the land, Looking alar tliv 'gh the tuimoi, and stiLc, "iYe can see Freedom yet clinging to li;e ; Appalled not, nor chilled by the desolate storm, But bright as the morning and glowing and vvaim, " Union and Liberty," dearest ol names, Won 11v our fathers through carnage and flames. ■>Ve u.-k no armistice like yours, fai elima, YVe shall light aud win our own battles in time, You were kind to us once—America keeps True love for th. -• I where La Fayette sleeps, And we strive to believe j-ou nic-en what you say, But Fran c, sunny Fiati-tf you ate fickle a-gay. We prize all kind wishes lti.it c-< me from of: r. Thank j'ou ! but please to stay just where you are! England, more cautio • >. yet tan L s behind, •Gowardly fearing to make up her mind, Favoring the South, y t strivrg to show, Friem'siup tor uv like a treacherous foe, We know you of old. oh ! fair, haughty Jauie. Have eonipiered J nonce ecu compicr again, Et:!' vo Ure our mother—one l.aiguagc we speak— A.:.u only the weal of coeli ot.; ;• should seek. \lver the eror.n there driftctli at tinic-s, Ifcantiiul poems whose musie-ai chimes, Stirrcth ;.1I hearts v. t'i tl.eir wonderinl flow. Bringing us Paradise—visions Re low— Aud the sweet singer Is cue of a baud, Making immortal bis name and his ian-1. Oh! you have hearts just as gifted as ours, You've warm azure skit-.- aud! losseiining It >w rs, We should love and trust yon, fairest of isles, •If you would not re-pay with tr< ae herons .-miles. We sorrowed with you, forget'.; I oi pride. O'er the nation's loss when your good Piijice died, Now we have sent from our plentiful store, siiip loads of lneael to your suffering poor, You've quite enough, if the- truth you should own, To care for the " Slavery Question '' at home. V hie-fi is better vw; ask—please answer us right— The bondage accursed of the black slave or white. We shall not always be ciippled at home, Peace for a time from our country has flown, Qnly a little time, no-.v it m iy be, White wings are folding the land and the sea, When the broad banner is proudly unrobed, " Union and Liberty," all shall behold. Y'es, we remember the many defeats. Wearisome marches, and hasty retreats, When the June roses were blossoming red, Long was the siege, and brave martyr-hearts bled, Fruitless, oh, yes ! but the annals of Fame Shall bear on their pages each patriot-name. When the lust roses were dead, and the leaves Rustling, were borne on the chill winter breeze, Then we had news of a conflict begun, And Imped for the best cie the year should be done. Ah, well! we're defeated, and thousands were slaiii, But we hope, and we wait for the dawning again. Wide the digression ; —our village von know, Was the theme of our gossip a long time ago, ■Our muse, like Pegasus, flew off on the wind, Leaving the town and its gossip behind, Is it worth while after soaring like that, To take up the topic of every day chat ? Y'et could we say less for the land than we've done, Land of the bravest hearts under the sun? Though the War Demon stalk onward, and Death Cliilleth the lip and heart with his breath, Though the dead faces lie close to the sod, They are not hopelessly turning to Gon, He will avenge them—the day is at hand When the last " Traitor " must flee from the land, And the long years of Prosperity's reign Dawn with their sunshine and blessing again. A happy New Year then ! a happy New Year! t Patrons and friends, may the goodliest cheer He found in j-onr homes, and 'mid festival joy, A sJien plaster give—to the CARRIER BUY". C-igp- Give a man the necessaries of life, and lie wants tlie conveniences. Give him the and he craves for the luxuries. Grant him the luxuries, and he sighs for the elegancies. Let him have the elegancies, and he yearns for the follies. Give him all to gether, and he complains that he has been cheated both in the price and quality of the articles. St letl eb & ale. (From Chamber's Journal.) A Night of Terror. The first object that caught my eye as I sat up iu bed was James 5 he was staring at me iu the same confused state iu which 1 look ed at him, uud both of 11s listened intently for some sound or cry which would tell us what was the matter. Screams we could hear plain euough, but uothing intelligible. There was a souu 1 as of baretuoted people running with all their ruight along the passage, outside out door, aud tlie idea suggested itself simultane ously to our minds that the place was on lire. Without stopping to dress ourselves, wo got out of cur beds, and 1 had my hand on the gimlet with which we secured the latch of out door, when 1 felt a shock that caused u c to reel across the room, till I fell against the wall on the opposite side ; the bed followed me, and falling against James, seriouly bruised his legs, and pinned him against the wainscot.— For a moment wo remained in this position, and then the house began to settle 011 its fonu datious, and 1 was able to drag the bed a lit tle way from the wall, aud set him at liberty. We got to tie door und removed the gimlet ; but the houm was still so for from being level, that we had to break the door down before we could get out of the room. Many of the boards in the passage were torn apart and split to pieces ; and between the passage and staircase there was a gap into which I slipped but, fortunately, though the fall hurt me very much, the opening was not wide enough to al low uf my body passirg through. Dragging my legs cut as ipiiel.lv as I could, I followed my husband down stairs into the street, no longer at a loss to understand the cause of the commotion which had roused us from our skip —: l was the first shock of an eurthq .u\e. By the light of the moon, we could perceive that the twosehock< had teelnc' dsevi-ia! bous es in tiie streets to (last and broken timber, and from among these ruins rose cri<-s. moans, and prayers, winch chilled my blood, and al most paralyzed thepower of movement. From the houses that si ill t maiiud standing, the peo ple wire bringing o.t what tli- y i 0...-i l< ;• J most valuable, son::.* their cluMren, other* box es of furniture. With our turns 1 c'o 1 *.; get It er, we pushed cur way ?.. well as we eonl-J through the crowd of fugitives that filled t'. street, now stum ding into holes so deep, the*, the s'j jiieu sfives via- p iiniu..y ie't throu , . the whole frame, and a moment ufu-t ur is seam bl ing over heaps ui rubbish. With great di-.t dty We had got as far a Moutada's store, wbea we Celt a movi m< -1 of the earth, which made me feel as though my heart wi re rising iu my threat, f. 1! >,veu lU stautly niter by a motion which made it a;> pear to nil- that the ground was faking away beneath my feet, and leaving me tu.-pende. in the air. This was repeated several tines. Houses were falling on our right and on our left, pieces of timber si; i jftoues w. re urlvi n about us with a torco u- great as the- n .;. : from a gun : mmy w-re -itru k d u), an.lt >u ers were beaten down and stj k to the gron where tli-y were trampled to death J-: r fore us Was a woman with one n.go ol her nee torn iu a most frightful manner, whom 1 re cogfiized, oa seeing the other side, as the keep er of a shop where James and I had sp nt nearly au i 0 1 r tin- p'-mun,-. evening in bu\ Sonic gold-tc'ibroidi.r d icatlx r 1 soo'.j to her, but she lid not he> .1 we : a so ;gr. t was her terror, that she did •>' appear con scious of the horrible injmus s. - iiad I' iv iv cd, notvvi hs; l itiing tiia*. thob . od was stream iug down her utck, and uyeiug the front of her night-dress a ViVbl erfai :.in. With r k ng gate aud unc'i'taoi st'-pg \v ■'■ .rtri :> 1 for ward, !)- it. SeetlK'tl 'on- i '! 1 - aitty W 1 did not advance a yard ; Moutatla's :'.ore a-u- - d in front of us, and rocking frightfully, great t xerli m in a sidelong dircc ion, we ;m* a little more snare lctwet: > and n ; \i:eu down it came with a tfera -ndocs eiy-di, throw ing a volley of sini es oY r tin- very r-p >L w acre we had bet u stumiiM-g, and burying many per sons beneath its r ..us. One poor man carry ing two children in his arms, w ...- cradled al most at cur feet by the t :xi 0. o- : of the benms, and lay screuming with agony, tvitln at its being possible for u.s to help him. f'he fill of this- Dou.se was succeeeed by a • .-.ssation of the motion of the earth, aud a ru 1 was ia-uie over the ruins, regardless of the wretched creatures below. The merciful Providence which had protected us heretofore, enabled us to reach the open space in front of the civic hail without i: jury, and here we hailed, feeling that we should be safer than in the narrow streets. For the space of half au hour or thereabouts there was no renewal of the earthquakes, and we had begun to hope that the evii WRS over. Hundreds of people, mast of them with little beside their night dresses on them, were bud died about us, when suddenly, without a sound to give notice of what was coming, the earth opened it; a zigzag lir.e right ncross the Pla za. a crowd of persons dropping into the chasm which closed, opened, and closed again, and all in an instant. We were so close as to see this distinctly,and though it was over so quark !y that comparatively few of tho.se on the l'ia zi knew what had happened, the cries ul mor tal terror which were uttered by those who had been on the brink of the grave, told those at a distance of some new disaster, arid the air was so filled with shrieks and prayers for mer cy that I grew sick with terror. Some cried aloud that it was the day ol judgment, and sank groveling to the earth ; A desperate look ing man beside us, who gave no cry nor brea thed a prayer, was violently beating his own head with a large stone ; and another was savagely attacking every person within his reach, like a wild beast. All this time the troon was shining bril liantly iu a cloudless firmament; and when we looked upward iu our terror, it caused hope to spring up it) our hearts to see how serene ev erything was above ; but wtieu our attention was agaiu directed to what was passing about us, it added au indiscribable horror to the scene, and for a moment shook our faith in the PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY AT TO WANDA, BRADFORD COUNTY, PA., BY E. 0. GOODRICH. existence of a merciful Creator at the very time when we most needed its support. Our great desire was to escape to the hi'.ls, the mind as sociating stability with these masses of earth; hat it was impossible to get through the crowd which hemmed us in on every side, aud seem ed afraid to venture again in the narrow street. Instead of half an hour elapsing before the next shock was felt, there con id not have been half that time, and this shock was far more I violent than the previous one, and lasted long | er. 'there was the same sickening motion,not i altogether unlike what is experienced on ship board ; but the motion itself was nothing com pared with the effects of the terror it caused to feel the earth rocking beneath us, and this, too, heightened by the spectacle of houses crumbling to dust, bleeding bodies, shrieks, and every specie® of woful utterance which human organs are capable of forming. From constant travel, I was physically almost as stroiur as my husband, but with the most ear nest desire not to add to his alarm or distress, I was obliged to cling to him for support while this horrid din was raging about us.— The dull roaring sound which accompanied the movements of the earth gradually died away, and at the same lime the openings of chasms in the Plaza were renewed. Wherev er these gaps occurred, a number of individu als disappeared, and until it closed again, there was a long da: k line,from which persons made frantic efforts to recoil. Sometimes these chasms were streight as ait arrow ; at other times they were as crooked us forked lightn ing To tty to change our position while this was going o'i, was useless, for there was roth ing to indicate what direction the next open ing tatg-it tak, and motion on til'* part of soch ;> multitude could only increase the loss of life. Once, indeed, we f< 11: 1 o;.ts.*!vcs on a small triangularly shaped p'ece o ground, with sehssffl on botb sides of us of about a yard in width. 1\ i.-ons fell into this gap all around us, but SCVCT-aI were drawn cut again alive ; James dre.v < ut thiee himself, and very few wcie crushed i:i it when it closed. This su iden elo.-lng ik • earth c>n ■> !-meof t ! c most In d.o ts sights wir.ch it is p >-• ;ble "o con ceive. Tiie gr iuud did not always open wide enough to ad id; the human body, or it opem-d into ei: ;s:;ts of several fV.ct, but not of a great er depth thaii ft. ir or five toe t ; and the 1 in coiic. ivubd ■ la- kilty with which they oped and closed, caused many persons to be caught in tbcra bv their legs, in the case of the narrow ■ baa :us ; aod in the case of the broad but km low gap--, men, women, and children were •r;!s .id t gather in one m.sq us regarded the lo vet part of their bodies, leaving their heads separate, and tic; upper part of the bodies oleic: ■ d tog :ther as closely as though they were one body with many heads. As i-oon as there was a longer pause than nsu:;! between these gapings, we were able to make our way off the I'laz i, in consequence ot i j.' g eat tliinning of the crowd ; and tak ing the nrond' -t of two openings which pre -1 tlu-n-'ivcs before us, we proceeded down it, he-ping as near the a,id-He as possi olc, tor cvciy ii'.n' a< t then a huu* • fell to the j grotfud without the slightest warning, though, ' while the earth was steady, with little danger e'xeept tu those iaamecMtliety opposite to it.— i W c might hale a liaiiccd about u courier of a niiic, v.bcu J itin.- s'op'ped to knock at a e! or. 1 did not at fir.-', see w here we were, but on looking more attentively, 1 discovered .at we were at the house of a man of whom we had t; cqu-nUy hind horses during our stay us Nnui.'.u uieo. Nobody anwereJ I. cad, though he beat at the gate with a stone w:iii ah lis n.:g!.\ 1 ur..- d him not to wait forUor.cs, which might bo uuuldo to make] their way with as much ease as ourselves, when he pointed lo i.'-- loai, unii fold itm i ecu Id ' walk no further : a:; ! t..- n i ss.w thut a vein j again-1 tin: at.ti.e usu-t have In ■:i cut Oj | lor l-v yfas standing in quitfe a pool of blood, j I he t'-ncit back a. last as my own won idi-ii 1 tcc-t would abow me to . place v.u re 1 haii st-co sv lived b<-!y lying, ami from this 1 tore some stlips ol liueu .-idh.'ietit to bled up my tiusbaiia's feet ami my own. Ureally relieved by tin; protection this gave us. from the sharp! ~:;ii' am. the accidental ki -KS and tivad oi other fugittves, we left the shelter of the gate I .i• i 1 way, aud j.uiicu those wno, Use our.-t-iVcs, were I in a king lor the open country, not on the slip j pe. itio.i that we keen! i be safe there, but tlmt ; we should i.uve, at ad eveui i, one danger the ; lcs-i to encounter. 1 have omitted to say that for seme time l we had perceived that it was becoming seusi- j bly darker. Tiie clouds of dust which rose j from the failing douses, combined with that. ! !at>cd by the (rumpling of feet, concealed the j moon from us, and made it difficult lor us to ! avoid rauiiing against the houses, and iuipos j slide to prevent lulling over heaps of rubbish. ! VVe Cv*uid just distinguish a large, square, j white huus-. with a flat roof, which we knew ; to belong to Luis Tore-Has, a friend of ours, I when u gentle rise of the ground, accompanied 1 by iow moaning sound, told us what was j coining. We stood still, and the ground had . ha:diy subsided, when there came another and louder roar, aud with it an upheaval of the I ground compared with which all that had pre ! ceded it were insignificant. We were forced to drop on the ground from actual inability to remain upright ; and here we sat tossed up ; and down in a frightful manner, and every moment apprehensive that one of the chasms like those we had seen might open beneath us and swallow us up. It now became so dark that we could see nothing whatever ; and but for the incessant crashing ol the tailing and the ruiewed cries ur.d prayirs, we. might have supposed ourselves buried in the very center of the earth. Vainly did we strive to distinguish if Tore lias's house was standing ; we could not even see each other's face, so that 1 lost eveu that source of courage. Pres-j ently the dull roar ot the earthquake was min gled with, or drowned by, the crushes of thun- i dec following the most vivid flashes of light* | nitig I ever saw, which, though it left me in doubt at times whether I had not been struck blind, did us this service, that it allowed us to sec that Torcllas's bouse was still erect, and apparently uninjured. To add to the horrors "REGARDLESS OF DENUNCIATION FROM ANY QUARTER." | of this night, a fire broke out in a street near I us in two or more houses at the same time, I caused either by the broken timbers falling | over an unextinguished lire, or by the light ; niug. The dryness of the wood caused the flame to spread with amazing rapidity, and I | confess that the light caused afeeliug of satis ! faction in my mind, which uobody can realize ! who has not been in a position of imminent I danger in the midst of total darkness. If I | hud becu able to see what was passing in j tho<c houses and iu the street between, I ! should have fe t far otherwise. The undulations of the earth, though faiot ! er, still continuing, James proposed we should : take refuge with Torellas for a time, seeing that the house had withstood the receut j shocks, and not thinking it likely that we j should have any others more violent. We rose, holding each other tightly, aud making our way lo the door as direct as we could, groped about till we bad found the fastening, when we pushed it open, and felt our way along the passage to the staircase. We knew our way to the principal apartments from having visit -1 cd at. the house so frequently, and we made j our way from one to the other of these, not ; W illi-lauding the dead silence which followed my husbands calls for Torelhw. We had open ! c i the doors of sevuul rooms, and had found them all in total darkness, and we were on the point oi leaving the house, supposing that Tu iciias v.,Ui his family had abandoned it, when wc rt mem here .1 a r-.ota which gave a fine view : of the city and of (he environs. In the intense 1 darkness which prevailed, we had to grope a , long time before we could find the door, but v.k-n we had found it and pushed it open, the gi;.!.- which ru.-hi'd into our evi s was terrible. 1 believed the building was in flumes, but so ; ho. rial was lire pain in my eves, arid so great ! :ho In .v-'.d * ixi-.-iiL caused by the brilliant light! j utter being so long iu such pitchy daikuess, | : taut i ejuii- not have fled if i had felt the fire | i laying hold of mo. 1 covered my face with j 'my i -to:ds, and as tiie pain diminished, I part cd my lingers little by little, aud let iu the i . giit gradually, ti.l 1 was able to open my j It-yes to the light without protection. Ma-^ - on me ioicilas was most ki .d in her attentions ! 1 to me, even at such a moment, and her daugh- ' ters were willing assistants. They brought I water to wa h our wounded feet ; but my bus I band would not suffer the bandages to be rc- j moved, fur fear of causing inflammation of the i wuuuds by exposing them to tiie air iu such a ! not climate, especially as we might within a S minute have to rush out of the house. We j were glad enough, however, to avail ourselves ' ot their elk red kindness in the matter of j eioihh.g ; and when these arrangements were j completed, we went to tiro window aud looked I out. The sight was grand and horrible. The ! flames which now rose from the houses on both I sides of the street lit up the tower of the eoti- ' vent, which had hitherto resisted the shocks ; of the earthquake, with a bright red glow, i and showed us every projection and crevice, ! ev.ii to the bird sitting in her nest, eithc kept i there by her maternal instinct or too bewilder- I ed lo fly away. A little below this convent, | the road widened several feet beyond what it was ju-i below us, and at the bottom it nar- i rowed again, and was shut in by a tanner's j yard, i ids lactory or store was blazing fierce- ' >y, ami i'ortllas told us that one part of the - molding was used to store a large quantity of salt pet-, r Most of the inhabitants had proba i I bly made their escape : but there were sliil j many in the street who might have delayed I their flight to save something from the gener- I al wreck, but were more hkciy plunderers who 1 w< : e taking advantage of ike confusion and i e ror to lie p themselves lo the property of j • ht-rs. i: id.is were so, they paid dearly for i ih'sr : :c:e. A repetition oi' the shocks, so j vi .ient, that the broad, solid building ia which v. - w\ re shook and trcmb cl, brought down ihe convent tower, which crushed the opposite houses on the two sides of the street into one mn>s, .so ibat a low but flaming barrier cutoff j their escape, aud shut them in on ail sides. It i was a dreadful sight io see the poor creatures ' running to aud Iro, seeking with frantic ges- j lures au outlet, and finding none. Some fell j iti the middle of the street, insensible or dead ; a b w leaped among the burning ruins, and i were cither consumed or made their escape, j lor they returned no more ; but the greater part of tliem huddled together in the broadest part of the street, the stronger struggling sav agely to force themselves into the center of the group. The intense heat soon reduced strong and weak to one level, aud for some minutes before motion ceased altogether we i could distinguish nothing but a writhing mass. Soon a pale bright flame seemed to be hov ering over it, like a bird of prey over a dying camel in the desert, sinking lower and lower, till it suddenly seized upon it and wrapped it in a shroud of lire. Faint with horror, yet with something like u feeling of thankfulness iu my heart that we had not wandered into ! this s.reet in the obscurity, I turned away 1 from the window and sat down on a couch.— j James said lie intended to try and get out of i the town as soou as it was daylight, but To rellas declared that his confidence in the sta bility of his house was so perfect that nothing would induce him to abandon it, but that his wile aud family were free to go with us if they chose. At the first appearance of daylight, we ail ascended to the roof of the house to get a more perfect view of the extent of the dam age that had beeu done. The shocks were still frequent, but less violent, and we com-, fortcd ourselves with the belie! that the worst was over. Iu every direction there were gaps where a heap of rubbish alone remained to in dicate the place whereon a building had for merly stood ; und while we were looking, the air at a particular spot would be tilled with dust, showing that another house had been ad ded to the list of the fallen. Our host brought us some food aud wine, and had goue down to get so „e cigars for himself and James, when a prolonged dull roar told us that another shock was approaching. The house trembled with a vibratory motion which made me stretch out my bauds to lay Fold of something to steady myself. All at once the vibratory mo- I lion changed for one of upheaval, the house parted in two, and we felt ourselves descend ing to Tie earth with a rapidity which took my breath away, and I became for the time insensible. When 1 recovered my senses, my first thought was of my husband. I opened my eyes, and found him still alive, and, us it turned out, with limbs unbroken, though great ly bruised. He was feeling my pulse and look ing anxiously at my face for signs of recovery, aud his joy when I opened my eyes was evi dent even to my enfeebled vision. After a moment, T thought of Madame Torellas and her daughters, and asked him in a faint voice if they were safe ; but be only pointed to what appeared a heap of torn clothing without speaking, and I comprehended that they—who at the moment when the division took place were standing at the edge of the terrace, look ing at the still burning ruins—had beeu pre cipitated into the street aud killed. When I attempted to move, I suffered in tense pain in my right leg, which was so help less that I felt it must be broken. My hus band examined it, and found that it was ftac tured a litile I elow the kuee, ami that auy further walking oti my part was quite out of the question. He went away for a minute or two, and came back wit!) some strips of linen and pieces of rafters, which ho smoothed and cat with his knife into splints, and set the bone as well as circumstances would admit of. Af ter ho had done this, ho searched for and found some of tha food v. hich poor Torellas had brought tip,and made me swallow a few mouth luls j bat 1 wanted water most, and this he was unable to get without going some dis tance, wherefore I preferred to suffer thirst rather than lot hwi go oat of my sight. Day light made no difference in the severity of the shocks ; but shortly alter sunrise they became less frequent, aud about noon seemed to have ceased altogether, und people begau to appear again in the streets. My husband appealed to several who passed to assist him in remov ing me to a place of shelter, but they all re fused or pretended not to hear him ; proba bly they had lost relatives the previous night, and were toe anxious to discover anything res pecting them to pay attention to the words of a stranger. It was impossible to carry me himself in the condition I was iu, ou account of the pain it gave me to move, aud we were obliged, though with great reluctance, to con sent to a separation while he went to Batalha, the horse-dealer, to get a mule to carry me, a vehicle of any klud being useless in such in cumbered streets. Every, miuute seemed an bout' while I was wailing his return, and yet minu'e after minute passed, and he did not make his appearance. I knew the distance was not great, and making every allowance, us I thought, for the difficulties he might bave to overcome, he ought to have been back long since, when a darkening of the air, accompa nied this time by a strong sulphurous smell, gave notice that another calamity was about to burst ou the devoted city. The openings of the ground were more frequent aud far more tcrribie to see, now that the daylight il luminated them and showed their untathoma b! • depth. One of these split open so close to the rums en which I was lying, that a portion rolled in. The SHE'S rays fell directly into it, aud I shuddered as i gazed into the gulf, which was deeper than the deepest abyss 1 had ever imagined myself falling into the wild est nightmare. I diew buck trembliug with horror and fright, aud buried my face in my arms to shut out the dreadful spectacle. I prayed for my husband's return, but he cama not. 1 would have dragged myself along in the direction in which he bad gone, if I Lai been able, but I was entirely powerless ; and to add to the terrors of my position, 1 now discovered that a circular stone building (used, 1 believe, for the temporary confinement of prisoners,) trembled with every shock, and, cracked us it was in different directions, threat ened every instant to bury me beneath its ruins. 1L will not be easy for anybody to realize my feelings as I lay on this heap of rubbish, watching the quivering blocks of stone and the powdered mortar which was grated out from between them, and fell upon me in a shower of dust. 1 entreated several who passed to come and remove me, if only for a few yards, so that I might be out of reach of the building ; and some were about to help me, but when they saw the imminence of the danger, they, like the Levite of old, turned away, and passed by on the other side. The good Samaritan came ut last, however, in the form of a poor woman, carrying a baby in her arms. In answer fo my appeal, she laid her babe tenderly on the ground, lilted me up, and carried me beyond the reach of this last danger ; after which she offered to get me some water, an offer which I accepted with a grateful hca-t, for the pain I was enduring, aud the anxiety 1 had undergone, had parched my throat to that degree that every breath I drew caused me the most acute pain, height ened, perhaps, by the sulphurous exhalations which now tilled the air. iShe was going to carry her babe with her, but I took it from her as she was stooping to pick it up, and told her I would take care of it. Poor little innocent, it v anted no further care. It seem ed asleep, but it was a sleep from which it would never wake again ; probably it had been suffocated by the press-ure of the crowd on the prececding night. The kind woman soot) returned with some water, and I raised it to my lips eagerly, anticipating the most delicious sensations Dom the refreshing cool ness it sent through me the instant it touched my lips. I found, to my disappointment, that contact between it and my throat caused mc so much pain that. I could only swallow a few mouthfuis, and I was obliged to content my self with the relief it afforded me to hold it iu my mouth. I questioned the charitable creature who had so opportunely come to my assistance as to where she was going, and found she had uo lixed idea beyond getting into the open country, upon which I proposed that if she would remain with me till my husband return d vvoultl take her with us. She accept d my offer, and to my great joy sbo bad not V*OL. XXIII. —x 0.32. long to wait before be returned with two mules which he had found in a stable in the suburbs, the bouse to which he tirst weut having been shaken dowu. lie seated me on the mule ; nnd though we had still great difficulties to conteud against, in the form of clouds of dust, heaps of ruins, and occasional gaps in the groond, we gradually approached the outskirts of the town, which we ultimate ly succeeded in passing through, and finally found a place of refuge in a shepherd's hut, which an earthquake might swallow up, but could not shake down, from its beiug built, ex cept a few stones heaped up round the lower part, of stakes, wiekerwork, and dried sheep skins with the wool on them. We did not return to Nanbuisalco till April. 1800, some month after the catastrophe, wbeu we found that traces of the earthquakes still remained, in the form of deep chasms, which gaped in away that forcibly recalled the hor rors we bad seen ou that occasion. Do BIRDS UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY SAY f —The parrot of a relation of mine used al ways, whenever he dropped anythiug he was eating, to say, " Pick up Bobby's crust," be ing doubtless prompted by the same train of associations us those which led another par rot, which I know well, invariably to say, "Thank you,'' wheuever anythiug is giveu to him. The following story is not a bad ODe, but all that I can say with regard to its au thority is, si non e vera, e ben trovalo—U it be not true, it deserves to be true, for the sako of both master and pupil. Some pairot fan ciers had agreed to meet in a year's time, when each was to show a bird for a prize, proficien cy iu talking to be by common consent the great criteriou of merit. On the day appoint ed all the rest, each and every oue duly bring ing his parrot; only oue appeared without his, Ou being asked why he had not shown one ac cording to the agreement, he said that he had tried to traiu one, hut that he was such a stu pid bird, he was quite ashamed to briog him. This excuse was held to be inudnjissible. All the others insisted that, stupid or clever, ho must he produced, ana his master accordingly went off and returned with him. No sooner was he introduced than, looking around at the large assemblage of birds, he uttered a long whistle and exclaimed, " My good gracious, what a lot of parrots !" The prize was imme diately voted to liim by acclamation.— Stray Notes in Natural History. A BEAUTY OF BORNEO. —Mr. Spencer St. Johu thus describes the Daughter of one of tha Datus of Borneo : " Sue was the loveliest girl in Borneo. I have never seen a native surpass her iu figure, or equal her gentle, expressive couutenauce. She appeared but sixteen years of age, and as she stood near, leaning against the door-post iu the most graceful attitude, we had a per fect view of all her perleetions. ller dress was short indeed, consisting of nothing but a short petticoat, reaching from her waist to a little above her kuees. Her skin was of that clear brown which is almost the perfection of color iu u sunny clime ; and, as she was just returning from bathing, her hair, unbound, full in great luxuriance over her shoulders.— ller eyes were black, not flashing, but rather contemplative, and her features were regular —even her nose was straight. So intent was she in watching our movements, and sunder ing at our novel mode of eating with spoon 9 and knives and forks, unconsciously remained in her graceful attitude for sorno time ; but suddenly recollectiug that she was not appearing to the best advantage iu her light costume, she moved away slowly to her room, and presently came furth dressed in a silk jacket and new petticoat, with bead neck laces and gold ornaments. Iu our eyes sho did not look so interesting as before." A YV T ISE REBUKE. —T!IE following anecdote is related of tlie late excellent Joseph Joha Gurney, of Eurlham, by cue of bis family cir cle : " One night, I remember il well, I received! a severe lesson 011 the sin of evil speaking.— Severe I thought il then, and my heart rose in childish anger against hiin who gave it, but I had not lived long enough in this world to know how much mischief a child's thoughtless talk may do, and how often it happens that talkers run off the straight line of truth. S. did not stand very high in my esteem ; and I was about to speak farther of her failings of temper. In a few moments my eye caught such a lock of cairn and steady displeasure that 1 stopped short. There was no the meaning of that dark speaking eve. It brought the color to my face, and confasiou and .-Lame to my heart. I wus silent tor e* few moments, vvheu Joseph Joh.£ Gurney ask td very gravely : ' Uosi thou know anv ihiug good to tell ua of her?" " 1 did not answer, and the question waa more seriously asked i Think, is there aothlng good thou cans* tell us of her ?" " Oh yes, I know some good things, but— ' Would it not have been better, to relate those good things than to have told us that which would lower her in our esteem ? Since there is good to relate, would it not be kinder 10 be silent oa the evil ? For charity rejoiceth j not at iniquity." An eminent physiciun has discovered that the nightmare, in nine cases out of ten, is produced by owing a bill for a newspaper. " How is the market, neighbor ?"—• " Very quiet" " Anything done in cheese?' 1 " Not a mite." Speaking of cheap things—it costs but a trifle to get a wife, bnt doesn't she some times turn out a littli &3F Indolence is a stream which (lows slow ly on, but yet undermines the foundation of every virtae.