Page:Account of several remarkable earthquakes, which happened in various quarters of the world.pdf/14

 large cracks and fissures in different parts, and one odd phenomenon I must not omit, which was communicated to me by a friend who had a house and wine-cellars on the other side of the river, viz. that the dwelling-house being first terribly shaken, which made all the family run out, there presently fell down a vast high rock near it, that upon this the river rose and subsided in the manner already mentioned, and immediately a great number of small fissures appeared in several contiguous pieces of ground, whence there spouted out like a jet d'eau a large quantity of fine white sand, to a prodigious height.

'I had not been long in the area of St. Paul's, when I felt the third shock, which though somewhat less violent than the two former, the sea rushed in again, and retired with the same rapidity, and I remained up to my knees in water, though I had gotten upon a small eminence at some distance from the river, with the ruins of several intervening houses to break its force. At this time I took notice the waters retired so impetuously, that some vessels were left quite dry, which rode in seven fathom water: the river thus continued alternately rushing on and retiring several times together in such sort, that it was justly dreaded Lisbon would now meet the same fate, which a few years ago had befallen the city of Lima.

'Perhaps you may think the present doleful subject here concluded; but, alas! the horrors of the first of November, are sufficient to fill a volume. As soon as it grew dark, another scene presented itself little less shocking than those already described—the whole city appeared in a blaze, which was so bright that I could easily see to read by it. It may be said, without exaggeration, it was on fire at least in a hundred different places at once, and thus continued burning for six days together, without intermission, or the least attempt being made to stop its progress.