Page:Vol 3 History of Mexico by H H Bancroft.djvu/483

Rh From Acapulco the commander of the fort reported a strange action of the sea, which receded and then advanced, without forming high waves, at mid-day; after two o’clock, it would recede ten feet in four minutes, and rise again the same distance in six minutes. Over one hundred yards of beach were left bare each time the waters retired. At four in the afternoon the sea rose twelve feet, overflowing the

pier and some houses. The royal treasure was removed to the hospital, and the merchants removed their goods for safety. This alarming action of the ocean lasted twenty-four hours, the agitation of the waters becoming less and less after five o’clock. A large quantity of live-stock was carried off by the sea. The earthquakes with their consequent damages were also experienced in Teutitlan del Valle. In Vera Cruz, Chilapa, and many other places the people were