The New Hampshire Gazette

LONDON, September 1.

Copy of a Letter from Mr. James Fearns, late of Liverpool, and now British Consul in the Island of Terceira, one of the Azores, to his Friend in Liverpool:

[Terceira, is W. lon. 28. lat. 39. one of the largest of the Azores or Western Islands, it. in the Atlantic ocean, almost in the mid way between the continents of Europe and America, about one thousand miles from either. These islands produce scarce any thing to traffic with, unless corn and cattle, with which they supply the ships that call here. They are subject to the crown of Portugal.]

SINCE the last of November we have felt several Earthquakes, and on the 31st of March the Sea rose to a great height, and fell again so low that the Keys were left dry; all the lighters and fishing boats that were hauled up in Porto Rico, were carried down into the Bay, and broke to pieces upon the rocks.... On the 14th of April we had four small Earthquakes: and on the 12th about one in the morning, we were all raised out of our beds by a violent shock: from which time the earth was almost continually trembling, till the evening of the 17th, when we had two other violent shocks, attended with noises like the discharging of cannon. These, tho' they increased our fear, yet they seem'd to have a good effect upon the earth; for, afterwards tremblings were not so frequent....... The next morning, news was brought that there was a great smoke seen about three leagues to the N. W. of this city, which was soon confirmed by noises like Thunder at a distance, which seemed to proceed from the same place. Several people were sent to examine it; but so great were the tremblings of the earth, and the smoke and the noises, that they durst not approach near enough to give a regular account. .... This continued three days, in which we were continually alarmed with Earthquakes, or the said dreadful noises..... On the 20th, we had three shocks, that exceeded any we had yet felt, in which the noises were so loud, and the agitations of the earth so violent, that every body thought it was opening under their feet; and soon after account was brought, that fire was burst out of the ground about half a league to the eastward of the aforesaid smoke. This gave us new alarms, which were increased almost every hour, with accounts that rivers of fire had issued out of the volcanoes, and that some of them had directed their course towards this city..... On the 23d, I went to see it, and found the accounts we had heard were not exaggerated; The first sight of it was so dreadful that some of our company durst not proceed; but I was determined to approach as near as possible; and accordingly went forward, with a clergyman of that neighbourhood. When we were as near as we could go for the heat, we got upon an eminence, from whence we had the prospect of the whole.... It is impossible for the imagination to form so horrible a sight as presented itself to our views from thence. There were three large volcanoes, at a considerable distance from each other, the mouth of one of them was at least 50 yards long, from all parts of which proceeded dreadful bellowings like thunder, and vast quantities of red hot stones and flakes of fire; and all round about was a large burning lake, out of which proceeded several rivers, the principal ones directing their course about N. W. The large stones fell generally near the place from whence they issued, but the smaller ones were thrown up to an incredible height, and by the wind were forced on one side, which had already raised three large hills. The clattering of the stones in the air, the terrible thunderings from below the lake, rivers of liquid fire, and the earth continually shaking under our feet, produced a scene dreadful to be described... When we had taken a view of this, we joined our company, and went to the North West side to see the rivers of fire. The three large ones were near a mile in breadth, and all directed their course towards the town of Biscouto. As the country was almost even, the motion of the two last was very slow; but the first had run near two leagues from the volcano, and was got into a more declining ground, which made its motion swifter. It is impossible to express the consternation and distress of the inhabitants of this part of the island, particularly those of Biscouto: The first river was almost entering their town, which they had already abandoned; and the two others that came behind, threatened to overwhelm the adjacent country; for they run in a head at least four yards high, and left no sign of either tree or house that stood in their way. This was the State of this on the 22d..... But on the 24th, it pleased the Almighty to abate the force of the fire, and soon after the rivers began to have a slower motion: They moved along, however, for several days, and part of the first entered the town of Biscouto, where it burnt about one third of the houses, and then directing its course into a valley on one side, where it continued its motion four or five days and stopped.