A FULL ACCOUNT OF THE LATE DREADFUL EARTHQUAKE At PORT-ROYAL in JAMAICA, Written in two Letters from the MINISTER of that Place. From aboard the Granada in Port-Royal Harbour, June 22. 1692.  
Licenced, September 9 th'. 1692.  
Dear Friend,  
Doubt not but you will both from Gazettes, and Letters hear of the great Calamity that hath befallen this Island by a Terrible EARTHQUAKE, on the 7th. Instant, which hath thrown down almost all the Houses, Churches, Sugar-Works, Mills and Bridges through the whole Country. It tore the Rocks and Mountains, and destroyed some whole Plantations, and threw them into the Sea, Port-Royal had much the greatest share in this terrible Judgement of God. I will therefore be more, ●●●●icular in giving you an Account of its proceed in that Place, that you may know what my Da●ger, 〈◊〉 and how unexpected my Preservation. On Wednesday the 7th. day of June I had been as Church ●●●ding Prayers, which I did every day since I was Rector of Port-Royal, to keep up some show of Reli●●●● among a most Ungodly Debauched People, and was gone to a place hard by the Church, where the ●●●chants use to meet, and where the Precedent of the Council was, who acts now in Chief, till we have 〈◊〉 ●●w Governor; who came into my Company, and engaged me to take a Glass of Wormwood Wine with 〈◊〉 as a whet before Dinner, he being my very great friend, I stayed with him, upon which he lighted a 〈◊〉 of Tobacco, which he was pretty long of taking; and not being willing to leave him before it was out, detained me from going to Dinner to one Captain Ruden's, where I was to Dine) whose House upon first Concussion sunk first into the Earth, and then into the Sea, with his Wife and Family, and some that ●●●e come to Dine with him; had I been there I had been lost. But to return to the Precedent, and his of Tobacco; before that was out, I found the ground rolling and moving under my feet, upon which to him, Lord, Sir, what is this? He replied very composed, being a very grave Man, It's an Earth●●●●● be not afraid, it will soon be ever. But it increased, and we heard the Church and Tower fall, upon 〈◊〉, we ran to save ourselves; I quickly lost him, and made towards Morganso Fort, which being a wide place, I thought to be there securest from the falling Houses; But as I made toward it, I saw the Earth and swallow up a multitude of People, and the Sea mounting in upon us over the Fortifications, I laid aside all thoughts of escaping, and resolved to make toward my own Lodging, and there to meet 〈◊〉 in as good a posture as I could: From the Place where I was, I was forced to cross and run through or three very narrow Streets, the Houses and Walls fell on each side of me, some Brick came rolling my shoes, but none hurt me; when I came to my Lodging, I found there all things in the same order them, not a Picture, of which there were several fair ones in my Chamber, being out of its place, I 〈◊〉 to my Balconey to view the Street in which our House stood, and saw never a House down there, nor 〈◊〉 ●ound so much as cracked; the People seeing me there, cried out to me to come and Pray with them; 〈◊〉 I came into the Street every one laid hold on my  and embraced me, that with their fear and … ess I was almost stifled: I persuaded them at last to kneel down and make a large Ring, which they did, 〈◊〉 … ed with them near an hour, when I was almost spent with the heat of the Son, and the exercise, they 〈◊〉 brought me a Chair, the Earth working all the while with new motions, and tremble, like the row … of the Sea, insomuch that when I was at Prayer I could hardly keep myself upon my knees. By that 〈◊〉 I had been half an hour longer with them, in setting before their Sins and heinous Provocations, and tously exhorting them to Repentance, there came some Merchants to me of the Place, who desired me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 aboard some Ship in the Harbour and refresh myself, telling me that they had gotten a Boat to carry 〈◊〉 ●ff; so coming to the Sea, which had entirely swallowed up the Wharf, with all those goodly Brick … es upon it, most of them as fine as those in Cheapside, and two entire Streets beyond that, I upon the of some Houses which lay leveled with the surface of the Water, got first into a Canoe, and then into 〈◊〉 … g Boat, which put me aboard a Ship called the Stam Merchant, where I found the Precedent safe, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was overjoyed to see me; therefore I continued that night, but could not sleep for the returns of the 〈◊〉- quake almost every hour, which made all the Guns in the Ship to jar and rattle: The next day I 〈◊〉 from Ship to Ship to Visit those that were bruised, and a dying, and to pray with them, and likewise 〈…〉 the last Office at the sinking of several Corpse that came floating from the Point, which indeed had been 〈◊〉 sorrowful, Employment ever since I came aboard this Ship with design to come for England, we having … g but shake of the Earth, and Thunder and Lightning, and foul Wether ever since: and the Peo●●●eing so desperately wicked, it makes me afraid to stay in the place; for that very day this terrible Earth- 〈◊〉 was, as soon as night came on, a Company of lewd Rogues whom they call Privateers, fell to break●●● 〈◊〉 open Warehouses, and Houses deserted, to Rod and Rifle their Neighbours whilst the Earth trembled about them, and some of the Houses fell on them in the Act: And those audacious Whores that remain ●●on the Place, are as impudent and drunk as ever. I have been twice on shore to pray with the Bruised and Dying People, and to Christian Children, where I met too many Drunk and Swearing, I did 〈◊〉 spare them, nor the Magistrates neither, who have suffered Wickedness to grow to so great a height; I 〈◊〉 I bless God; to the best of my skill and power discharged my Duty in this place, which you will hear fr●● most Persons that come from hence: I have Preached so seasonably to them, and so plain in the last S●●mon I Preached to them in the Church; I set before them what would be the issue of their Impenite●●● and Wickedness, that they have since confessed, that it was more like a Prophecy than a Sermon: I h●●● 〈◊〉 confess, an impulse on me to do it: And many times I have preached in this Pulpit, things that I never 〈◊〉 meditated at home, and could not me-thought do otherways. The day when all this befell us was 〈◊〉 clear, afforded not the suspicion of the least evil; but in the space of three Minutes, about half an housetter Eleven in the Morning, Port Royal, the fairest Town of all the English Plantations, the best Emp … and Mart of this part of the World, exceeding in its Riches, plentiful of all good Things, was shake● 〈◊〉 shattered to pieces, and sunk into, and covered for the greatest part, by the Sea, and will in a short tim● 〈◊〉 wholly eaten up by it, for few of those houses that yet stand, are left whole, and every day we hear t … fall, and the Sea daily incroaches upon it; We guess, that by the falling of the Houses, and the ope●●●● of the Earth, and the Inundation of the Waters, there are lost Fifteen Hundred Persons, and many of 〈◊〉 note, of whom my good friend Attorney General Musgrove, Provost Marshal Reves another, my Lord secretary Reves another, William Turner, Thomas Turner's Brother is lost, Mr. Swymer escaped, but his H●●●●mate Mr. Watts is lost.  
I came, I told you, on board this Ship in order to come home, but the People are so importunate wit● 〈◊〉 to stay, I know not what to say to them, I must undergo great hardship if I continue here, the Come … being broken all to pieces and dissettled: I must live in a Hutt, eat Yams, and Plantants for Bread, w●●●● I could never endure; drink Rumm-punch and Water, which were never pleasing to me. I have 〈◊〉 to send a younger Person, who may better endure the Fatigue of it than I can; But if I should leave now, it will look very unnatural to leave them in their distress, and therefore what ever I suffer, I 〈◊〉 not have such a blame lie at my door, I am resolved, That by reason of the present distress, to continu● 〈◊〉 them a Year longer: They are going all in haste to build a new Town near the Rock in Linuave … Guardian of this Island. The French from Pituguaveis did attack this Island on the North side, but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all defeated and destroyed, it being about the time of the Earthquake.  

June 28. 1692.  
EVer since that fatal day, the most terrible that ever I saw in my life, I have lived on Board a Shi● the shaking of the Earth return every now and then; Yesterday we had a very great one, but it 〈◊〉 less terrible on Ship board than on Shoar, yet I have ventured to Port Royal no less than three 〈◊〉 since its desolation, among the shattered Houses to bury the Dead, and pray with the Sick, an● … sten the Children. Sunday last I preached among them in a Tent, the Houses that remain being so shattered I durst not venture to preach in them, the People are overjoyed to see me among them, and wiped bitterly 〈◊〉 I preached to them: I hope by this terrible Judgement, God will make them reform their lives, for th●●● 〈◊〉 not a more ungodly People on the Face of the Earth. It is a sad sight to see all this Harbour, one of the 〈◊〉 and goodliest I ever saw, covered with the dead Bodies of People of all conditions, floating up and do●●●●●●out burial; for our famous Burial Place, called the Pallisadoes was destroyed by the Earthquake, and 〈◊〉 washed the Carcases of those that were buried out of their Graves, their Tombs being dashed to piecener Earthquake, of which there were hunders in that place: Multitudes of Rich Men are utterly ruined, whil● 〈◊〉 that were poor, by watching opportunities, and searching the wracked and sunk Houses, even almost w●●●● 〈◊〉 Earthquake lasted, and terror and amazement were upon all the considerable People, have gotten great We have had Accounts from several parts of these Islands of the Mischiefs done by the Earthquake; 〈…〉 Ann's, we hear of above 1000 Acres of Wood-land changed into the Sea, and carried with it whole Plan●● 〈…〉 but no place suffered like Port Royal, where whole Streets were swallowed up by the opening Earth, 〈…〉 Houses and Inhabitants went down together! Some of them were driven up again by the Sea, which arose 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 breaches, and wonderfully escaped: some were swallowed up to the Neck, and then the Earth shut upon th●● 〈◊〉 squeezed them to death; and in that manner several are buried with their Heads above ground, only som● the Dogs have eaten: others are covered with dust and earth by the People which yet remain in the plac● 〈◊〉 ●void the stink. Thus I have told you a long and a sad Story; and GOD knows what worse may happen y●● People tell me, that they hear great Bellow and Noises in the Mountains, which makes some ver●●●●●●hensive of an eruption of Fire, if so, it will, I fear, be more destructive than the Earthquake. I am 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 stay, and yet I know not how, in point of Conscience, at such a juncture as this, to quite my Station.    

Printed at Edinburgh, and reprinted at Glasgow, 1692.