covered bodies on account of their having
been burned beyond recognition by the fire caused by the upsetting of
petroleum lamps. For the first two days the bodies were buried in the
usual manner, but on the third decomposition had set in to such an
extent that it was found necessary to burn them. An eye-witness
exclaims: "Of all that I have seen in what was the rich, the beautiful,
the flourishing city of Cua, now a cemetery, nothing has made so
profoundly melancholy an impression upon me as the cremation of the
bodies of the unfortunate victims of the late disaster, tied together
with ropes and dragged forth from the ruins, one over another, the
stiffened limbs taking strange, unnatural attitudes, and upon being
touched by the flames consuming instantly, on account of their advanced
decomposition." The body of a little child was thrown upon this funeral
pile, when suddenly the eyes opened, and the voice cried out, "_Pan!
pan!_" ("Bread! bread!") Imagine the feelings of the spectators at
beholding how nearly the little creature had been immolated!

The explosion and principal strength of the subterranean forces were
concentrated in the town of Cua and within a radius of four or five
leagues (twelve or fifteen miles) around it. Within this distance great
chasms of various widths had opened, all running from east to west. From
some of these streams of a fetid liquid issued, intermingled with a
grayish-tinted earth, which caused many persons to surmise that a
volcano was about to burst forth, especially as the earthquake-shocks
still continued for many days, accompanied by loud subterranean reports.
Although the catastrophe was confined to the valley of the Tuy, the
shocks were felt for many hundred miles in every direction, even as far
as Barquesimeto and other places toward the Cordilleras.

As the population of Cua had entirely deserted the city and encamped
upon the river-side, and as large sums of money and other valuables were
known to be buried beneath the ruins, some heartless, lawless wretches
took advantage of the unprotected state of things, under pretence of
assisting in the work of extricating the victims, to appropriate
everything that they could secrete without being discovered. Only one of
the public officials, General E----, had escaped: the police had
perished. It was a situation where only prompt and stringent measures
could avail. General E----, therefore, with Don Tomas de la G----, whom
I have before