erected.--Wheat destroyed by paroquets.--Number of inhabitants on
the island.-

The interval of fine weather, which gave us an opportunity of
examining the state of our provisions, and cleaning the damaged
flour, was succeeded by a hurricane that was dreadful beyond
description. In the morning of the 25th, we had light winds from
the north-east, and very dismal, dark, cloudy weather, with
constant torrents of heavy rain: towards noon, the wind blew a
heavy gale, and kept increasing in violence. At midnight, it
shifted to east-south-east, and blew with great fury, attended
with constant deluges of rain. At four o'clock the next morning
several of the largest pines were blown up by the roots, one of
which fell on the hog-stye and killed a very fine English sow and
a litter of seven pigs that were my property, and three sows and
two boars belonging to the crown. This was a severe loss to young
colonists, but a still worse accident afterwards happened, and
which had nearly deprived us of our flour.

From four in the morning until noon, the wind increased to a
very severe hurricane, with the heaviest rain I ever saw or heard
of. Pines, and oak-trees of the largest size, were blown down
every instant; the roots were torn up, together with rocks that
surrounded them; frequently leaving pits at least ten feet deep.
Some of the very large trees, which measured 180 feet in length,
and four feet diameter, were thrown by the violence of the
tempest to a considerable distance from the place where they
grew; and others, whose roots were too deep in the earth to be
torn up, bent their tops nearly to the ground.

In addition to the horror of this scene, a very large tree
fell across the granary and dashed it to pieces, staving a number
of flour casks that were in it; but by the general activity of
every person on the settlement, the flour, Indian corn, and
stores were in a short time collected, and removed to my house,
with the loss of a few pounds of flour and some small stores that
were blown away.

The gale now raged with the most violent fury, which defies
all description: whole forests seemed, as it were, swept away by
the roots, and many of the trees were carried to a considerable
distance. By one o'clock in the afternoon, there were as many
trees blown down round the settlement as would have employed
fifty men for a fortnight to cut down. The swamp and the
adjoining vale were overflowed, and had every appearance of a
lar