No further grand catastrophe is reported from the West Indies,
but the unrest of the volcanoes continues to threaten St. Vincent and Martinique. La Pelee broke forth again on the 18th inst., and once more poured hot mud and lava over St. Pierre, but destroyed no lives, because all was desolation already. A village a few miles off named Carbet was, how- ever, burned up, a "sheet of fire" falling on it, and the destruction of the country has spread further. Indeed, Fort de France, the capital, is itself threatened, showers of ashes falling on it and producing a wild panic among the citizens, even soldiers weeping and falling on their knees. If Fort de France is overwhelmed, Martinique may be considered destroyed, and must for a time be abandoned. La Souffriere, in St. Vincent, broke out again on the same day, the fall of ashes and molten stone covering the country to a depth of two feet, while a new crater made its appearance on a bill within five miles of Kingston. The general destruction of plantations in this island has been greater than in Martinique, and the inhabitants themselves, their nerves quite broken by a week of terror, losses, and suffering, are anxious to be removed. The resources of charity in America, England, and France appear to be ample for imme- diate relief, but the ruin of the people, and especially of all proprietors, will be complete beyond precedent. The accounts, too, of the failure of drinking water, though indistinct, are most alarming. This is the one thing which neither Governments nor charitable agencies can provide.
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