At the Bay of San Carlos-Earthquakes-Destruction of Concepcion -At Talcahuana - Tidal Waves - Poverty of the VictimsElevation of the Coast-Darwin's Coolness in Danger-Narrow Escapes.

HE volcanoes, which reared their white crests high in air, were ever an attraction to the young naturalist, and one night, when at San Carlos Bay, an opportunity was offered for observing one in active play. The sentry on guard first noticed it as a star, but it gradually increased until early in the morning, when Darwin with a glass could

distinctly see black masses of matter thrown up against the red glaring reflection of the subterranean fires. He learned that Aconcagua was active on this night, and that a wonderful eruption had occurred at Coseguina, two thousand seven hundred miles

distant. The phenomenon was accompanied by an earthquake, which was felt over an area covering one thousand miles. This same night Vesuvius, Etna, and even Hecla in Iceland burst out with unwonted splendours, a fact which when known to Darwin was pregnant with suggestions as to the cause of the phenomena.

Our hero was fortunate, if so we may term it, in being a witness to one of the most disastrous of South American earthquakes in many years, or within the memory of the oldest inhabitant. He was on shore at the time, and, wearied from a long tramp after specimens, was lying in the shade with a companion, when suddenly he experienced a dizzy feeling; the ground rocked, and apparently moved with undulations, which he judged passed from east to west. He sprang to his feet and had no difficulty in standing, though he states that the motion made him giddy, and he describes it as resembling that of the movement of a vessel in a cross ripple. There seemed to be a breeze, the trees swaying and the branches moving to and fro. In the town of Valdivia and upon the sea-shore the scene was different. In the former the inhabitants rushed from the houses into the streets terror stricken, while the wooden buildings creaked and groaned. It was low tide at the time, and the ocean rose almost immediately to high-water mark, then returned again. After the principal shocks smaller ones occurred of lesser strength.

At the time Darwin little dreamed of the destruction this earthquake caused a few miles away, but

Destruction of Concepcion.

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when the Beagle sailed into Concepcion harbour a few days later he landed at the island of Quiriquina, where he was told that the destruction of Concepcion was complete, and that seventy villages were destroyed.

The moment he stepped upon the beach he saw evidences of this, the sands being covered with wreckage of all kinds: furniture, casks, pieces of houses, and objects of a most varied character, which had been brought from the land by the tidal wave of February 20th. Great rocks were found high above the water, that had a few days before been submerged, and huge fissures crossed the island in various directions, while masses of high land had fallen to the beach; this was on so large a scale that Darwin estimated that the destruction caused a reduction in the size of the island more than equal to the natural wear and tear of a century.

The day following his examination of the island Darwin landed at Talcahuana and rode to the site of Concepcion. What had been a prosperous and substantial city was an unrecognisable ruin-a mass of broken stone thrown this way and that, heaped in inexplicable confusion. The first shock was felt at 11:30, identical with the one experienced by the naturalist as he lay in the woods. At the first quiver the people rushed into the streets, as they had done many a time before, and thinking there would be no more, turned to go back when another shock came, and every house crumbled and fell with a crash. The shrieks of dead and dying rent the air, while a white suffocating cloud rose and hung like a