Governor John Dalling to Lord George Germain, Secretary of State              

                                                                                                     October 20, 1780

My Lord,

I am sorry to be under the disagreeable necessity of informing Your Lordship of one of the most dreadful calamities that has happened to this Colony within the memory of the oldest inhabitants.

On the morning of the 2 inst. the weather being very close, the sky on a sudden became very much overcast and an uncommon elevation of the sea immediately followed. While the unhappy settlers at Savanna-la-Mar were observing this extraordinary phenomenon, the sea broke suddenly in upon the town, and on its retreat swept everything away with it so as not to leave the smallest vestige of man, beast or house behind.  This most dreadful catastrophe was succeeded by the most terrible hurricane that ever was felt in this country with repeated shocks of an earthquake which has almost totally demolished every building in the parishes of Westmoreland, Hanover, part of St James and some parts of St Elizabeth and killed members of the white inhabitants as well as of the negroes

The wretched inhabitants are in a truly pitiable situation - not a house standing to shelter them from the inclemency of the weather, not cloaths to cover them, everything being lost in the general wreck – and what is still more dreadful, famine staring them full in the face.   To obviate, in some degree, the consequences of this most dreadful calamity, I have called a meeting of the Kinston merchant who have generously sent down to the unhappy suffers £1000 value in different kinds of provisions – clothing etc which will be of temporary relief until their distresses can be more effectively relieved, either from home or from America whither I am sending some vessels in quest of rice or such other provisions as can be procured.  In the parish of Westmoreland the damage, by the report of the Committee appointed to take into consideration the amount of their losses, amount to £ 950,000, this currency. In that of Hanover, one fourth of the absolute property is lost forever. In that of St James the ravage tho’ very great, yet has not been so fatal as in the other two.

  In short, My Lord, the devastation is immense.  The enclosed Gazette and papers may give your Lordship some faint idea of the distresses of the poor inhabitants who now look up to their most gracious Sovereign in their timely calamitous situation for some alleviation of their very great sufferings.

The Monarch transport having the Spanish prisoners from St John’s on board sailed from Savanna la Mar on their way to Kingston on the 1st October but not

having been heard of since ‘tis much feared that she also has experienced the dreadful effects of the late Hurricane and that every soul on board perished.

I have the honour etc

John Dalling

                                                      Reference:      Jamaica Archives 1B/5/18