On Good Friday, being the 14th April, 1843, the cathedral of St. John’s was re-opened for public worship, after being temporarily repaired for that purpose. An appropriate and impressive sermon was preached by the archdeacon, to a numerous congregation. All the other places of worship were crowded with attentive hearers. About eight o’clock in the evening, a sharp shock of earthquake was felt, which caused many of the inhabitants to rush from their houses, or from the respective chapels they had congregated in. Providentially, it did not continue long, and no accident happened; but from the recent awful convulsion of a similar nature, it was a moment of extreme terror to many. During the month of April, 1843, another comet made its appearance. This coincides strangely with events of the year 1690, the period of the great earthquake in Antigua, which devastated great part of the town of St. John’s, and rent “Hatton’s Hill,” and which was followed by the appearance of two comets. Up to the time of this work going to press, more than 35,000l. currency have been received from the British West Indian Colonies, and subscriptions raised in England, for the relief of the sufferers in the late awful earthquake. Since that dreadful occurrence, agricultural wages have risen from 4s. to 8s. currency per diem; and great complaints are made by the planters for not being able to obtain a sufficient number of labourers to carry on with expediency the culture of the sugar-cane. ------ [73] Francis Shand, Esq., gave 100l. Appendix. No. 1. _Copy of the First Commission which was ever granted for the Government of Barbados and the Leeward Islands._