Légende
Earthquake at Port Royal, Jamaica, 7th June 1692. View showing the destruction in Port-Royal. Parts of the port town sank into the sea due to liquefaction of the ground. '…in Two Minutes the Town was Sunk under Ground, and Two Thousand Souls Perished…Being a Dreadful Warning to the Sleepy World: Or, God's heavy Judgments shewed on a Sinful People, as a Fore-runner of the Terrible Day of the Lord'. Note the sugar-works, C, on the left. Founded in 1650, Port Royal was first captured by the English in 1655 and turned into a strategic military and naval base. Initially intended as a heavily fortified garrison by the late 17th century, the town had developed into the most important commercial centre in the English colonies. Port Royal's location in the middle of the Caribbean made it ideal for trade. It was known as the "Wickedest City on Earth" for its sheer concentration of pirates, prostitutes and rum. Apart from those killed in the earthquake, many more perished from injuries and disease in the following days. We don't know if 'God's heavy Judgment' included punishment for the iniquities of slavery. From "A True and Perfect relation of that most Sad and Terrible earthquake, at Port-Royal, Jamaica which happened on Tuesday 7th June, 1692", R. Baldwyn, [London, 1692].
Date
1692
Crédit
Photo12/Heritage Images/Heritage Art
Notre référence
HRM25A15_026
Model release
NA
Property release
NA
Licence
Droits gérés
Format disponible
51,1Mo (3,0Mo) / 31,1cm x 41,1cm / 3674 x 4858 (300dpi)