The royal family and the members of the court exerted themselves to the
uttermost, the ladies devoting themselves to the preparation of lint and
bandages, and to nursing the wounded, the sick, and the dying, of whom
the numbers were overwhelming. Among the sufferers were men of quality
and once opulent citizens, who had been reduced in a moment to absolute
penury. The kitchens of the royal palace, which fortunately remained
standing, were used for the purpose of preparing food for the starving
multitudes. It is said that during the first two or three days a pound
of bread was worth an ounce of gold. One of the first measures of the
government was to buy up all the corn that could be obtained in the
neighborhood of Lisbon, and to sell it again at a moderate price, to
those who could afford to buy, distributing it gratis to those who had
nothing to pay.
For about a month afterward earthquake shocks continued, some of them
severe. It was several months before any of the citizens could summon
courage to begin rebuilding the city. But by degrees their confidence
returned. The earth had relapsed into repose, and they set about the
task of rebuilding with so much energy, that in ten years Lisbon again
became one of the most beautiful capitals of Europe.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LISBON EARTHQUAKE
The most distinguishing peculiarities of this earthquake were the
swallowing up of the mole, and the vast extent of the earth's surface
over which the shocks were felt.
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