Star. — London, England, 1820-03-04 00:00:00

PIPE AT CHATHAM. FURTHER PARTICULARS. • The fire commenced at 'the house of Mr. Hill, a biker, residing at 69, High-street. Before any assist :nee could be afforded, it had gained such strenoth a s to put an end to all hopes of saving Mr. Hans . eoese, or that next to it, with which the flames had e'enost immediately communicated. The attention e t - those who first came to the' spot was then directed to the adjoining houses, and to those opposite, to wards which the flames were di iven by a violent ' errth-westerly wind, which continued to blow strongly until a late hour in the morning. From Mr. Bill's house, and from those of Mr. Watson, a linen draper ; of Mr. Cohen, a pawhroker ; and two or three others which intervened, the devout ing element . 1 leached the Sun Tavern, a very extensive pile of eailding, and the principal Inn at Chatham. When this house caught fire the scene was most awful, for the ;lames had now been driven, by the violence of the win 1. to the opposite side of the street, which I then preehned to the eye a pile of burning buildings, beween which, from the narrowness of the place, the p:esiee was in some places impassable, and, in all e troticely dangerous. About half-past four or five, de neef of the Sun Tavern fell in with a tremen &us crash, and shortly after only a very small part of the walls were seen standing. At one time the Brewery of Mr. Best was thought to be in such dan ger that its utter ruin was looked upon as inevitable; providentially, however, by the prompt assistance of great numbers of the town's-people, aided by the ac tive exertions of the military, it escaped with compa ratively trifling damage. Mr. Best was not so for tunate with respect to his dwelling-home, which, with several adjoining houses, also his property, were en tirely consumed. The walls of Mr. BeA's house were, then their great solidity, the only pat ts which Were rot levelled with the earth. At four, and between that and six o'clock, the confusion which reigned in the town Is beyond description. From the air -1 earance cf the flames at the latter hour, it was tholieht that all the :maces south•east of that where 0..? lire began, would fall a sacs nice to its rage. So s;i.mfr was this impression, that many families, con sehea'ble removed from the immediate scene ofdan rer, l i d taken down their bedsteaJs and other ar t!cles Gf furniture, and had removed a large part of them t-.) a greater distance. About eleven o'--leek, the fury of the flames was checked by the partial destruction of some houses on 1.-le same side of the street. where it began, and by the rrqal demolition of one cr two on the opposite side, the flames had iiez then reached, but which it er:h judged p: ore; to take down, to prevent a further spread of the conflagration. The whele cumber of houses destroyed in High-street is thirty-eight ; and there were several small buildings destroyed in the rear of each. The violence of the wind was such, that large flakes of burning matter were conveyed to tame hundred yards distance. One of those flakes uptut a large stack of hay, about 150 .yards from which consumed that, and two others, mhich were close by. There was a considerable caantity of hay besides tht..:e stacks, which fortu e rate) , escaped. From the extraordinary rapidity ..v .h which the flames spread, and the danger which 'Oreateneii, in a narrow street, both sides of which, Ire a great part, on fire, an immensity of property was t'e.troyed, which, had the weather been more mild, night have been saved. Several houses, and those principally belonging to persons whose ruin Must le the corvquence, were wholly uninsured. It is, ienvever, a satisfaction, in relating this melancholy recident, to be able to state that no life was lest on the occasion. One or two persons were hint by the falling of a wall, but not dangerously. At an early hour of the day the news of the fire reached Lon don, from which some engines were dispatched ; but before their arrival the flames had been nearly subdued. The engines from Rochester and Maid stone were on the spot as soon as possible after the account had reached those places. The Sun fire en gine, drawn by six horses, reached Chatham at six in the afternoon. Great inconvenience was experi enced from the want of a plentiful supply of water. In some places it was conveyed in casks to the spot where the engines were at work, and there emptied in:o the street. Since writing the above, we have learnt that an unfortunate soldier was killed by the falling of the trant wall of one of the houses. The fire is supposed to have originated from the carelessness of one of the baker's men, who carried cot some hot ashes, which he emptied near a rick of faggot., and which was fanned into a blaze by the eicessi ve high wind. This is the third severe visitation by fire which Chatham has experienced within the last half-cen atty. About twenty years ago a fire broke out nearly in the same place as the present one, which consumed nearly seventy houses ; and about twenty-one or twenty-two years before that period a fire happened in the same sheet, to which eighty or ninety houses fell a prey. ANOTHER ACCOUNT. The following are some further particulars which e have learned from a Gentleman, who arrived from the spot at five o'clock yesterday afternoon.— The family of Mr. Hill, at whose house the confla rtation commenced, and also that at the Sun Tavern, had merely time to snatch a few garments, so rapid was the progress of the flames, there being only two small engines, that belonging to the town, and a crivate one. When the flames reached Best's brew house, a large stone-fronted building, the engines were supplied, owing to, the scarcity of water, with beer, to the amount of nearly 100 butts. The wind blew with considerable fury, and both sides of the street, which is very narrow, being in flames at the same time, the falling ruins rendered it dangerous tor persons to pass, or to render assistance. Before five, the following houses, besides those enumerated, were destroyed ;—Mr. Fisher's, a linen-draper; five others from that to the Chest Arms; Mr. Heading ton's Library ; the two Mr. Millars', Mr. Wickham's, Mr. Button's (hair-dresser), and several others; and also sever al corn-ricks in a field near the brew house. The watch-houses and places of confinement, It is lamentable to add, were filled with the lower order of townsfolk% who took advantage of their neighbours' distress, and got intoxicated it their ex pense; and such w.ts the scene of distress, that no less than the utter rein of the town was ex pected. On the side of the High -street, next tite Medway, there are about fifteen houses destroyed. On the opposite side about twelve, besides a number in courts , and alleys. THE CONSPIRATORS, Shortly after eleven o'clock yesterday morning, Lavender, Salmon, and several other officers of the Bow-street Police, arrived in three coaches at Cold bath-fields Prison, with orders from the Secretary of State for the Home Department, to bring imme diately to Whitehall, the con3pirators who are con fined in the House of Correction, for examination before the Privy Council. Mr. Adkins, the Governor of the Prison, immediately delivered over the fol- lowing prisoners into the care of the officers, viz.— Thistlewood, Monument, Wilson, Davidson, Tidd,, Gilchrist, Ings, Bradburn, Shaw, Cooper, and Brunt. They were immediately conveyed, in the coaches provided for their reception, to Whitehall. The pri soners were all handcuffed to e:tch other. About the time that this detachment reached Whitehall, Mr. Nodder, the Keeper of Tuthill-fields Prison, ar rived at the same place in a coach, with Preston, Symonds (the footman), Harrison (late a Life Guards man), Abel Hall, and Firth, the keeper of the loft in Cato-street. The whole of the prisoners, on their arrival at White hall, were placed in the first apartment at the left hind, adjoining Mr. Day's office. Those from the House of Correction sveie placed in a line, hand cuffed together, on the bench immediately facing the entrance ; and the Tothill-fields prisoners were seated on a bench at the right hand side of the room.— The appearance of the whale was wretched in the extreme, and one or two of them seemed mere boys. Thistlewood appeared quite downcast, his features seem every day to undergo an alteration for the worse—his complexion is become quite jaundiced, and his general appearance nerveless and emaciated; he wore the old brown surtout, in which he was ge nerally seen of late in the streets, kept his eyes oc casionally gazing with indifference upon the strangers who thronged the room, but mostly fixed on the ground. Davidson the man of colour, seemed per fectly at his ease, and talked cheerfully to the pri soner that sat next him. Preston was not only quite composed, but enjoyed a constant smile of self-com placency at the inquisitiveness with *which strangers, as they passed, a'ked. " Which is Preston:'" " Which is Thistlewood ?" Preston seemed in his usual good spirits, and had not a little of the appearance of h.tving exhilarated them in the course of the morn by a joiiy draught. While the prisoners were in this coon„ a considerable number of Gentlemen were permitted to pass through, but none to converse with police office's were stationed at the end of each seat. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL, and many other official characters, arrived at the Home Office at one o'clock. Mr. Lee, the active High Constable of Westminster, was in attendance at Whitehall, and a crowd of idle persons remained in front of the office daring the day. Nothing but the common eagerness of mere curiosity marked the conduct of this crowd as the prisoners passed. The meeting of the Lords of the Council was at tended by the same Members as we stated yesterday; in addition to the ATTORNEY and SOLICITOR-GENE RAL, there Were present also, Mr. Sheriff ROTHWELL, Alderman Sir WILLIAM CURTIS, &c. A witness was examined, who had been discovered by Taunton, the officer, as having procured some swords to be sharpened, both back and front, very lately, for one of the prisoners. The Lords of the Council being assembled, Arthur Thistlewood and the rest of his gang were examined singly before heir Lordships. Arthur Thistlewood was the first that was examined. The LORD CHAN CELLOR, who presided, informed the prisoner, that he was charged with the crimes of High Treason and Murder : and the other prisoners being individually brought before the Lords of the Council by Lavender and Bishop, the Bow-street Officers, they underwent a short examination; very few of them saying any thing in their defence to the charges stated against them, except Symonds, the footman, whose exa mination lasted upwards of half an hour, and whose evidence is supposed to be important. The whole concluded soon after two o'clock, when Viscount CASTLEREAGH and the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHE- ' QUER left the Council. Their Lordships continued in close deliberation after this for a considerable time. Shortly after four o'clock, the Lords of the Council announced, through the medium of Mr. Hoatiousa, the Under Secretary, that eight of the prisoners were to be committed to the Tower upon a charge of High Treason. These were, Thistlewood, Brunt, Davidson, Ings, Wilson, Tidd, Harrison, and Monument. These were then handcuffed in pairs, and an escort of the Horse Guards was sent for. On the arrival of the Guards, four hackney coaches were procured, in each of which two prisoners were placed. They were accompanied by the Fort-Major of the Tower, Cap tain J. 11. Elrington, Lavender, Bishop, ltuthven, Taunton, Salmon, and several other Police Officers. The Hor s e Guards surrounded them on all sides.— • Every thing being in readiness, the carriages were driven along Westminster-bridge, and by that route along London-bridge, up Fish-street-hill, through Fenchurch-street, the Minories, to the Tower. An immense crowd witnessed their departure, and fol lowed their course ;,but there was not a single sym pathizing expression uttered by the throng. After the departure of the men thus committed for High Treason, six of these who remained—Bradburn, Cooper, Gilchrist, Strange, Hall, and Firth, were committed to the custody of Mr. Adkins, Governor of the House of Correction, under different charges ; some for murder, and others for shooting at persons; with intent to kill. They were conveyed to their place of destination under an escort of Horse Guards, and accompanied by several Police Officers. Symonds, who, it is supposed, will be admitted a witness for the Crown, and Preston, were remanded to the custody of Mr. NOLDER, Governor of Tothill fields prison. Preston seemed quite astounded, if not Disappointed, that he had been treated with such con tempt. He had evidently prepared his mind for a " blow.up," as he called it, with the Ministers ; but he said, " he supposed as how he had given 'em such a taste afore, as they did not like him to csome again." He underwent no examination whatever ; and in all probability his sheer nonsense will save him from the fate which threatens his companions. The first intimation of the intended comm i tment • , to the rawer was brought there about two o'clock, when orders were !given to Make, immediate prepara tions for the reception of several state plisonets, who arrived at 20-ininutes past five. Their escort consisted of twenty Dragoon Guards, under the command of a proper Officer. The official betrer of the warrant Was in the first hackney-coach, Each prisoner is confined in a separate apAttment ; two warders, armed in the usual way, with cutlasses and halberts, are in each room ; and at each door is stationed a sentinel armed, to whose care is intrusted the key of the room, with strict orders not to permit more than one warder to be absent at a time, and that only for occasional purposes. Thistlewood is placed in the prison known by the name of the Bloody Tower. Davidson is in the prison over the water-works. lugs is in a different room of the same prig)* Monument is in the prison at the back orthe Horse Armoury, ei sneke.--The access to the inteitil part of the tort tress continue, open as before. The only alterations We observe is, that the.great gates-are fastened, n• e smi,ers b, iig adinitted through g wicket, at hici two sentinels are placed. A man, answering in every vs wet the description of Palist or Peeling, one of the Cemspirators, and for whoke apprehension a reward of E2OO is offered, was seen at Eastry, in the forenoon of Tuesday laA, an I left that village about two in the afternoon ; soon after which the newspapers, in which his description wts given, having reached Eastrv, immediate pursuit was made after him, andihewas traced to Finglesham, on the road to Deal, where his further progtess was Jost: SUPPOSED HORRID ROBBERY AND MURDER. About two o'clock, this morning, As a watchman was passing Mulgrove-place, Woolwich, he orb served flames issuing from the window of a home inhabited by an old Gentleman of the name of PA It. K ER ' and his housekeeper. Ile instantly gave the alarm, and proceeded to rouse the inmates by knocks ing as loud as he could at the door. No answer wai returned. The neighbours, justly alarmed, resolved to force an • entrance, in doing which, they as cended to the room which was on fire. The de. vouring element had not made great progress, and was soon extinguished ; but horrid to re late, in the corner of the room, the bodies of Mr. PARKER and his housekeeper were found, nearly ccn , sumed by the fire! Appearances, we grieve to un derstand, afford too much reason to believe that the unfortunate persons.had been previously murdered by some midnight robbers, and the house set on fire, to conceal the double atrocity ! The strictest inqui , sition has been making all day into the horrid trans action, by the Magistrates and Police. Drum and Harrison occupy separate apartments in the prison over the stone-kitchen. Tidd is secured in the Seven-gun battery prison, and Wilson is in the prison over the parade.. • The prisoners have, by the indulgence of the law, what is called State allowance, for their daily main tenance, which, to such wretched poverty as their's, must make even their presen►t awful situation, as compared with their confinement in Coldbath-fields, a change for the better. The number of warders 'sufficient to do the ordi nary dut; of the Tower is ten ; but, as soon as the command for preparing the prisons reached the pro per quarter, directions were given to increase the number of warders to sixty. The iron gates at the east end of the Tower were closed this morning, as is usual upon such occasions. It will, of course, occupy a considerable time to make the necessary arrangements for the trial of these men ; and the important proceeding will not, in all probability, take place for two or three weeks. It i; understood that they will be tiled by a Special Com mission. We are sorry to add, that they conducted themselves with singular effrontery, both during their examination before the Privy Council, and on their passage to the Tower. Ings, in particular, while at the Treasury, appeared eager to enter into a conversation with several persons, and was heard to say, more than once, " that if he had fifty necks, he would have them all twisted, rather than see his children starve."—He observed to Mr. Adkins, the Governor:of the House of Correction, Coldbath-fields, that if all men in office were like him (Adkins), they (the conspirators) would not have been there at all. —Thistlewood seemed perfectly cool and uncon cerned, but said nothing. Cobbler Preston was very talkative and lofty. lle seemed bursting with im patience to go before the Council ; raising himself from his chair every time the door opened, in hope of being the next culled; then sinking back into his seat with vexation and disappointment; and exclaiming, " Oh ! how I long to go up ! I don't think that there is any man alive has so great a genus as mine is at this moment." Then he would pore upon the ground for a minute or two in deep cogi tation ; and at length break out in the following soliloquy : " If it is the will of the. Author of the World that I should perish in the cause of freedom —his will, and not mine, be done! It would be a triumph to me!" at the same time throwing his arms about in a manner which savoured strongly of in sanity. It was not, however, his fate to be called before the Council at all ; though when Thistlewood and some others expressed regret that they had not applied to have their families admitted to see them, The dreadful gale of Wednesday night and Thurs. he desired them very pompously to make themselves day morning has done infinite mischief, by blowing quite easy upon that head, for he would take care to down walls, and spreading general devastation in the mention it in his speech to their Lordships. gardens, and in every part of our vicinity. 'These Mrs. Courts, yesterday, sent £lOO to Mr. BIRNIE, losses to individuals are not to he compared, how to be appropriated to the subscription for the Officers, ever, to those of which we have already heard from and the worthy Magistrate received in the whole our csast, where the wife has lost an affectionate and' £172 in the course of the day. tender husband, the child an indulgent parent, the The manner in which 'ihistlewood fled from the necessitous a sincere friend, and the public a worthy officers of justice, immediately atter the murder, has member of society. We should gladly flatter our not been noticed in the Papers, though it was in no selves that such was not the extent of the loss, but . small degree curious. Having escaped from the loft we fear greatly that even here the picture is .too fa by a trap-door at the top, he jumped into the yard vourably drawn.— Chelmsford Chronicle. of one of the hcuses in John-street. The height that At Whitstable, in Kent, the gale was so heavy, he jumped was so considerable, that few men would that pearly all the boats drove from their moorings; have ventured on the experiment made by Thistle- two were entirely destroyed, and most of the others, wood, but in circumstances as desperate as his were by running foul of each other, were very much da at that moment. Descending into the yard of the maged. The tide was unusually high, having ove:. second house from the corner of Cato -street, he at- run the wall at some places : w e regret to add, thitt tempted to burst in at the back entrance, with a the hoy of Messrs. Piercy and Co. filled with water. view of passing through to John-street ; but here he Report says that two brigs are ashore at Herne Bay, was foiled, as the back door was fastened. In this with considerable damage. situation he manifested considerable presence of mind. Yesterday, an Inquest was held at the Three Crowns, Having knocked loudly at the door, when he was Upper East Smithfield, on the body of Isaac Trig answered by the people from within, he demanded g et, aged fifty. The deceased was a shoemaker, re admittance. Those to whom he addressed himself, siding in Brown' Bear-alley. Wednesday last, he alarmed perhaps by the firing which had just been went home with a pair of shoes to a customer in the heard in the loft, hesitated to open the door, when East India Dock-yard, when he dropped down dead. he called to them that he was an officer in pursuit of Verdict—Died in a fit. the villains who had just quitted the loft, and if the Another Inquest was held at the Weaver's Arms, door were not instantly opened, he would break it Lower Church-lane, Whitechapel, on the body of ddwn, as on such an occasion he had authority to do Christiana Barry, aged fifty-six. The deceased was •so. His audacity vanquished - their scruples, and be- a. widow. Wednesday evening, the deceased went lieving him to be the person that he represented him- out to a neighbouring public-house for a pint of por self to be, they no longer refused to permit him to ter for her supper, and, on her return, she dropped enter. The door was opened, and he passed in. He down dead. Verdict—Died by ;he visitation of Gon. had previously said his business was to search the Yesterday !yarning, a respectable tradesman of house, but on finding himself' in a fair way of getting Westminster, for a wager, walked over the six bridges to the front door, he remarked, in a complimentary within one hour; performing it in 57 minutes.- The 'manner, that that was " a decent house," hastily in- time allowed was an hour and a halt. quired if they had any person concealed in any of A Coursing Club has just been established at Ne their apartments ? and, being answered in the nega- reford, the Members of which held their first Mret tive, he observed, " he could take their word ; and a ing lust week, in :he extensive meadows belonging to satisfied with the assurance that he had received,' E. T. for.ev, Esq. when the silver cup was won by %%amid give them no farther trouble." lie then made I F. B. THOMAS, Esq.'s black dug frump, and the se his exit by the front door, and the people to whom I cond rand course by Captain 13Lara's Ilosa, heath g he hall addressed himself had no doubt that he was I really a Police Officer. It was not till they sax in I Mr. 1110 M AS'S Daphne. The ne:ghtiourhood of Norwood, B:ixton, Dul the Newspapers of the following day the description : with, &c. has lately been infested with a desperate of the murderer, that they knew the person they had gang of cattle and poultry stealers ; the property of allowed to pass through their premises was rtp other : almost every Gentleman and farmer has been carried than the notorious Arthur Thistlewood. loff by these nocturnal depredators. Several persons On the arrival of the Conspirators, last night, at . have each lost between fifty and sixty sheep within the Tower, Thistlewood spoke with great apparent the last year. Wednesday night last, some thieves freedom to one of the Warders, whom he recognized broke open the premises of Mr. GLOVER, of Nor. as having had the charge of him on his former con- wood, and carried off consider able property ; tl-ey finement for lligh Treason. They are all lodged in also broke open the fowl-house, and took ten fouls separate apartments. Thistlewood occupies the same five ducks, one peacock, and a peahen. The I'. rc room as before ; he requested this as a favour, it was grintcd. They all shook hands with each and •of Lord THURLOW, at Dalwich, was entered by sonic robbers on Sunday night last, who killed and other on parting. On being awoke this morning, Hayed four sheep, carried off the carcases, an 4 left they breakfasted heartily, but all preset ved a sullen the skins and entrails behind them. GENERAL ELECTIO Y. This morning, ARTHUR Monnts, Esq. High Bailift, attended by the High Constable and his assistants, proceeded to the boundaries of the several Parishes of the City and Liberty of Westminster, and made the usual Proclamation for the Election of two fit and proper persons to be returned to serve as Mem bers of Parliament. Next Thursday is the day ap pointed for the nomination of. the Candidates. The only persons that have as yet declared themselves are Sir FRANCIS BURDETT, the Hon. GEORGE LAMB, and JOHN CAM 110BHOUSE, Esq. Most of the Elections for Boroughs near Town will come on upon Tuesday next. County Elec tions must necessarily be later. On the whole, how ever, there will be fewer contests than ever were known, for the notoriously corrupt Boroughs cannot find Candidates. The Hon. EDWARD HARBORD, offers himself for Shaftesbury. Admiral Sir ELTAB HARVEY, k.C.B. has again offeredirimself as a Candidate to represent the County of Essex, in the ensuing Parliament. The present Members for Knaresborough, Sir J. MACKINTOSH and Mr. 'I'IERNEY, are expected to be returned without opposition. Lord JOHN FITZROY, brother to his Grace the Duke of GRAFTON, has offered himself as a Repre sentative for Bury, in lieu of the Earl of EUSTON.—• J. W. D. MEREST, Esq. is also a Candidate. At Birmingham no change is anticipated ! CHARLES WoLESLEY is expected to walk over!! Ira _ _ . ~-: . ~:,: m .