The National Register. — London, England, 1823-03-30 00:00:00

HORRIBLE CAT.ISTROPHE. ••••=11•••• EXTRACT Or A LETTER FROM MALTA, DATED rE2.21. " An accident took place here on Shrove Tuesday of the most fatal and appalling nature. It is the custom on that day to attract the poor boys away from the crowd and riot in the streets (it being the last day of the Carnival), by making a procession to one of the churches, and afterwards distributing bread to them. Previous to their receiving the bread, they were all (in the number about 700) put in the corridor of the convent—a room where, I believe, there were no windows — an d there locked in. The cries of the poor creatures were shortly heard from Inside calling for assistance, and to be let out, but the man with the key was not to be found ; the alarm outside was tremendous, as the' door could not be opened; at length a man who thought his son was inside rushed forward and broke it open, when a dreadful scene presented itself, a great number of these poor boys having been suffocated. The consternation in the city on this being known was indescribable. The bodies were taken out, but there being so many, no one knew what to do with them.—Twenty were taken to one doctor's shop, and a great number to the hospital, where I saw more than 95 bodies of young lads, from 10 to 14, lying breathless on the floor. " The expressions of the mob against the priests and friars were rely violent, us it was attributed to them. The number of dead, by a proclamation from Government, who wish to hush the business, is stated to be about 100. At least 130 were killed, and the general number is stated. to be 1.5.1: An investigation is to be made by Government into the afl:tir." (FURTILER 2ARTICVLAIII.) MINUTE BY lIIS HONOUR THE LIEUTENANT cAIVERNOR. His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor having received a report from the Reverend Archbishop the Bishop of Nlaita, relative to the unfortunate catas trophe which took place on the evening of the 11th instant, in the Convent of the Minori Qsaervanti, and having also perused the evidence of the persons examined before the magistrates of police same of them compani o ns and survivors of the unfortunate sufferers, and others witnesses who were on the spot at the moment, and the report of the medical men, be is enabled to publish fur general information the following details of this truly melancholy accident. It has been usual, for many years past •in this island, on the last days of the Carnival, to collect together; in Valetta and in the three cities on the other side of the harbour, as many boys of the lower classes, of from eight to fifteen yearn of age, asehose to attend—to form them into a procession, and to take them out to Florian or elsewhere, where, after attending service in the church, a collation of bread and fruit (provided from funds partly given by Go vernment and partly by beneficent individuals) was distributed to them ; and this with the view of keeping them out of the riot and confusion, of the carnival in the streets of the cities. The arrangement of this procession is under the• control of the ecclesiastical directors of the institu tion for teaching the catechism. It appears that this pro Cession bad taken plicenn the tOth instant—that the children went to-Florian,. just outside of Valetta, from thence returned to the church of the Minori Osservanti, in Valetta, and that the bread was on that day distributed in the convent of that order without any accident or con fusion. On the 11 th the procession was formed• as usual, proceeded to Florian, and returned to the church of the Minori Osservanti, and tile bread was to be dis tributed, as on the preceding day, in the same con vent. Unfortunately, however, the ceremony had been protracted to a later hour than usual, and it appears (the carnival being over) a multitude of boys •nd full-grown people, passing• by the church, and know. ing that bread was to be distributed, mixed with the children in the clutch, with a view of sharing it with them. The boys were to enter the corridor of the convent from the door of the vestry of the church, an•l were to be let out through the opposite door of the con vent into Stradu d'Ursola, where the bread was to be distributed ; and it had been customary, when they were collected in the corridor, to lock the door of the vestry, for the purpose of preienting those boys who had received their Are of the bread, from entering a second time into the corridor. On the door of the vestry, however, being thrown open on the present occasion, which took place about sunset, after the entrance of the boys who originally attended the procession, and who could not have exceeded one hpndred, the whole Multitude of men and boys,tyho had subsequently entered the church, forced themselves into the corridor w an unknown extent, and pressed upon the foremost, pushing them gradually to die other end of the corridor, where the door wa. , only half open with the view of letting one out at a time. As soon as the people had all entered the corri dor, the vestry door was as usual locked, and though there was one lamp lighted in the corridor, it ap pears, by some accident, to have been eely put out, thus leaving this immense crowd entirely in the dark; and there being unfortunately a flight of eight steps within the half-closed door, at the opposite end of the corridor, the crowd behind, who pressed upon the foremost, forced the boys down the steps, who fell one upon. the other, thus unfortunately choking up the half-rhut door at the bottom (which opened inwards) and added to the distress. The shrieks of the children were soon heard by the persons employed in the distribution of the bread, which they had just commenced issuing, and by the inhabitants of the neighbourhood ; and. it up pears that every aid was immediately given. Some persons, after endeavouring in vain to get the boys out of the half-Aosed door, rushed into the church and got the keys of the vestry door, which was then opened;. while others entered the corridor from. the vestry, passed through the crowd to the other end, and broke down the door at the bottom of the steps ; but unfbrtunately these exertions were not in time to save the unhappy sufferers. Many, however, were taken out fainting, and soon recovered; others, ap parently lifeless, were afterwards brought to their senses; but, we regret to add, that 110 boys, from eight to 15 years of age, perished on this occasion from suffocation, by being pressed together in. so mail a spice, or trampled upon. On reflecting upon this fatal occurrence s the Lieutenant-Governor is convinced that none but persons of the most depraved or perverted minds can suppose for a moment that there has been the small est wilful or intentional fault on any part.. Thal there ate, however, individuals of the above descrip tions in the island is but too evident, as reports of the most malignant nature have been raised and circulated on the occasion. It will be the ass duty of Government to sift these reports to their founda tion, and the authors, if discovered,. will meet with the punishment they deserve. That a fatality of such an extensive nature, so unexpectedly and unaccountably ,produced, should excite at the moment a strong selfestion among the relations and friends of the unfortunate sufferers, cannot be wondered at ; hut the object of this an nual institution is so well- known here,. and in itself is so praiseworthy and so beneficial to the younger classes.of the community, that they ought to have been satisfied—and, indeed., it is but justice to say, that, generally speaking, they were satisfietlthat accident alone could have caused such a disaster. The Lieutenant-Governor, . however, in thus ac quitting the parties concern in superintending the arrangement of this institution from all. intentional blame, deems it to be his bounden duty, as the na tural protector of every individual in these islands, especially of tho lower classes, to remark, that the regulations originally laid down on this head were on the present occasion so far deviated from, that the ceremony had been tots long protracted, and that the children were brought back from Florian into the city for the purpose of having the brcad.and fruit distributed to them, thereby creating a delay, which-, in the first place, caused the accession of a number of nearly full-grown persons,. (not ivaluded in the procession) who had been engaged in the car nival, and who afterwards flocked to the church to get a share of the bread, and taus increased to- an extent unknown by the superintendents, the number shut up in the corridor of the convent, and which delay occasioned in the convent that darkness, which, if not the principal cause, must-at all events have materially increased the mortality on. the oc casion. In closing the account of thismelancholy business it becomes the duty of Government to notice, in the • highest terms of approbation, the general good con duct of the inhabitants in the neighbourhood of the Convent, and even of the miserable parents of the sufferers, who not only obeyed the prompt and salu tary directions given by the Deputy Inspector-Ge neral of Police on the spot, but who assisted the police-officers and the soldiers of the Malta Fencibles in clearing a passage through the crowd in the nar row s tre e t where the accident happened ; by which they were enabled to carry the bodies of the suffer ers, without loss of t ime, from the Convent to the Civil Hospital. The thanks of the Government are equally due to the medical officers, civil and military, vrhe, in. stantly on hearing of the accident, proceeded to the hospital, and - assisted in the most zealous manner the medical gentlemen attached to that establishment; also to the Malta Feneibles under the immediate at:remand of Captain the Marquis de Piro, and tp the Deputy Inspector-General and the snbordinate officers of the Police. By their general exertions the loss, great as it.unfortunatcly is, was consider ably diminished. PRICE O, Honk Stock 3 per Cent. Red. shut per Cent.Consols 71a It per Cent. I per Cellt. shut New Fours, 94i Lone Ann. 19} ? STOCKS. Ihnninen 0. • I mp. 3 per Cent. 7.l India Bonds 24 !India Stuck Exchequer MIIIIIO4. prem. Cuus. for Ac. 7-111 Lottery Ticket► ft?. 191.. THE NATIONAL REGISTER. LONDON, SUNDAY, MALCIL 30. By the late arrival of foreign papers we leartr two important facts—first, that. the Cortes had re solved on the removal of the King, the govern. ment, and their own sittings,. to Seville—that the King was attacked by a political indisposition, and that the Cortewcousented to postpone his journey from the 17th to the 20th instant, on which day the whole cava!eade left Madril—the second portant fact is, that a formidable conspiracy has been discovered in the French invnding army, and that its extent was suelras to render it necessary to dispatch Marshal Victor from Paris, appointing . sem., one else to oi;ciate in his absence as Minister at War—we aro not surprised at such a movement in the French army, and we rejoice at it—the -pos sibility of the soldiers of France joining the consti tutional Spaniards appears stronger every dly, and the probability of the united armies beheading the two &Arbon', Louis XVIII. and Ferdinand VII., is highly gratifying to every friend of liberality... would to Heaven they could add the laudable deca pitation of the three leading characters of The Holy Alliance! . DEPARTURE OF THE KING OF SPAIN FROM MADRID. The following important communication has been received from Paris, together with the journals of Thursday, and Madrid papers to the 2/st inst.:— PARIS, MARCH. 27,—A courier arrived to-day from Madrid, bringing accounts (mm that capital to the 21et. The King left Madrid on the 20th, at • cording to the preconcerted arrangement. His Ma jesty was accompanied by nearly 6,000 men, who will probably escort him as far as La Mancha. The hopes that were founded by the enemies of public order, on the resistance that his departure would en counter either from the inhabitants or the fiwtiou., have been entirely defeated. The Ktng and his es cort left the capital as if to make a grand prome. nade # amid the acclamations of the people. The Cortes have not left the capital, and their departure is not yet . fixed.. Probably they. will nut set out till the danger from the invasion beoomes.imminent. Bertran de Lys writes to a friend in. Paris, that befbre the Cortes leave the capital, they will proba bly take a resolution to make some changes in the Constitution, when the time fixed for its revision arrives. The English Ambassador had set out for • Seville the evening hefore the King. The persons of his legation. still remained:. The journey of the Duke of Belluno, who left Paris so precipitately for the army, was retarded by an accident. His carriage broke down near Or leans, and was so much injured us to require half a day to repair it. . 41 CONSPIRACY IN THE FRENCH ARMY. PARIS, MARCH 24.—A conspiracy of the most formidable kind has been detected, in the Army of the Pyrenees. The conspiracy- is of that nature, that the King dares• not send the Duke of Angou leme to quell it;; but Victor has been taken from his administrative functions, and despatched with all speed to•the Pyrenees. The following are the particulars transmitted by a private letter:— •' PARIS, MARCH 24, 3 o'CLOCR . "I send you the Momiteur of this morning, which containctwo. Royal ordinances, the first ap pointing the Minister of War, Major-General of the A rmy of the Pyrenees; and the second, nominating General Digeon his interim successor. Marshal Bellano, the NI inistor, has set out for the army at !an early hour this morning. This precipitate and unexpected , measure was only decided upon in the • Council of yesterday ; but perhaps is not more pre cipitate and unexpected than it was necessary. The first dtity of his Excellency will be, not to direct operations against Spain, BUT TO QUELL A CONSPI RACY IN TILE ARMY! " It will be seen by the newspapers, that on Friday night the Bourdeaux Diligence was stopped in the neighbourhood of Paris, and that several officers, who occupied places in it, with false pass— ports, had been arrested 0W- carried to the police. THr NATIONAL REGISTER By commatul of his Honour, Palace; Valetta, RICHARD PLASICET, Feb. A, lb= Chief Secretary to the Gavernmeb.. 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