The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1808-09-21 00:00:00

"7 if • • that FLNIAN AND the Would h a le Crown, as the representative of IN A would teen have married the Creole Madame BON A PARTE, in order to prate to the will of the French Ruler. not trust either the father or the son ; /L ?IRONS. They would have wished of the Corsican Tyrant, though they 'tidy base obeyed I' . They would deprecated the success of the Spanish . the English. They would not have rerolutianary Kings. We most place such of Spain. It is indispensable. If much terrified, and too mails weak _ to meditate any opposition to this shall direct my whole undivided force TAROS and CEUTA. if the Emperor venture to take up arms, I will ester- House. My ally, the Emperor of ' aid toe. My subjects, whom I con whom I consider as altogether the ambition, will be too happy te sacri -6 for my glory." the clear and undisguised tenor of the by NAPOLEON, and by Ins Ministers, Senate, in their public addresses or exposi as the Ist and the 4th of the present There is not any man who must not see, the interests of the French Monarchy pretext, the interests of BONAPARTE, Generals, end Revolutionary Digni only real subject of preservation.— . might, in like manner, have de . destroyed the House of Amnia, on the grounds, in order to place his Grandson Spanish Throne. But in the present abject 'f Europe; while Prince WILLI ASI of PRIM in the anti-chambers of the Corsican's while Russia moves by the orders, and by the wiles of CA U LIRCOURT , while 4.4cooretr. holds Denmark in complete subjec and Ohile all Germany is made to arm against Head ; in such a state of things, of what use, avail is it to demonstrate the sophistry, the . tyranny, or the turpitude of the inilivi , tramples on morals, on reason,and on man ? , or can any appeal to argument, arrest this powerful ruffian ? Nut immediately. alone can do it in the Met instance. He moreover many advantages. His central separating Austria, and Italy, and Spain other ; the secretly, unity, and velocity logsgettents; his subtle, atrocious, and imino easaailpation from all restraint; his profound pervasive genius; the instruments with which ward Igor he employs no aittv m Imes, no Illiseagirientwal ; all these give bim a prodigious over scattered allies.* prey to jealousies, to the impressions of the emissaries, under a thousand shapes, sow the seeds ur of corruption. Yet, it is evi . great as are his advantages, Naro. appreciates his own situation, and perceives perils. But neither his character. his posi aor his judgment, suffers him to manifest any apprehension. He is not an Emperor or a King. The sword has - made him what he is, as it did Caonwett. By the sword he must maintain his power. If he attempt to recede, he is lost. Bo litAfAarli cannot even be stationary. He cannot melt down iuto a legitimate Sovereign. He must go toward, and must dare Austria to the contest, at the time when he most dreads her interference.— He has done so, and he has acted wisely ; a short time will shew the result. We *hall probably he abbe to judge, within a few weeks, or even days, whether he will direct his personal energies to Baianne, onto Strasburgh, against Germany, or against Spain. We resenie our extracts this (lay from the Dutch pipers to the 17th. received on Monday. MUSTAPUA BAIRACTAR, the bead of (1w new Gnverinnent of Turkey, has commenced his career with en „enetyy corre,poodilig with his eh:art.:ter fur firmness and activity.-He says, " the Porte has enemies ; she mast (awry on war; and the military preparations must he conducted with redoulded (seri( ity." May we hope that these expressions are not levelled a;ainst England, and that U4IIIACTAIt has had WI. gacity to discover the real enemies of Turkey, that Russia and France stand unveiled before him ; stud that he perfectly comprehends the secret articles of the Treaty of Tilsit, and the engagements which were there entered into for the dissolution and par titiou of the Turkish Empire. smeseminam Monday and yesterday mornings, His MAJSPTY, Princess!, SOPHIA, AUGUSTA and Anni.ts, accom panied by Ladies Tarsite and Down, Count Muttsres, General Ftranox, and Colonel TAY -I.oa, took their usual ride in Windsor Park, and rtiorned to the Palace at twelve o'clock. Yesterday the Qestx and Princess Ettexarrit took an airing to Frnginiffe Lodge, and the weather being so very favourable, walked in those beautiful gardens a considerable time. A report prevails in the City, that Sir ARTHUR WELIASLIM had scut the right wing of his army, that nail beets but little engaged in the action of the ..!.! by a circuitous route, to attack the Frew,. in the rear, and that this force, amounting to Om/ men, was unfortunately surrounded by the Fr,:selt, and made prisoners. We ch) not know on what authority this report rests, but it is assigned as the only plausible explanation of the extmordi- Lary Convention that has taken place. Yesterday the LORD MAY O R ordered the price ..c to be raised two assizes, or id in the iwck I. : 0'. en.o,sartice to-morrow. The quarter') loaf • - ova.ca is t!sea to besot(' fur Is. 2id. aud house : id. • ' itkii/SaWll/1. ICR. 1 710 N, , THEATRE-ROYAL, COVENT GARDEN, ENTMRIFI,IO CON*IIIED BY Ern E-YIANY LIVES LOS r, AND MANY PERSONS MOCKINGLY MAIMED' AND WOUNDED. ' .11.11 i. The two Winter Theatres have long continued to divide the public it; teiition. and to ettgroA , univer sal interest. Their opening is always hailed us the commencement of the winter season. It is the signal for all the rank, wealth, and fashion, dis persed over the United Kingdom, to repair to head quarters, and concentrate themselves in town. It is a joyful notice, to the commercial and trading classes, of the payment of bills, and the reriral of trade in this immense metropolis, comprehetoling a population of not less than Leoo,ooo snub.-- Of such immense magnitude and importance, in a national point of view, are the two winter Theatres, of Drury-lane and Covent-garden ; and all this pod they do by improving, instructing, and re fining the •d, adding to the public stock 11f harmless pleasure." It is therefore with deep and sincere regret we announce the total destruc tion of one of these great sources of instruction and' national advantage, by fire ; a calamity aggra vated by the loss of many valuable lives. About four o'clock, last morning, a female servant awoke Mr. Hughes, the Treasurer, who resides its the house, and told him it was on fire. It was aeon discovered that the fire proceeded from the upper part of the Theatre, and thus the persons who inhabit it had an opportunity to effect their escape. When the quantity and quality of the combustible matter, of which the building and its contents were composed, are considered, it may be easily conceived, that the 04111d1 burred fiercely, and that the fire quickly attained a great height, and assumed a most awful appearance. The crackling of the flames was heard at the extremi ties of the Strand. As dig Itgary timbers fell, the light burning matter wirdilicielkillp to an immense height and extent, and • dllkisbole almosphows was filled with floating flakes of are, which fell in all di rections, spreading consternation, and threaten ing rum to the whole neighbourhood, on which it fell in a burning shower. The attendance at Covent-Garden Market is pretty full at+ that hour, and a crowd of people were of course on the spot ; but as the fire broke out jest where contiguous to the upper gallery,; the wind blew the lames to the eastward., the fire had raged within for some time before the alarm 4ecarne general. About half past 4 o'clock the volunteers began to assemble, end the engines to arrive from every quarter of the town ; but nearly en hour had elapsed before any effi cient supply of water (weld be obtained. AtAlits time the whole Theatre was one complete body of tire,• . It raged with most violence on A the any end of Bow -street, the western Side of which, nearly as far as the Police-Office, 1114 60011 hurtled down, to the extent of eight or nine houses, including the public-house called the Strugglers, kept by Mr. Donut, and Paul's soda water manufactory. In Hart-street, the flames communicated to the houses on the side opposite the Theate, and four of them caught fire at the same moment; but by the great activity of the people and firemen, they suffered little mere 4a mage than a severe scorching.—Great apprehen- sions were entertained for the safety of Drury-lane Theatre, as the flakes of tire were carried by the wind with force and in great quantities in that di rection. A great number of people mounted the roof, ready. in case of actual fire, to open the itn mense reservoir of water provided there ; a precatt; tion very desirable in all great public buildings, and which, with due care, must for ever preserve that splendid Theatre from the fate of its neighbouring rival and sister. They also stopped the windows with wet cloths, to prevent the entrance of the flames, and thus secured the Theatre. All the people in the neighbourhood took a similar pre caution, and were employed with their servants in picking up the flakes of fire as they fell upon the 'loofa or iu the court-yards, awl upon the out-houses. It was not merely the light matter that war thus dispersed in a flaming state.— Solid lumps of burning cinders, coals and wood, might be seen in the streets as far as Temple-bar. Of the light matter, pieces of books and paper were carried by the wind, which, during the most violent period of the conflagnition was at South West, as far as Moorfields, where they were picked up. Such was the appearance in the vici nity of the Theatre, the inhabitants of which were exposed to a shower of tire, with a Wasn' t ; light around them, reflecting the brightness of meridian day, and those in the immediate vicinity of the burning pile, emptying their Itwses, and flying in all directions, to a place of safety for themselves, their children, and their property. To the people in the suburbs, or approaching town in the mail-coaches, it made a more magnificent appearance. The scite of the Theatre being rip on a great elevation, and the building lofty, it was seen at a considerable distance ; and it seemed as if the whole quarter of the city, from St. Martin's-lane to Temple-bar was wrapt in flames. l'he above, however, is the whole ex tent of injury sustained io the neighbourhood, but as to the Theatre itself, it is totally consumed, and, on the Hart-street side, not even the walls are standing. The Ship Tavern, and part of Mr. Brandon's, the box-kceiter's, office, are all standing at that .";'.l l ll tittle. 'The most IMA el • part event reteeiu4 to be dest, earl/ stage of the tires a party of 01.1,4 the greet door under the western side, andltating it; into the passages is the interi towards the galleries, there the burn luo4t fiercely, whets, sehtoeholy the part of the building ortr die thought was a stone arch, hut au imitation of stone, fell in, 81: severul others who had ruphed in the ruins. it was is coiihitlentible the rubbish, which now blocked up the door, could be cleared away. When it was effected, a misera ble spectacle presented itself. The mangled bodies of dead and dying appearing through the rub bish, or discovered in each advance to remove it.— At twelve o'clock eleven dead bodies had been removed into the church-yard of St. Paul's, on the opposite side of Covent-Carden. When the bodies were brought into the church-yard they were in a heated state, and covered with dirt ; on some of them the flesh was burned to the hones. For the purpose of identifying the sufferers, several pails full of water were thrown upon theca. Sixteen were sent to the hospital, misers* monied, with broken limbs, and dreadful bruises. A• party of ruflintis, taking advantage of the general con sternation and distress, began to pliiiider, but eight of them were apprehended and lodged in Covent garden watch-house. A gang of pickpockets also committed ;gent depredatious. At ten o'clock, however, a party of horse soldiers was sent to keep off the crowd, and a party of foot soldiers to relieve the Volunteers. • The loss sustained by the destruction of this great property is estimated at 130,0001. of which not more than one-third was insured, as follows The Royul Eiwkseige L. 5,000 The Phenix 15,000 The Vaiw 5,000 I oil, The Sus 95,000 ...... 1 $0,060 The money and all the title deeds which were in tbd iron chest have been saved. The money was saved by the activity of Mr. Hughes, and the hcineety‘ot Ale old woman who awoke i,im. He nott,lo the Tres *cry oa the first alarm, and larded her with two bags of money, with which he sent her off, without any dress but her petticoat, to Mr. Boyce, a tax-gatherer in York-street. oi3 her arrival at Mr. Boyce's, however, and knocking at the servant seeing such a figure at sued. refusedadmittanee, supposing her a mad The poor woman, thus excluded, and ' inform the passengers of the treasure, upon the hags, at the steps of and there remained until the return Hughes, who had originally escorted door. Of all the rest of this greet Win the fierceness of the flames, scarce., was preserved. The King's Arms, a Hon,. sire. Mother Game, a few other pantomimic devices tad pieces of mechanism, and some pikes, halberts, aim meg in processions, were all that were pre mised. They were brought out, and laid under the Pisan, where they were huddled together, pre senting in the niivture a strange and whimsical ap. pearance. Next to Mr. ilarris, Mr. Kemble, and the other Proprietors of the theatre, the Musicians are the greatest sufferers. Mr. Ware lost a violin value 3001. It was the only time in a space of two years that ite had left it behind him. The musi cians ire in the habit of leaving RH their instru !atilt* at the Theatre ; they were all destroyed, with all the music, and other appurtenances of the Orchestra. estimated at 20,0001. value. To aggravate the loss in this department, there are no copies of many of the best pieces. All the li terary productions of the House are also destroyed, and of many of them Also there are uo copies.- Miss Bolton lost all her jewels, and Mr. Munden his wardrobe, valued at 3001. All the other performers have also shared in the calamity; and. according to the usage of the Theatre, their saluries cease until their performances can be resnsie.d. By this ca tastrophe upwards of it* ether persons, with their families, consisting of artificers, door-keepers, and other inferior servants, employed about the Theatre, are thrown out of bread. The event may therefore he said to have spread distress through the neigh bourhood, and consigned many industrious fami lies to actual want. Among the killed, whose bodies were conveyed to St. Paul's Church-yard, Covent-garden, were Joseph flames, Jones, an apprentice at No. 5, Oxford-road ; Joseph Kilbey and Richard Riglestrorth, firemen belonging to the Phceuix office ; Crab, a butcher's-boy, whore master resides in Paternoster-row; and an officer in the Duke of Cumberland's sharpshooters, name un known. One of these sufferers was recognised by his sister. by means of a nutmeg-grater, found in his pocket, of which she had, on the preceding day, made him a present. Of the mangled and contused, sent to the hospi tals, the following expired in the course of the day: Richard Bird, coaehmaker. John Sayers, engineer of the Phoenix engine, Mr. 'Harris, optician, a young man, aged eighteen, and a member of the Bloomsbury Volunteer Corps, and Mr. Janes, an attorney ; he had only arrived in town from Wales, about a week ago, and lodged at the house of Mr. _ to th*th.--- roefoi elm Birre-streetw it is mid also perished in the ruins. It may be ricer'. from ,the above account, that the men of tho'Phcenis were the principal folkerers. On their arrival with their engiue at thereat door ander the Piazza, they - were met by Mr. If mettle, who had arrived, ut on early hour, uGd were humauely apprised flohim, though greatly • interested in the irtsccesstit4Seir exertions, of the great danger of catering at that dour, lie told them that the rooms of the Shake speare, immediately ailjoluiug, were used as &mare hosive to the Theatre, and were tilled with ponder, and other eel inflainuiabla matter, and, et.- treated .there not to run any risk. • These *rave ood bold fellows answered, " Where denim is there is our duty;" and rushed &mold. • "Ir. John Johnston, a Comediau of iuferitre rushed in along with aud shared their fens.— .t part of the Shakespeare is injured, and it isnot improbable that some of the powder stored is Agility have exploded, blown up the toiling at theeotniace of the Piazza door, stud spread destruction in that quarter. The persons without, who heard the crash, conceived it to be en explosion of gnu-pow der. Al'e forgot to mention, that seven other per sons were killed by the fall of a wall in Hart-strert. The precise somber cannot be yet ascertained, but, upon a moderate computation of the killed and Wounded, it is supi;oseal that they cannot lie fewer than fifty. During , the whole t outset of the day the engines.ewitinaed to play even . the smoking ruins; ltut, about nine o'clock, the tie appeared to bread out again in the angle that the element had spared in the morning, betivegn.fl*t street and. Bow-street. It was. however. soon 10001.11. der, mutat 12 o'clock last night there 'rote grist tom of new danger. Duringthe whole Oftte eveoing, and uotil a late hour, the neighbourhood vrasennizded with people from all parts of the town, attracted to • - -.tins of -.it edifice which b " • -- •-•••-• the houres wily $, The Coispan:, it is supposed, lei the Opera House, as did the Cameo"' lane Theatre, when that Iloirse was building.— There are various conjectures as to the immediate origin of the fire.—As to the remote cause, there is but one opinion, and that is, that it was actideutal. we suppose that the tire was occagiaood by the wadding of the gun, iu firing, the preeedisg night, et Rolla. in Pizzaro, which may have caught the fop of the flies. Others apprehend that • srerh ilitY have communicated to the acetate in the 1 ple of the Sun, in the same pieci t which surd the performance, and communicated to o matter in the course of the night. It is, however, gelierally allowed, that the fire was first discover• ed by a Gentleman who slept in the Bedftird Coffee-house, who, being awakened about three o'clock, by the excessive heat, immediately are*, and gave the elan'', which awoke the maid of Mr. Hughes. In corroborution of this statement, we can assert, that a strong smell of tire was telt at tße office of this paper, and other places in the oeigh bourhood of Temple-bar, about the same h0ur...... The following are the Volunteer Corps who at tended yesterday, upon this melancholy occasion : —The Duke of Ciimlwrlaitirs Sharp-olionters, British Artificers, St. Juices's, St. Clement's, St. Pancras, Bloouisbnry and Gray's lint Rifle Corp*. They all exerted themselves to the ut most, to keep off the crowd, and prevent dation. One of the wretches employed in taking advantage of this frightful scene to rob ins neighbours, was a supernumerary watchman of Covent-garden, and u pensioner of Chelsea Hopi tat. lie had *mien some elver spoons, a shawl, and other valuable articles. it less true that accepted the Cu torrott, and we niece of Medal his s ubmission t But we could no b o th were Boti the downfall of would oatelisibl e secretly del su ns against tit been rerolutioz au the Throne a Austria is too m and, to dare t measure, I shut against CAaTA? DUNG'S ventu urinate his Ho RUSSIA, will a scribe, and wl tools of my an Bice themselves Such is the language held I to the Senate, tions, as late a mouth. There that while the are made the p his Brothers, nines, are the Louts XIV. pseud mid desti Noe grounds. on the Spanish situationof Ent 11A attends in I Ministers ; whi is impelled lay BiasAucrtTe. Imo; and whi , its late - Hrad or of what avail mimes, the tyi dill, who tram Can reason, o the arm of this The sword ale fr."l" MOP sePa 110111 i iich otl hirilliePat ral eseamilpat and pervasive be works (fo Wenetvwcari superiority or and open is wlto, under of treason u dent, that E Liu m appreci all its perils. tion, nor his j apprehension, The so ord 1 CsonweLL. power. 11 h 111•PAIITE cYI melt down go furwerd, • • -00.- • I . trt of thfrit t tlreicl[u : ; Witkint, toiler, iroOolotreet; Corent-gartkii. ire describe:l.. At an oai brsiiight iojii,ilodgins. but had scarcely rty of Ilremettl;toke eutesolthe alsolposhira - the stlepirodi Amongst itoso er the Piazza, on. • in, a (ilpeff , !t ' s state One isosPitalaors. edger tish. ; /; t ro d uce d on eng i ne fifetiiitilefli.e Pliccois CktE.•.. A mass isniusist Into ior; they dimeted it the 'hares Co lsalsortse;with tricarm,burot, pas its he tire appeared to 'nth agony, that, old pain, he tore the flush ielancholy to .relate, &Iwo to the wrist. He w.t putt to Ilartholomia's pamsage, th e y,. .110,pitol iu y moot dpluraisic state. A pillar Of time p„ we d to b e , t i nto t y balcony ut tihe entrance to the Theatre, from ud buried ;hem, withh` streettgare way; and tan7iolutiteers, it is said. of 1 its aloutgivith them, i e Bloomsbury Corp.., were crushed to dasth.— ' d. .time before "Two fenials, aho had aseeitded die roof oi ate of rd un the door- chalti r . the houses dastroyed in Bass-streets it is said also • . . iog at the door. view the ruins of an edifice which had Leen for a sueh an hour, century a scene of public amusement, iustructiosi a mad woman. and delight. They did not depart until a late and fearing to hour, when they went away, each anxious to wry sure, sat down off some little fragment of the ruins, as a meassaelll o f she dee " . of tltia melancholy event. return of Mr. t. HARMS wee at Ushndge whets the sees • ted her to the beat happened ; Mr. 'lsaias, jun. weal to him . , last morning with the distressing news. Mr. arceproperty, gar- any thing Brandon, the house-keeper, was so overcome, twa ly a Roman En- men were obliged to assist lam out of the havoc.— tomimic devices The rest of his family were in the country. THEATRE. DRURY-LANE. Last night the tragedy of Hamlet was perfotined, ■nd introduced a fair den/Unite, in the Pert of Ophelia. Mobt ladles who !.os.ess musical talents are fond of making their debar in thissimple mit interesting pa‘t, not considering, t'ast a novice cannot pourtray the (*heti(' of Suszseetisas., the woman I,etored by noun a man as the Basi le of the author. However, this lad e , who, we un de►.tand, is .ies. Coast, wife to the populist. Com poser of that name, was very well receit...d. and d.s played u very good voice, with much taste, io tin: wild but plaintive stmias of flytefia, and was rnui•h applanited. The Fgrce of the OHM in i.OR(1014 followed. Mr. JOIVIsT.The was rteeived nu his es.fre with throe Jistlin t and pro longed rounds of uppiaus. He placer'• with great spirit, situ the whole performance reamed urr bounded applause. The house. a half price, was pane full, awl displic,tesl much fashion. The Mar (Luis sod Marchionian of TAVISTOCII litre present.