The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-08-24 00:00:00

CORONEWS INQI"EST.

___....„,...--_
Yesterday, an Inquest was held at the Three Kings, Clerken-
well-close, to hear evidence nspecting the de•ith of W)ll'am
Parker, aged GO, and Sus,nnalt Elizabeth Assam, who lAt their
lives in the fire which destroyed the boarding-school, in %Vibuing- 1
ton•square, on Sunday morning last.
Jane llateatnn, aged 19, stryat,t to the deceased, deposed as
follows :
On Saturday night last, about half-past thiven o'clock, I went
down stairs into the kitchen, turd pla•yll the candle on en ironing
board. whilst I fastened up the shutters ; I afterwards went into
the hack kitchen, where there wan a lire burning. A short time
1 afterwards I wait up stairs to the bed-room on the second floor to
aie if the cliiitlt•2n were asleep. I anon afterwards went to best,
• when I was alarmed by the watchman knocking and calling out
‘` Fire." I jumped out of bed. and going down stairs, saw tile
flames issuing teem the froifit kitchen wti dos ; I was greatly
alarmed, and was about to return up stairs to tell the young ladies
ei their danger, when a gentleman took me up in his arms, while
in the pa,sags. and carried me to Nlr. Sterling's close by.
Coroner—When }ou went into the front kitchen, did you drop
any sparks ?
...
Witness-1 do rot know. Sir.
Juro— Wr, there not linen lying about in the front kitchen ?

Witness-I'es, Sir, there was.
Cnnornir—W hen you heard the watchman, did you go down
tl
stairs without waking the younc Indies ?
Witni,s— V es, Sir, I did ; t thought thieves were breaking
into the house ; I did not know the house was on fire till I went
down stairs.
Juror—When you was in the patine with your master and niis-
tre•s„ were they undressed ?
IVitness-I'es, Sir, they were.
At the close of this witness's examination, the Coroner and Jury
cautioned her with regard to her future conduct. as it appeared,
in
great niensure, owing to her carelessness that the two unfortunate
individuals lost their lives.
James Carter. a watchman, deposed. that be observed a smoke
issuing from the front kitchen of Mr. Parker's house, and inne-
(Hatt ly knorked at the dine ; upon hearing a cracking noise inside.
he sprung his rattle and gave every alarm in his power; Mrs. P.
looked out of a window on the second Sham when he told her the
house was on fire, and desired her to open the street door. which she
did, bit three or dour mieutes hail in the interval clapsid. On the
door being opined, himself, another watchman, and a Mr. Ster-
ling entervd : there was a great smoke in the passage, but no ap-
pearance of fire ; rushed down stairs and burst oiien the front
kitchen door, nod saw something burning on his lett, and called
for water, but could procure none; the lire then heist forth and
communicated with the kitchen stnircase, when he was obliged to
return to the pasinee, from which he aitemtted to get up stairs,
hut could i 117. IVituic.4 saw a man, wheel Ire titypri•ed to be the
deceased, attimpt sevar .1 tiny s to go up stair., hoz was prevented ;
pulled him bark once himself. Witness asked Mrs. Parker if the
children were all safe ; she replied three were, but a fourth was
missing. He titicrwards saw a child brought down a ladder front
the balcony, tot' supposed all were then safe.
Francis Parker, the other watchman, corroborated the above

statement.
John Osmond, a plasterer, deposed that he and two others were
passing at the time, and seeing the communication with the upper
part of ate house was cut off, and that there were still children up
stairs, assist .d by his comp inions got a ladder front some new
bui dings adjoining, and, rearing it against the house. entered the
sccond flonr window, and conveyed a child in safety to the 1)a/con, ,
front whence it unit hanthel into the street by other people; heard'
shrieks, but did not know any other person was in the house.
W illiant Parker deposed. that he attempted to ascend the stair-
case. but front ti•e density ot' the smoke. fell backwards amen g the
burning tuins. and but for the watchman van pulled him out,
must have perished. On recovering himself he ascended the lad-
der to the second sn,ry„ but the people requested hint to come
down. This was the last attempt made. The conduct of this and
the preceding witness was highly applauded by the Coroner and
Jury.
Andrew Gardiner, a tailor, stated that he conveyed the child
from the balcony to the street.
The Inquest lasted three hours. and at the conclusion the Jury
returned a verdict cf—Acciilental death.

A rencontre took place, last week, in the chapel of Birr,
between the lately-appointed Parish Ptiest, the Rev. Mr.
Kennedy, and the former Curate, the Rev. Mr. Crotty,
who persisted in performing the ceremonies, contrary to the
wish of the priest. A riot, and some blows between the
partisans, took place, and Crotty was at that time victorious
and kept possession ; however, the Roman Catholic Bishop,
with Lord Ross, several Magistrates, police, and a party of
the 66th regiment, under the command of Major Baird,
attended at the chapel on Sunday last, when the Bishop
formally excommunicated Mr. Crotty, and replaced Mr.
Kennedy, amidst the hisses and groans of the populace,
amounting to several thousands, who declared they would
never pay a sixpence to Kennedy.—Dublin Correspondent.
SPRING GUNII.—We regret to learn that these infernal
engines are set in the grounds of our respected neighbour
ffir Thomas Stanley, at Hooton Park. A gentleman in I
this city, accompanied by his wife and a party of friends,
in passing through the park last week, narrowly escaped
being shot by one of these instruments of &attraction.—
Chester Courant.
DJATH HT FIGHTING.—A man, of' the name of Mar-
tin, was killed in a pugilistic combat with another, named
Conyngham, in Mr. Mason's fields, at Watford, on Tues-
day last. The fight lasted one hour and a half, and death
was a casual constquence.
DEATH FROM WANT.—On Saturday a poor woman,
named Ann Walsh, residing in NVatling-street,
who has been for some time past in a lingering way from
the want of a sufficiency of food, set out to go to a niece of
hers on ‘Veod quay, to seek an asylum from her relative,
the people with whom she lodged having threatened to turn
her out ; when she got as far as Usher's quay, she sat down
on the steps of a door, and almost immediately expired,
through exhaustion.
A most miraculous escape with life occurred on the even-
ing of the loth instant at Thornwell, near Chepstow. A
little girl, ten years old, riding on a timber-carriage, acci-
dentally fell off, and the two wheels, of inimenee size and
Weight, passed over her head. The fore-wheel and front
part of the carriage alone weighed more than seven hundred
weight. The head, which was expected to be crushed to
atoms, was most severely contused, and the fore-arm dislo-
cated from the humerus. The child was carried, without
loss of time, to Mr. Willett, of Chepstow, and, contrary
to the expectation of those who witnessed the accident, is
now doing well.—Bristol Mercury.
On the luth instant, we are told in a French paper, a
deplorable accident happened in the commune of Boz. in
the department of the Aine. At half-past one o'clock on
that day, the lightning struck the parish church. The
steeple was shattered to pieces, the electric fluid !laving
dispersed various pieces of masonry and scaffolding, the
shock of which threw down a chimney at some distance,
and traced a long furrow from the top of the spire to the
floor of the church ; then passing along the vault of a la-
teral chapel, it shattered the altar of that chapel, and de-
stroyed a very valuable picture which hung above it. It
afterwards committed the same havoc in the chapel of the
Virgin, and brake in pieces her statue : thence it passed to
the Sacristy, where it overthrew everything, and made a
great hole in the wall. Happily no lives were lost, though
two persons were ringing the bell, with the superstitious
design of warding oft' the storm, at the time when the
lightning fel;.
FATAL EFFECT?) OF LIGHTNING AT SCARBOROUGII.—••
Sunday night York was visited by a long-continued suc-
cession of flashes cf lightning, but we are glad to remark
that no serious accident occurred here. Scarborough, how-
ever, was visited the same night by one of the most tre-
mendous storms of thunder and lightning ever remembered
there. The rapid succession of the vivid flame imme-
diately after the loud peals of thunder struck every heart
with awe, and made pale the must firm and lively coun-
witance. At length the heavens seemed to open, and
in the immensity of flame, which enveloped every in-
dividual sod every object in the place, the commission
of death assumed its terrors, and the day of general
dissolution seemed nt hand. It, however, passed over,
but among many less important effects, it was shortly
afterwards discovered that the lightning had struck
five individuals to the ground, who were sitting together in
a private man ; they were all dreadfully affected with
the stroke. Medical assistance was instantly sent for ;
one of them, a respectable female, aged '25, the daughter
of Mr. Barker, of York, clerk at the church of St. Maurice,
and one of the choristers of the Minster, was so seriously
affected that she died soon after, and her disconsolate re-
latives and friends were yesterday sent for. She had bees
advised to go to Scarborough for the benefit of her health,
having had a rheumatic fever. The others were in a
dreadful state, but we have not yet heard the final result.
Scarborough being crowded with company at present, this
melancholy occurrence has struck a damp over every coun-
tenance, and is the subject of general conversation.
NVbether the lightning: has been felt in any other Fula
the cast coast we have not yet yeard ; we sincerely hope
not, for bad any similar occurrence taken place, we doubt
nut but some of our correspondents would have given us the
requisite information.