The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-11-19 00:00:00

FIRE IN NEW RRIINSIVICK.

We extract the following additional particulars of the
late dreadful conflagrations at New Brunswick, from a
paper of the 13th ultimo, received yesterday :

ST. JOHN'S, NEW 1311117iSIVICt, 0cx.13.
For some days past the minds of the inhabitants of this
city have been kept in a painful degree of agitation, from
the atmosphere being obscured by an unusual quantity of
smoke, accompanied by clouds of ashes and burnt leaves,
bearing evidence of the existence of some alarming con-
flagration. Unhappily, the fears thus excited have been
lamentably realised, and we have now the painful duty of
laying before the public an authenticated account of the
calamity, which took place at the seat of Government, last
Friday afternoon, and continued raging for some time v:ith
the utmost fury, destroying the property of private indivi-
duals, to the extent of nearly 33,0001., besides the provi-
sion store, straw store, barrack store, long store, the
whole of the fuel yard, and all the provisions belonging
to Government.

In addition to the above calamity at the seat of Govern-
ment, we learn that dreadful tires ate ravaging the forests
around Fredericton, and the settlements of New Ireland
and New Jerusalem, in the rear of Gage Town. The
mills at the Oromocto and several houses have also been
burned up. Many of our poorer fellow-subjects are thus,
by the visitation of the Almighty, driven from their
homes; merchants and mechanics deprived of the produce
of their industrious labours, and many other individuals
suffer extensive losses. Amid these scenes of affliction,
we turn to the active and benevolent steps immediately re-
sorted to for the relief of suffering humanity ; and ever
foremost in a good and christianlike cause, we rank, with
feelings of admiration, the beneficence of his Excellency
the Lieutenant-Governor, and the other charitable indi-
viduals who met at Fredericton, on Saturday, to take into
consideration means for ascertaining and alleviating the
distresses occasioned by the melancholy event. • His Ex-
cellency was pleased to open the business of the meeting
I by a very feeling and appropriate address, after which his
Excellency recommended the formation of a committee,
and the opening of a subscription for the relief of the suf-
ferers, at the head of which his Excellency directed the
following sums to be placed :

From his Majesty's casual revenue
From his Excellency's private funds - th)

The inhabitants of this city have not been slow to follow
the example for their suffering fellow-subjects ; accordingly,
a meeting was on Tuesday last convened, at the City Hall,
for the purpose of adopting the best means for alleviating
the distress of the poorer classes of sufferers from the late
fires throughout the province. His worship the Mayor
being called to the Chair, thc following gentlemen•wete
appointed a Committee to conduct the business and receive
subscriptions :—His Worship the Mayor, Mr. Millidge,
Mr. H. Johnston, jun., Mr. Simonds, Mr. J. R. Partclow,
the Reenrder, Rev. Mr. Coster, Mr. H. Gilbert, Mr. J.
Ward, jdn., Mr. J. Ewing.
A subscription list was then opened, at the head of
which stood the Corporation, 2501
Amount of subscriptions from individuals, not yet cor-
rectly ascertained, but supposed to he shout 1,2301.
The amount of the total loss of the sufferers, in houses,
furniture, goods, &c. at Fredericton, is estimated at
32,522/.

WRECK of the CIMONR, GREEK BRIG of WAR.

EXTRACTS OF PRIVATE LETTERS FROM ALDERNEY.

FRMAY. Nov. 11.
This morning, at Ave o'clock, the Grecian brig of war
the Cimone, Captain Miaulis, whilst standing to the west-
ward in a heavy gale at N.E. and sometimes N., ran on the
eastern part of this island before they discovered land. Al-
though a heavy sea was running at the time, the whole of
the crew was landed in safety.

Five. O'CLOCK IN THE EVENING.
I have just returned from the wreck of the brig, where I
have been the whole of the day. She had on board many
valuables, and in fact a rich cargo, but I regret to state that
a scene of much plunder was witnessed ; at least two-thirds
of the valuable articles were carried off to the town, or
secreted in the sand till an opportunity should occur for
removing them. Even a young man of great respectability
carried off a pocket-full of table-spoons; others, sabres,
silver-mounted; women took whole pieces of muslin or
cambric, in picees of S. yards each ; and other articles
were carried off by children. Surely this ought not to
have been permitted by those who were placed to protect
the property.

. . .
SATURDAY, 12.
The vessel still holds together; most of bee cargo is
washed out or landed, her cannon are still on her deck, but
if she parts, which is expected, they will be all lost, as no
effort is made to save them, for plunder seems now to be
the order of the day.
The crew bad property on board, which they attempted
to save, but they have had indifferent success. NVell may
they all exclaim, as one did this morning, " Oh ! that I
had been cast on some place among the Turks ; I then
should have expected death, and met it ; but here, among
Christians, I expected charity and protection, and have
met with plunder and abuse."
Such must be the fate of individuals who are wrecked on
our coast, if Government do no examine into the character
of the persons who are placed in situations which require
integrity.

THE COMET STEAM-BOAT.

[From the Greenock Adcerticer of Tuesday.]

Since our last publication, although the endeavours to
raise the Comet have been unrclaxed, yet nothing has been
effected in the desirable accomplishment of the enterprise.
Indeed we should have scarcely considered it necessary to
recur to the subject, but to afford a contradiction to the
many vague reports which have gained circulation. It
has been stated that the ill-fated vessel had been moved
nearer the shore, that her funnel was at one time above
the water, &c. These reports are all without foundation;
she remains in the spot she first occupied, firmly (and we
fear too firmly to be removed) embedded in the sand. An
additional lighter has been provided to co-operate with the
others, but their attempts still continue abortive. The
hold the chains have of her by the stern is a good one, but
that at the how, from the fractured state of that extremity,
is very indifferent; and although it frequently encourages
a hope that she ix fairly slung, yet when the full pur-
chase is applied, the failure of a plank or some of the
splintered fragments, generally disappoints those hopes,
I and renders all the previous labours vain.