The National Register.
London, England, 1823-03-24 00:00:00

93

SEIZURE OF TWO ILLICIT STILLS,
AND EXTRAORDINARY PI/RsCIT OF TDB aIIUGGLER.
About twelve o'clock on Saturday morning, two of the
principal officers of the Excise, reichtw, see. and Dr uelt;.
repaired to No. 5, Sneed:and-court, Bitiltimsgate-street,
near Widegate-alley, where an extensive private still hat
been fur some time in work. Fttchew first entered, and
was followed by Wert,. All was now in the greatest
confusion. The officers ran tip mails, and Sound the
ggler, whose name is Thos. Jackson, escaping through
the trap-door by means of a slope ladder. Fitchew was
quick at his heels, and chased I • over the took of seer.
ral houses; unfortunately Jackson evaded the officer.
Driaett searched the premises tor the object of their visit,
awl found a large cellar, fitted up in the must convenient
manner, for the purpose of distillation. '1 lie still was
then at work, running twang spirits from low wines—
there sins also a number of wash backs, containing seve-
ral limmied gallons of molasses ill fermentation, a quantity
of spirits full proof, low w inns, Sic. Leaving an officer in
custody of the illicit appal atus die still, erc. they repaired
to an uninhabited house in Devonshire-court, Hounds-
ditch, a • 'tar errand. The °Meets tumble to gain
admit timer by kAocking, procured a larller, and enteriug
at the window, found two or Once men and women
smoking and drinking t they then proceeded to seat ch,
and, on going down statist found that the bark of the
adjoining house (untenanted ) communicated with the yard
of the one they first entered, and on geeing out at the
back kitchen window of the one, and in at that of the
other, they round a well fitted tip distillery. The still wits
at work, and contained about eighty gallons of low'
winftl, &C. &c. all of which they seised. It is beyond
a doubt that the persons w Ito were seen drinking by the •
officers were the prloprirlors of the stilk tint at they were
nut actually out the premises where it was found the
offiesqs would not have been authorised • in taking them
into custody.—Thera active officers have seised, wittau •
a abort space of time, about 40 private stills.

The late insurgents in Spain begin to repent, in
various distriets--tbey arc giving their arms and
accoutrements to the Constitutionalists, and have
offered to join in repelling the foreign enemy. The
fortifications of Lerida are preparing, and are re-
ceiving paviiions ibr a year. Preparations for de-
fence are incessantly carrying on at Carthagena,
Saragossa, Seville, 13...2aj0z, Valladolid, Malaga,
Corunna, Cadiz, Valencia, and in short ut every
point that is capable of resistance to the invaders.—
New corps of armed men are every where organi-
sing thmelselves. The Political Chief of Gerona
alleges that the army now consists cf• 120,000 men
—that there are besides 97,000 active militia—and
200,000 volunteers, all armed an well equipped,
and ready to spill their blued in defence of their
country. NVith this force, and the support of Por-
tugal in their rear, it is calculated that Spain has
nothing to dread from the French army, though it
should amount to double the number which is an-
nounced for the invasion
By a person who left l':;adrid. on the Qd instant,
we learn that 100,000 French troops are in barracks
on one 'side of the iiitlessoa, and the Spanish army •
on the other: The roads in France, leading to the
frontiera, ure covered with troops ter upwards of
SOD miles, and carriages, with flat-bottomed boats,
pontoons, cannon, and ammunition of all descrip-
tions. He was robbed on the 7th instant by the
troops of the Army of the Faith, as was every other
person travelling the road the same day. He met
12 carrion es and 24 saddle horses with she baggage
of the Due d'Angouleme. He left Madrid on the
2d ;. the King was then preparing fur his departure.
It is the opinion that the Spaniards will not give
battle, but endeavour to cut eff the French army,
when they have entered the country, by a sort. of
guerilla warfare, &c. The Portuguese are advanc-
ing to join the Spaniards. All the military have
marched from Calais towards the frontiers of Spain.

DREADIUL Ft KE.-011 Sa'Alf lay 1110111111 g 11110Ui s:%rui
o'clock, a dreadful fire broke out its a carp titer's situp iu
Wit tstone Park, which communicating with the houses
tit Gatcstreet, Lincoln's lint fields, threatened to °pelt
a communication from Holborn to that fine square
The flames first commtneicated to the 'loose No. 2.
(;oe-street, the town residence of J. Massey,E,q. the
chief clerk to the Court fur Belief of Insolvent f)ebt.
ors, who, hating occasion to rise early On professional
business, was ,he first to Fire the alarm. So violent,
however, were the flames, that it was with the greatest
difficulty Mrs. Massey, (who is in a very advanced state •
of pregoancy), together with her three daughters, could
be extricated Iroise their perilous situation, which, how.
ever, was effected by I pt exertion, and they were
conveyed; almost ill a Slate 0(.11111111y to Mr Southgate's,
au emitieut builder, who lives opposite, where every at.
tetanus was paid to the unfortunate s.sfferers. Several
houses, with their contents, have beets entirely con-
s 1111 l cd ; and at nine o'clock the fie rues contmonicated
with the rem of the livery-►tablesol that ancient inn the
Bull 31111 Gate, llolhorn, which, it was feared, would
he involved in the coon:me:Mon, Lot a projecting wall
from the chapel of Mr. Walliants, so greatly arrested the
progress of the flames, dist at II o'clock all appretsen-
ston ceased ot for.itcr devastation. It was reported that
1111 C 1111 l ents of 311 itisporant nature hail been destroyed,
and particularly Parliamentary papers cc 1111 l ected with
the insolvent Court; but ve can slate from unquestion-
able authority that such is not the fact. The tionute
books and mod at papers, tt Isich were brought from the
Court at %Vestal:Aster sm•Friday, weir, however, de-
stroyed, with every article of Mrisittire, plate, &c. &c.
excepting a few or trifling valtes. A crowd of thilives
were on the alert ; lost too vouch praise cannot. be
Lesiowed on the police for their activity to peotect pro.,
verty, and on the exertions of the firemen to arrest•
'ingress of the conflagration.