The National Register.
London, England, 1818-03-02 00:00:00

CALAMITOUS FIRE.

Yesterday morning, a few minutes before six o'clock,
an alarm of fire was given at the house of Mr
;Inciter (late Mr.Cuire), grneer,46o, Strand, corner of
Hewit's-court, nearly opposite Hungertord-street.
Shouts of " Fire !" became so generalfrum one end of
the Strand to the other, that in a few minutes after
the first alarm a sight of the most heart rending de-
scription took place :—men awl women were seen
rushing out of doors in their night clothes, and children
a,:tually in a state of nudity. At the house of hlr.
;neater, a sight more drealfia wan witnessed ; at the
Clint window, second flooreeas observed Mrs.Wheater,
with a child in her arm ; she leaned out of the window,
Itolding the child by its dillies for a considerable time,
endeavouring to excite the arention of persons under-
neath to catch the child. She dropped the infant, and
it tell open the beads of the crowd ; at the moment
she hewed the child, a Maze and volume of smoke
rashed through the window where lkles.Wheater stood;
am was not afterwards seen. and therefore must have
tin a v'et tn to ti.e fames. The child was only a
few months was sucking at her breast. In about
. minute Mier the child dropred from the window, one
o 'the shopmen of Mr. %neater, whose name is Tasker,
was seen at the win low of the third floor, which was
completely enveloped in fire and smoke, seeing no hopes
of relief from his perilous situation, he threw himself
wit of the window ; he fell upon his head, which was
cut open, his limbs were broken, and instantly expired;
the body was curried to St. Alartirfs workhouse. Be-
fore it was curried from the ground, another of Mr.
kncater s shopmcn, named Lloyd, fell u'ton the
pavement ; he had thrown himself out of the third floor
hark window, his fall was broke by his dropping upon
r. projection, hut he was injured to dreadfully, that no
it pea are entertained of his recovery He was carried to
toe shop of Mr. Watts, chemist, in the neighbourhood,
who ordered the man to be taken to Westmins:er
In-
frmary (as he could render him no service), which was
accordingly done. At the back of the house, Mr.
Wheater was nearly insensible, on the ground.
lie had thrown himself through a track window at the
t'p of the stairs on the landing of the first finer. He
• as injured very inneh by the fall ; his inquiries after
his wife and child were truly distressing. His child
was shown to hint ; his little feet were burnt, and his
bead cut, though not dangerously. A neighbour bad
the child to suckle it.
A great 'limber of fire men resided in fluno,erford-
Street, awl they were very promptly on the pren:•. s ;
but no water could be got fir three quarters of an hour ;
awl the flames were commindeating with the greatest
rapidity to the houses of Mr. Ashman, pawnbroker,
hl r Buckingham, brush-maker, and Mr. Peiwley, car-
ver, gilder, mid o,lnm-frame-maker. The firemen
were naming from p'ug to p'ug, and no water could
b.: got, while the thieves were busily employed in plen-
dering the premises. and carrying off the property. Very
few•of the parish cinistables had arrived, and one of
them sent to the I lorse Guards, requesting some soldiers
keep the mob from the buildings. In about a qteniter
o an hour afterwards, part of a etnny....ny of the
g i.,ruls arrived, and were placed' at the disposal of the
,
ciao authority. Property to a great anemia has been
carried away by the thieves. The family of Mr. Ash-
m ad list time to escape from tit:. house lietitre it
was in a veoeral conflagratien fro n the velar to the
garret. that of the female servants wes actually drug
pia out of the house by a enlist:Oak (Neetleton); she had
vole her night clothes on, and wished to put oilier
clothes upon tier: but if SIC hal reinained a militia
longer, she must have beer destroyed.
Mr. Ashman had a number of guns in his house, se-
veral of which were hauled, awl were heard to go oil.
Two men were vb.-creed car.-ying off several gums fiom
the ; readois ; they were pursued by a constable along
Pirud iv, bet effected their escape. Two other persons
were stooped by an °Kier of MAL, trough-street I'o-
lice, with u quantity of stolen property.
The house:: of Mr. kk heater, Mr. Ashman, Mr.
Ile( ineliam, and Mr. !Malty, were: entirely dcstroi ed
by hell' past eight o'clock in the mating, and nil the
ppo-ty (except a few trifling things which were car-
ried into 5:. hlartio's church yard)wits destriead. The
crieines were not supplied vvitli water until .aiveu
nirh„.2, Tbo Cemes continoed their ravage' chiefly at
tite houses in Hewitt's court, et the back of the aii.mt•
houses which were chiefly ritieupied .by poor persons
which were Is fort' nine o'clort coinpletely gutted. The
pm occupants loud but very little time to get out of
dwellings, and therefore could mice but eery dish
o their property. The children w-re carried into St.
church yard, and wraFped in blankets their
sorrel having been consumed.
The eNtent of this awful and melancholy disaster is
ato yet hieiwn; the following is already ascertained :
—Mrs. Wheuter was burnt to death A shopman,
nnuwd merge-me-shared the fate. Another they-
tame mimed Tinker, was killed in leaping from the
third floor window, and another, named Lloyd, is so
inime,a by thr.eaiug Lean a a indow,
that he is not expecte.; to live. Mr. Wlitaa4r is in a
daivaous.itate, antidud c.t v iv 110, re,o-

TFtr NATIONAL REGSgTER.

vet from the injuries it has received. No other person
is missing. The value at' the property destroyed is
incalculable. There is no positive proof how the fire
commenced : but it is generally stated to have been
caused in the following manner :—On every Saturday,
the flue for the purpose of warming St. Martin's church
is lighted, and on lust Saturday night it was noticed by
the inhabitants of Church-court, and Hewitt's-court,
that the chimney of the church emitted large sparks of
fire, some of which were carried into the air a consider-
able distance 'Jain they were extinguished, and some
fell on the tops of the houses in an ignited state.
Mr. Wheater's statement is as follows:—He awoke
yesterday morning about six o'clock, aid found his cham-
ber fill of smoke; he awoke his wife, end told her to
get up or she would be burnt to death. Ho leaped
out of bed, and ran up stairs to alarm his ahopmen ; he
Jan down stairs again, and could not see his with and
child for the thick smoke that filled the place ; he sup-
posed that she had run dawn stairs ; he attempted to go
after her, but was prevented by the flumes issuing up
the stairs ; he ran back and got to a window at the
top of' the !audio place, when he could go no further.
He forced the wita..
ow out of his arms, and put his bead
through to get air, as he was almost suffocated : as
soon as be had recovered himself a little, he found the
flames l.ad reached dis legs, whic'. began to hunt; he hid
time only to recommend himself to the protection of his
Maker, and threw himself through the window frame.
At I i o'clock yesterday morning the body of Mrs.•
Wheater was got out of the ruins, a dreadful spectacle.
The body of the shopman wit:Astro a short time after-
wards behind a chimney, between two half burnt
pieces of timber, where it was suspended in the view
of the spectators, a most appalling sight, and was got
out in the course of the day.

OLD BAILEY.

Friday. the Segsimis ended, sentence of transportation was tweed
upon thirty (nut. for stern year, ;—ten, for fourteen yearb;—.eyes,
for the term of their nature, lives.

Several others rexeivoll sentLnee of imprisonment for different pe.
• •-onte were ordered to be publicly and others privately whipped,
awl the Judgment of live Kos wspitiA.
Tim Recorder then roceed.L.i to pass s•ntenee of Death upon the
following perwts. capitally convicted during the Sessions—R. Clac-
ton, C. D. ['ring:l!, J. Ram, G. Nlattliewi, T. Coates, :11.
and .1. Gos4ip. fiir rit •sling in a dwelling house to th • val..e. of 40a.
and upwards—lt. Itidtop, M. K•efe, W. Dickies, and J. Dogherty,
for burglars —.l. Milky, for sheep st-aling—and J. Ward and liar.
riot Skelton, fur forgery. rae S23)10114 than adjourned w the his
of April.

The followin.: letter At a 4 timid in the pocket of the Mur-
derer Ilaiteli, after his death, addressed to the mother of
Mary N1611;1114 and was productd uu the tommst.
• Newgate. Feb. 19.
" Dr.tit M.tn.‘74--As thne is drawing ni▪ i to my dii,solution it
it nothing but proper mat I should make smne disclo,ure of this
most untortunam piece of Inisitalq. Perhaps it may prove some
consolation to yoursa. and I an persuaded that I will save you and
your family k vast deal td. trouble. Therefore Ido request. tl.ist for
your oomiort, yon will not appear youtself, neither the utility of any
.inc of your troubling yourselves to come at all; because if I am
hronght up fir tiled, vi:tivh I do not think I shell, but be that os it
mays niv detatitinAtion is to plead guilty. because I cannot. nor wi',l
for I well koow I haverleludeil men in regard to knowledge.

:,ring the per.on who 1111 l itted thti mime. let!am very well cr,e
,tared that ! tantah dec,ivr that Owl. whose omniscient eye is every
,vliere at nice. Therefore for the set itfitetion of yon and the allevia-
tion of toy own mind. I now come wit'i it determination to Jisause
to you how and in whin way this tvan‘letion W:l_4 accomplished, arid
now tone; it had been in contemplation; for believe ma. Madan:. it
in:ended to be done by the instrument that did do it. but. on
4.;roi.m •.1 my being to poor, that I was unable to acetan;:lish try
t., !arsine a pair ut pi, toll ; and then for both of us unhappy
'whi;,s to tall at e. eh others tide. Hitt frinrtrateil in that design. I
was tlet:rmirail, if i :le, to do it in :mealier way, in which way I
thank Cod I did with • • • • • • (Ilere several sentences
were rerdmied illcgthie by the le:ter being stained with the blood of
the des:v.o4,4i etre poor unfortunate, and happy, in an instant as it
Were, :aid was only sorry that I hail not time to full with Ile?. Oh.
my dear and beloved a it's ! would to :oil we 1%41 both tiietether,
and with the Mille instritwent. Ilia it is not ton :ate to do it 1.:4w;
far it has ne 41 been out of my ressessien snav t awiul might ;
n:ith...r shall it tehore I die; for I an: tlstrrni rail tact h. a
Thetyce-e, when you revene I -.hail, I hi !w,
he pat all tint! and eeptienee. I have INA With I:le 1:1.-t
who has hail the imptalewc to amuse tile w e.,,Lni:;l4
my hvoida in my tAlow-creatures blood; bat e., be

fhig :a ; I pray 'or ia, that I may da it eff.:4.tallv ;for
I am ivy:ions to die and he with the dear otsject 01 my toal ; tor I ani
stilt perAsadttl fiat I tory° that unb.rtioleti pletura•e of ET.lOy.
init bee company in a far huperior way that ever it could be done in
this traa*itiiry world ; and a. for what inun does with this body, a
mere lump of tile day. it i• of no conseiptence ro ore ; therefore men
may do with it a: they pkar.e. So Gott Altnig:ov bliss )ou. arid
oM railtaintinwol your untortuaott: ta,uily, is tot: praver of a
h,dmay •• W. 11.114C11."

The ports arc now open Cir the importation of fo-
reign wheat, barley, and oats, for six weeks, from all the
Trim, bet wee J o eland anti Spain ; anti for three months
from other ports.
The slate dress in which Joseph finonaperte appeared
as Sover, of Spain, at his first levee, is at this time
exposed for rale in tl'e window of an obi clothes shop
at the iet st end of the town. The coat is of the finest
blue cloth, most sorerbly embroidered in gold, down all
the seams, cuffs, collar, and Reacts, with nal leaves
and acorns, and it is said onAinallv to have cost be-
t mceil two anti three hundred r .ands,
The rumours ol• l'uris.Atill assign the assassination of
the Dlike of Wellington to a foreign hand. Lord kin-
nsinl, it appel7s, has arrived at eatris with the Wimp-
ant who enabled hi•; !..stiship to tivrize Sir 6. Murray
of the existence of the conspiracy, u•l:ich is nott• r.11:4oxl
to have.becn set on toot in favour of a certain tOrel6r.
iutcrclit. •