The National Register.
London, England, 1820-12-03 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER

On Tuesday last the first stone of a new building in
Peter-street, Suit-street, fur the Bishopsgate Charity
Schools, was laid by Sir %Yin. Hewiiits, in the presence
of a numerous and respectable assembetee of ladies and
gentlemen. The ceremony commenced by au appropeate
address from Sir William, followed by *Dr. Bloinfield,
reciter of tee parish, who, nr a s cry itneressive discouise,
described the peculiar advantams Ia society by the early
inculcation of morality and industrious habits, and
earitestly exhorted a continuatinn of these efforts which
had for more than a century been &leasing the bleeungs
of instruction, and which had enabled the managers of
toe institution to raise it to its tessent degree of excel-
lence. The Rev. Doctor concleded a very animated
address by a prayer and betverlietioe. Sir W. Rawlins
then proceeded to the north east corner of the ground,
followed by Mr. Meredith, the veil:tete, witlt the plans
and inscription plate; M r.G rimsdell, the master builder,
with a trowel ; and Mr. Richards, the macer mason,
with a bottle, containing a variety of gold and silver
coins, which was let hue the stone; the stone was then
lowered and fixed in dtre form. 'flie children sang a
hymn prepared for the occasion, anti tile ceremony con-
chided by hearty shouts of congratulation from the
spectators. The building will cumain, besides other
conveniences, two achoel-routes, capable of ;seventies-
dieing hi or 700 children, and will ales be appropriated
to the purposes of the parochial and eard meetings.
CALAMITOUS FIRE.--Abotit three o'clock oil Wed•
nestl.ty afternoon, a distressing and melancholy catas-
trophe took place at the house of el r. Fennel, bookseller
and siationer, in Little Bell-alley, Mourfielda; Mr. and
Mrs. Fulford, about nine o'clock tit 1;le meriting, went
to see tee procession of the Queen in St. Paul's, leaving
the house and family, consisttee of four children, in the
care of their servant maid. About thee the neighbour-
hood was thrown into the greatest alarm by the servant
miming out of the house, and in a state of madness,
calling aloud " fire, murder, eec." scarcely a moment
elapsed before the fire burst out a: the first floor window
with the greatest fury; the servant exclaiming, " For
God's sake save the children." M r. Itughes, an oilman,
procured a ladder, and endeavoured to get in at the
window to save the little sufferers, but all hta efforts
were in vain, as the felines had pined such air asceu-
dancy, that every attempt was 101.111t1 to be useless. The
devouring element raged for a conaidcrabie time before
the least assistance could he obtained; at length the
various fire engines arrived, and a plentiful supply of
water being obi:tined, the flames were impeded in their
progress, but not till they bad communicated to the
a.ljoining house, occupied by Mr. Williams, bootmaker.
By this time Mr. and Mrs. nand returned, and on
the afflicting news reaching the ear of Mrs. F. she
swooned, whilst her husband ran about its a state of
frenzy, endeavouring to find his unfortunate children,
two of whom, to the great joy of the afflicted parents,
were found at a theeltbour's house, where they had been
the whole of the dey. All search for the nasalising
two—a fine girl about two years old, and a little boy,
about six months old, Was lOUIId to be of ho avail. Tee
origin or the inelauctioly circumstance is at present um
k flown. Not an atom of furniture belutigine to the tin-
liirtutette Mr. Fulthrd was saved front toe co:Algernon.
Tile house is eteiFely in ruins, and the house of Mr.
Williams has suffer d severely.
ALARMING AND DESTRUCTIVE FIRE.AbOUI half
rail one o'clock on Wednesday morning the neighbour-
hose! of Warciour-street, Sohu, was thmwts into the
utmost confusion by the springing of the watchmen's
rattles, with the alarm tic litre bursting forth item the
shop windows of the house of Mr. I)ring, tallow inciter
anti chandicr. It originated h: the cellar, ID consequence
of one of the pails femme over pert of its contents. In
a short time tee wiiole of the lower part of the house
was one body oh coedetned tire. The inmat s, who
were all thus time buried in sleep, were at length roused,
and exhibited a most distressing scene : they appeared
to a state of nudity at the 3CCOOd floor windows, from
one of which a female servant jumped into the street,
and was fortunately prevented from experiencing any
injury, by the persons underneath receiving her in their
arms. The flames were gaining such ascendancy that
the remainder of the inmates were obliged iodesert their
further positions, and wee met seen and heard to rend
the skies by their ecreanis from the attic s:ury. Scaling
ladders and fire escapes were fortunately by this time
procured, antkhy the humane and very great exel dons of
the populece, they were all conseyed site into the street,
and took shelter in auopposite house. The premises
were soot completely gutted, and the whole of the
extensive stock in trade and very valuable furniture
therein destroyed. The fire next extended us ravages to
the two adjoining houses, the one occupied by Mr. J.
Little, a master cooker; add the other by Mr. Griffiths,
appraiser and undertaker, both of which, together with
their stock in trade awl furniture, shared the fate of the
former. The hives cud eroperty of Mr. Hutchins, chair
manufacturer, and Mr. lliskett, cheesemonger, suffered
materially, not by the tile, but by hexing the shop frOUIS
and strcet window; min out, in (order to throw the fur-
niture &c. into the street, the greater part of which was
either shattered by the fall, or carried off by the thieves,
who are never absent on such occasions.

Noble Mon Oct-am—All the labourers on the
estates of Earl Forttscuc, the Lord Lieutenant of
Devon, when past their labour, receive from his
Lordship 3s. 61. or 4s. per week, together with a
good dinner of roast beef and plum-pudding, and
plenty of strong beer every Sunilay. Besides this,
his Countess clothes and educates 180 poor child-
ren, and gives them an excellent dinner on the
same day, dier their return from divine service.
It has been suggested Ly some of the numerous
persons who were disappointed of hearing the worthy
Archdeacon Bathurst's Sermon on Wednesday, ;2901
instant, at St. Paul's, that if the same w,re printed,
it would !dhoti a peculiar gratification to the many
thousands who severely feel and lament that dis-
appointment*

$9l

AGRICULTURAL REPORT FOR Novsmazit.--Thers
is little novelty since our last report, for the universal
distress of the occupiers of the soil, and the labourers
who till it, are unhappily no novelty. Never before was
Lime an gloat a prof isioo at Eli. lard. Wall the MX. 3.
toles oi.111.• and or all corn• lures; bin for rte first r,
the grower finds HO tennweration, anal was itow:illdilli;
the apparent low nos of necessaries, the country la-
no nets in constant employment are barely able iu sub-
sist, and die considerable nu miter in many dis.riets,
whom the farmer cannot elliploy, have no other resont ce
to :11 a pariah allowance. A great accumulation of this
misery is apprehended in the ensiling winter season.—
Such is i lie strange state of our coo ntry,at the very summit
of opoleoce, and superabundance, and with the boast
of an unprecedented share of intellectual light. As a
curium, ationtily, we have lately heard of ninety pounds
per acre given for thin stapled, ordinary arable land, and
from seventy pounds to that !.rice demanded for land in
the county alluded to. Rents, however, in various parts
of the couutry,are giving way,on the average probably of
nearly thirty per cent. , apparently the only obvious
no•le of working the necessary change in the present
melancho:y and dangerous situation of affairs. Ihe late
considerable reduction in the price of corn, is no doubt
full as omen to be attributed to the poverty of the far-
mers us to the abundance of the crop. The low price
of store cattlemay be referred to the sante causes, and to
Inc almost general failnr.• of the turnip crop, which will
reraLf.r cattle lecthilg in the spring extremely expensive.
The young wheats look as healtay and well in general,
as they usually du at this season, but from casualties of
weather, the sowing of considerable breadths is 7ost-
noised till sifter Christmas. In some p.irts the drought
continued too long; in others, particularly the north
west, they were deluged with rain. In Scotland the crops
were fortunately secured. Wheat and Oats great ;
barley deficient, both in quantity and quality. Potatoes,
a light but sufficient emit. Wheat well got in. The
demand for labour too great to be supplied The wool
trade is reviving in a slight degree, for middle and long
wools; as fn. English tine wools, foreign importation
has lung since beaten ilium out of Lite field and out of
the market.

ALARMING FIRE —On Thursday night about half-
past eleven o'clock, a lire was discovered in the timber-
ya.%l oh• Mr. Baynes, Holten-sweet, Wardour-street (very
close to the houses which were burnt on Wednesday
morning.) In a short time an immense volume of
flames burst !Unit and illumined the atmosphere for some
distance; the fire soon spread its ravages to the adjoining
houses b:-lore any effectual means could be procured to
suppress it. Engines arrived from all quarters, but for
some tiine they were unable to work, u, consequence of
there not being a sufficient supply of water. Tne ache
city of the firemen prevented the fire in some measure
bow extending any eistanee ; but the backs of all the
houses were completely consumed. A Wesleyan chapel,
in Little Cttapel•street, was very much dammed, as
were also a numberof houses in (.; rest and LittleCtia pel.
streets, IVarthrur-street, and Ilollen-street. The thieves
were, as usual, very active on tile occasion. A detach-
ment of the foot-guards attended, which, with a strong
party of the Bow-street patrol and other constab!es, were
very successful in preventing depreadations and keeping
a free passage fur the exertions orate firemen. No cause
has as yet been assigned as to the origin adds dreadful
fire, but it is supposed that some flakes of lire must have
flown ova on Wednesday, and remained concealed until
Thursday night, when they burst fort!). The houses
were principally occupied by poor lodgers, who hive
union mutely lust their goods. Mr. Baynes was insured,
but, we hear, not adequately to the loss he sustained.
A Fortunate Enconnter.—Friday night four well known
thieves, after getting drunk at a putdic-house in Kent-
street, sallied forth, and committed several most daring
outrages in the neitathourlitiod. 'lvey forced their sw•.ty
into a baker's shop in anion-s:reet, where the baker's
wife and (blighter, and a young gentleman, who was
paying his addresses to the latter, were sitting, and coin.
menet(' a most brutal attack upon all present; they
knocked down both the women, and then forcibly drag-
ged the young man into the street, where they beat and
kicked him till he was altnost insensible. His own
cries, and those of others who beheld his situation, at
length brork;ltt Snow the constable, and a posse of
watchmen to the spot, at sight of whops the ruffians
tuuk to flight. The young man grappled one of them;
but by dint of stipertor strength the bellow got clear, and
attempted to escape, pulling the a °untied man after
him, who, as a last effort, made a grasp at some part of
his clothes, but he missed his hold, and his hand caught
his assailant's watch chain, six lenJatis of which, to.
gether with five chased gold seals and key, were left in
his possession. Tne seals are worth 10 guineas at La, t.
By the prompt assistance of the constable and his party,
the assailants were forced to fly in all ditectlons, and
were chased as far as Dover-street, where they escaped.
in consequence of the repeated outrages and street
robberies which have recently taken place. Lord
Sidwouth has increased the force under the any. -
'nand of the magistrates of the different Police Of.
(ices vd ry considerably, and that active precautions
are taken to prevent, us much as possil;ie, the
frequency of such robberies, to which the present
season of the year is always favourable.
Wednesday being the day appointed for paying
the differences in the accounts at the 'Stock Ex-
change, there was an unusual number of delitulten.„
and consequent failures. In order to check the
evil arising leant the nefarious practices of jobbers
and desperate speculators, it is the determination o:
the Committee to inscribe upon a black board, with-
out as well us within the :rouse, the names of all
djaultcrs, and to exclude them in future.

During the late troubles in Palermo, a ma7azin•
of gunpowder blew up, and 49 rerbons were kille.l
in cut►sequcnw,