The Sun.
London, England, 1808-06-22 00:00:00

‘1?11101)211I.

," BORT SPAIN, APRIL r, IS S.
1. • et Having ourselves suffered most severely, in the
late dreadful fire, and having consequently very, feW
mar erioli and, implements of our trade to exhibit a
faithtid, or lay a corre& detail befoie the public of
this melancholy, event, our task is .at once painful
and difficult. .Such, however, as our means, and
however dismal may be ourprospe6fs',. and, shockitig
ottr refleaiens upon what has passed before us, we
shall undertake it, trusting to an extension of that
kind indulgence with which our labours' have been
ever. 6voured by the cotinnunity.
. .
Between ten and eleven o'clock on the night
of the 24th ult. the inhabitanta Of this town were
suddenly awoke by the drun,is beating, the bells
ringing the alarm. Fire was soon Yound to be the
cause, and the house of Dr.•Selta‘;v; in Frederick-
of the narrowitst, ino,t populous, and
built 'altogether of timber, the focus trorn 'whence
the conflagration issued, threatening, its impetu- t
°any, devastation all arbund.
a The fire from the inflammable and combustible
'materials of Dr. Scfiaw's shop, in which were stored
quantities of nitre, 'sulpher, ether, and Other rectified
spirits, and essential oil. soon raged with inconceiv-
able violence : and diveri;lng from that focus in every
direCtion, the whole of that street; togethet, -wit!)
Henry-street on the East, Chacon-street on the
West, and King and Queen•streets on.the North
and South; Were soon enveloped in the clevouiing‘
element and to those who had titrie.to refle6t,
afforded' a melancholy presage of the total destruc-
tion of the town. The terror which took possei-
sion of :the unfortunate tenants and proprietors of,
this neighbourhood is not to be described, nur can
fancy paint a scene of such astonishment and dis-
may.
a They were yoused froth their sleep to behOld
the vet); flames bursting into their chamber windowi,
and had but sufficient time to abandon all and save

their lives.• The screams 'of the women and chil-
dren runniog dktraciedly through, the streets, in
searchof a place of safety—:-the neighing, or rather
squallug of luzirses and mules, many of which were
burned to death in their stables-and the loud ►►nd
frequent reports of butts of spirituot4 liquors and 1
gun-powder as the fire reached them,, all togeth ,t
formed an assemblage of horror, as awtul as it was
terrific. • Of livei we have not heard of any beiii
lost, except a negro ofMr. Sandes, the vendne-tnets'
ter, whose' house was contiguous to the spot where•
the lire originated, and a grenadier of the 37th, • who
generously devoting himself to save the °la child,
suceedW in the attempt, bill was so seetched as since.
to have died of his sutierieg4.
g• The Pump Company with' the water-engines
did every thing that could be•expected frOm them
to stop the progress' of the flames; bet from the
number of years that the town, through a variety of
hiizards, had escaped, and the', late uncommon wet
weather, which had lulled the inhabitants into se-
curity, people were oft' their guard, and' the machi-
nery of every class attached to •that establishment
had been neglected ; the want of water tvas another
difficiffty ; the wells . only furnished the little that
was procured, but those were soon drained or became
inapproachable by the excessive heat of the houses
and paling on fue'around them. We will venture
tr, quantity of water a
dozen such engine as ours, well served and well
furnished, could [taut:: thrown, would have been
totally useless and unavailing to extinguish or even
arrest the iinpetdosity of a conflagration such as we
have been a v itness to, atter it oece got. head.
" His Excellency the Governor, with the Oftcerx
of the Staff, and working parties from the 37th and
Bth, were, early at the scene of action; but, al-
though their c►forts were vi►;orotis, and behaviour
orderly and meritorious, under his Ekeelleney's Or-
ders, it was all infruttous ; human art or exertion
could do nothing agmnst the progress of such a tor. •
relit of tire; continual:y renewed and excited by fuel
of such inflammable Matter.

When day broke, and the smoke which ho-
vered over the ground,- and could not ascend from
its own density, had cleared away by the morning
'breeze, a• view of desolation presented itself to us
not to be described a large and populous- town,
Which, but a: few ;tours before, bore the second
rank in out Windward Island possessions, had va-
nished, and nothing remained but stacks of chim-
nies and walls. in ruins; not an atom of any thing
inflammable escaped, and in many places,bottles and
glass ware, and, even pot metal, were toned to have
been in a state of

On taking an account of the extent of the
damage, .With the plan of the town in hand, we find
that twelve squares or blocks have been entirely
consumetOtodt nine partially; Making an ensemtle
of 435 principal houses or stores with the fronts
to the sheets, besides back stores and out-offices,
which tnay be estimated at four times that number
at least, and the whole, at a moderate calculation, .
worth 3,500,000 dollars, the lodging or properly of
about WO persons, who are now in the,streets,
and tritaOrs of them totally destitute. Of the va-
lue of the -merchanclize, produce, and etleas de-
stroyed, we can at present form no idea,; but Go-
vernment has called for the account of every person's
loss upon oath, which will exceed, we think, half a
tttillion Sterling.
" Of the pblic bUildings.not One has been saved.
The Griv-rt.iocaL-lieuse, the Custmn-houSe, the
the 1%-westaitt Church; the (.;aol, the
Town-hall, an& a part of the
.Public Archives and
the Trertsurer ()dices, all have fallen a sacrifice to
the flames. ALA- fortunately the Commissaries'
stores and King's provisions were.by great exertion
saved; and to this source of life many now owe, in
a great measure, their subsistence, it having Pleased
his Excellency tQ proclaim martial law, and, with
his usual goodneis and humanity, to Order rations to
be issued to the Militia as in 'times ot actual war tare:
all the .tents 'which could be spared in the garrison
havebeen pitelie,t in Brunswick-square, to lunge the.
unfortunate Stlifcrel s, aho have neither !rouse nor
home, and they ate numerous.

On the part of Our Government, every meastire
that could contribute to atlevrate the misery
has liten taken, watt a precision and promptitude
%% inch dyes ins Excellency tutiuite
pr;:sses hate been sent to the neighbouring Culo•
ttie,, to tier, Spanish Main, and to the Uniteo 'States,
lot bUPplik:S. A Committee of h:s 111i9esty's
mid or the principal inhabitants, leas newt
ain4 to receive donations of every kind .that can

Usetut, and distribute' to thOqe Min* are in
rations of breatt, flesh; and h,h anal even
fresh beef to, the infirm, whickare purchibed up by
the Committee. fronts a private sub,criptiott opened
for the relielofthe stlre fers, at ',the head of which
stands his Excellency's 'nanie,:and that of the
leOtor of his Majesty's Customs;GrateEsq. for 1000 i! ,sterling each—an eKilmpie of mu-
nificence 'worthy the imitation of the ch :ritable anti
humane, to whom it .has pleased-God to di 'pease .
the blessings of wealth or indei,endeoce, ~With re-
Speci to the source of tliis theadfol calamity, s e hate
not only,the concurrent te,timooy oflll7'.nhabitants
of Frederick 7slrt..'et, who were most contiguous to the
flames, but of Dr.',SchaW himsCdf, who has confess..
ed before, authority, that the first knowledge he had
of the fire was of its bursting in at the windo.as'
of hiS back gallery from l'he out-otfic.es in ;
but by what means lijs out-oflices (taught tire is all
citi,icalure. We firmly and religiously belie that
there was nodesign immediate or premeditated itt
the' atnir: it wa.; undoubtedly owing to aucidetv,
and that 'is the bt!st. face we can put,upon it. A town
opulent and floori ;HT, and an,immense property,
has been destroyed ; it is of little consequence to the
Sufferers to be informed how it happened.; the
pitied. is done, and there is no remedy ; but it i at
least satisfadory to—be assured' that evil desiit had
no.hand in it." '