The Sun.
London, England, 1807-12-05 00:00:00

FIRE.

A fire broke out, at eight o'clock yesterday even-
ing,
at the Countess of CLFaotorcr's house, in Berke-
ley-square. Her Ladyship had company at dinner,
and the cloth was just removed when-the alarm was
given. The fire was raging with. the grieatest fury
hi the back attic story, where it is imagined it had
begun : the engines soon arrived, and, the. 'whole
neighbourhood was in alarm. Water could not be
proetired fora considerable time,. and when the plugs
were
,opened, there was not a sufficient, quantity
to work the engines', until the' mein was forced at.
Pihilieo, and at the New River Head. By :that-
time the. flames had spread to such an alarming
degree, as to threaten•destrue-tion to the houses of
Earl Powis and Sir John Harrington. Lord Foley's
house o stood in great danger, as the back draw-
ing-rootn Windows preje'at, and were very much
scorched by the flames. At nine o'clock the square
was filled with people, and carriages Job of La-
dies, who .stopped to
.witness the dreadful scene;
the flames by that time having extended to the,
front of the house, and still keeping 'to the attic
stories, burning in the most awful manner. It
illuminated the whole atmosphere for many miles
The engines by that time bad .received
an ample, supply.of water, but it did pot seem to
have, any effed on the devouring element it still
burned with great violenee'in the back part of the
house, and consumed the third floor room, with its
fikrnituie.'. By ten o'clock' ,the roof fell in with a
dreadhl crash, which stopped the progress of the
flames, although the ruins of that part of the house,
oy the great heat, threatened destrudttoii to the se-
cond floor. About eleven o'clock it was nearly got
under, but it still had an awful appea'rance. Lord
Foley stood on the roof of his .own house, during
the whole time ; and Lady Foley, who had 'packed
hp, her jewels, remained within, with the greatest
thrtittide and composure, ''being determined not to -
retire until it was 'thought 'necessary. Her Lady-
ship's carriage was at the door during the whole
time, in case it was thought prudent for her to
leave the house. At half-past eleven the fire was
, very much abated. The St. James's Volunteers at-
tended, and kept excellent larder. The firemen also
exerted themselves to the tamest of their pOwer ;
one of them .having got access to • the top of the
hotae on fire, through Sir John Harrington 's home,
he broke the windows of the dormers, stripped the
lead off the top of them, and beat down the rafters.
This bad a very good etfeel in stopping the regress,
of the flames, which, at that 'period, had nearly
caught the roof of Earl Powis's house. At twelve
o'clock the engines were all at work, and the .square.
was crowded with people.. Every Gentleman;s
.house in the square was opened, and ready.to receitge
any thing that might be . saved from the conflagra
tion. , •

Lieutenant M. of the oth Regiinent of Native
fantry in India, was tried at the BombiySessions,
in April last, on, an indictment , upon, the Statute;
for having wilfully and maliciously fired a pistol
loaded with small shot at e
Capteain -111AnTrbtr's .of the t pi.
peared in. evidence, that th Offict
Rattaliorti.of the 9th Regiment gave a dinner to,
.
those of the sth, at the Mess Room at Poonab, at
which the Prisoner was present. The Prisoner,--in
consequence of repeatedly intertupting the corn.
'pany,. WM at length turned out of the room. Pie
afterwards returned with a drawn sword, which'was
wrested from him, and he was a seccntd time turned
Out. He again returned with piatoll, one of which
he fired, and \wounded Captain IVlxterfr; (who was'
thereby - deprived. of his sight), and three . other
,Orlicers. The, Prisoner delivered
.in a long written
defence, which was read, by his Counsel, and the
purport of which was, that he was so-much
toxitated at the, time as to ire entirely unconscious of
what he was doing, and that he bad no malicious
Intention. The Recorder (Sir J. INlAcsatsTosn)
summed up the evidence, and pointed out the bear-
ins of the case to the Jury, who, atter retiring' rot'
about an hour and a half, . returned a verdict of
Guilty 'but strongly 'recommended the Prisonet'
to Mercy. Some points of law were afterwards: re:
strved for the opinion of tlitr Judges in India.
Soma coachmaker's appear to he running against
each` other, but pethap the public may think tha
there are wheels within. wheels, mid that notoriety
is tlfe' main spring..
Though Mrs. C. Kitatit.i hfiltates, . Mildness sO
well in the new Meld-Drainti at Covent-larded'
Thealre, yet, considering her sea, it May be fkongbi
that her merit in that respect is not equal to. What
it was some time! ago. When' the appear;
it-114461i

OLD BifILEY.

THIRD Li.A.l7—pv,c. 4,

Mary Crooks w.as ,capitally indiEted for stealing
in the dwelling house of Jaie4Maystotie, in Ox-
ford-street, on the 23d of O&ober last, 'a purse;
containing a bill of exchange for 421. 15s. tid. five
11. Bank notes, half-a-guinea ,in gold, and some
silver.

Mrs: Maystone stated, that on the night above.:
mentioned, a chimney of her, house having caught
fire, the family were thrown into .alarm ; . and she,
went in a hurry from her dieing-room, •to give a
blanket to servants for the 'purpose of wing it
wet to extinguish the Are, and- inadvertently left her
pqrse upon the dining-rootn table, which, so soon as
the tire was exlingitishedand.the alarni had subsided,
she missed, and she' went down to 'the kitchen for
the purpose of inquiring about it of her maid, when
she saw the Prisoner, whom shehad never seen be-
fore, in the. kitchen. Her servant ..deoied having
seen any thing of the purse or its contents. The
Prisoner, who had made herself busy in 'carrying
water.up stairs during the alarm, immediately said,
that.as she was the only stranger who had been up-
stairs, Mrs. Maystone might search. ber; or she
would. give her address ; but Mrs. M. not .Suspea-t-'
ing her at the time, suffered her to depart, without
taking her address.,
' Mr. Maystone stated, that having heard the Pri-
soner was in custody in. Marlborough-street, he went
thither, saw her for the first time, • and asked her
how she could lie so cruel as to commit such a reb-
bery, upon a family in a state of such alarm and dis-
tress,. and what she had dorid with the bill cif ex
change ?-She answered, that she had given the bill
of exchange to a; Mr. Dawson, .a friend of her's, at
VV-alworth,. to keep for her.. He then asked, if there
was not something else in' the purse, and where she
got k. She answered, that she kickertagainit it on
the stairs as she came down; and heard it jingle;
and that there was nothing else in it, save the bill of
exchange; but immediately afterwards said she had
paid two of the pound notes to her landlady for
rent, that night, and that the rest she had lost. He
then lodged the examinations against her, and she
was committed. •

Mr. Blackstone, a Pawnbroker of Norfolk-street,
Middlesex Hospital, said he knew the Prisoner well,
as she frequently pawned articles at his shop; that
she came shortly after the date of this affair, in coqi-
patty with another woman, who offered a ring- to
pawn ; that in conversation with this woman,the
Prisoner took out the bill of exchange, and skewed
it to her, and then to the Witness, and said she
supposed it was worth nothing. Ho answered, it
was worth nothing to her, and asked her how she
came by.ir. She replied she ha& tbund it. Upon
which he observed, that her best way would be to
take to the acceptor, and she might get so*i:thing
handsome for her trouble, and in rdward, tiir her
honesty. She went away) and scion afterWarth, Mr.
Blackstone. seeing an advertisement, in the news-
p I)ers, describing the bill and the robbery,. went,
immediately to the Prisoner's lodgingS, and interro-
gated her as to what she bad done with the bill ?
She answered that she had given it to a Mr: Daw-
son, of Walworth. He had her-detained in custody,
and went directly to Mr. Dawson, and asked him
for.thq Hill. 11,1 r. D. immediately took out the bill
from his poclet-gook;-aiid 'Said he would give it to'
the Prisoner's 'husband, which he accordingly did;
and the husband said ;he knew nothing aboOt it,
and immediately gave it to the Witness, who dire6tT
ly went to Marlborough-street Office, from Whence
theadvertiSement describing the Liu:, was issued, and
surrendered the billond lodged information against
the Prisoner.

This concluded the case for the prosecution.

Two very ropeaable 'Witnesses gave the Prison-
er a most respeaable charatiei for 'eight years
Fist ;• and one of them said the Prisoner had been
in' ver,y great distress wiihin the lait year, owing to
maltreamient from her husband, Who is a working-
shoetisaker.
_ _

- Mr. Justice Gaosa summed up the evidence for
the Jury, whO found the Prisoner Guilty, but recom-
mended ker aspn object of mercy, on account (Aber
good character hitherto.
George Edgar, a 'youth of sixteen, W 45 capitally
indicted ,for feloniously 'stealing; in the dwelling-
hOuse of Mr. William Clarke, watch-jeweller, in
Clerktnwell, to whom he was an apprentice, si con'
siderable quineity of watch diamonds ; and William
Edgar, aged 21, -brother to the first Prisoner; and
who had served his apprentice Ship to Mr. Clarke,
was inditied, at the same time, for receiving, those
diamonds, knowing them to be stolen.
Mr:Clarke stated, that iniconsequence of his mis-
sing numbers of diamonds at various tittles, he was
at last inclined to suspect the Prisoners, who .were
his apprentices ; and having mis.ied a considerable
quantity of diamonds on the day stated in, the India-
went, he sent for a constable, and charged both the
brothers 'separately with robbing him. The elder •
brother denied any knowledge of the iii ; tint the
yo'unger, on being told by hts master that it would
be better )r hinr, if he would tell all he kne*,
mediately confessed that be bad stolen some ; and
upon him were found 2 t diamonds, and some Pawn.-
broker? 'dtiplitatesi.• which lei to the discovery of
many mire, which a young man named Neill,
clerk to a pawnbroker, named Patmore, proved to
have been paWned at his maSter's shop by both the
Prisoners.
As the confesSion of the. ymuiger Prisoner; elicit-
ed by an Implied promise of mercy on the part of
the Presecinor, was the only evidence which could
have convicted him, and, as the other Pri4otier was
only inttiaed for reteiVing,• Whereas, in fad,' it ap
peared by the evidence of 'the pawnbroker that he
was a principal in. the robbery, Baron Gninhy.
direeted the Jur)ito'acqtiit the Prisoners. • -
The- Prisoneri were again tried for a larceny,
foimded *upon the fad of their pawning together a
parcel of the stolen diatntinds,• with the of the
pawnbroker; who, ,upon' being 'exaMined, would
Only swear te, the fa& of the:diamonds he received
being pawned by two' young fellows of respeetable
appearance but he could nut swear to the persons'
of the Prtiurtersi and' they were consequently
quitted.

fn the traVibee of New Brunswick, id llritislt
Atierica; ItkV-itlilk has Wen'etaled; tO cut planks'
cut the E*lish market,' Whit!) works fifteen SilWi
kr and frame; Mad is capable of cuttiutF anAually
coooputr feet of timber.