The Sun.
London, England, 1824-11-22 00:00:00

EDINBURGH, N0v.19.

CALAMITOUS FIRES. .
In our last paper we gave a brief account of the commence-
ment of one of the most awful calamities recorded in the history
of this city.. At the time-we went to. press, on Tuesday. morn-
ing, we little suspected that the conflagration then raging was
only the first of a series, as extensive as destructive. The tire
originated, as formerly stated, in a fiat at the head of the Old
Assembly Close, on the south side of the High-street, occupied
as a copper-plate printing-house, by Kirkwood and Son en-
gravers. It communicated by the roof with other houses, and,
froxi the height of the buildings, and the very great difficulty
of accent* in.. rear, no- effectual exertions, could be made to
check the progress of the flames. At. eleven
.o'clock, the
three adjoining tenements fronting -the High-stieet were
in a blaze. Seeing it impassible to save these houses,
the firemen directed their efforts to the preservation of
those on each side. By this means they . were able to
prevent the flames from injuring the house on the east
side, but the building in the opposite direction was less
fintunate, and like its neighbours, soon became a mass of
fire. About five in the morning, the pinnacle of the gable' fell
inwards, and soon after another large fragment was hurled
down. The fire was happily prevented, by a thick lofty gable,
from extending farther to the westward.
Such was the scene from the High-street, during Monday
night. In rear of these buildings, however, the devastating
progress of the flames was not so easily interrupted. Crowded
masses of old buildings, full of old pan neling, afforded abundant
aliment to the devouring element. The houses extending from
the Old Assembly Close to the .Old. Fishmarket Close were suc-
cessively consumed. From the Ohl Assembly Close, it .ex-
tended backward to the Old Assembly Hall, occupied by
Messrs. Bell and Bradfute,• booksellers, (who were lately
burned out in the Parliament Square) as a warehouse, and
who have again
.been obliged to remove their property.
In the line of houses dividing BOrthwick's Close from the
Old Fishmarket Close, and in rear Of the Courant Office,
the houses occupied by Mrs. Maxton, tavern keeper, Mr.
Hunter, and other spirit-dealers have been consumed. The ad-
joining house, occupied by Mr. A. Thompson, bookbinder,
(lately destroyed by fire and rebuilt) was crushed by the falling
of a gable. By mid-day on Tuesday, the conflagration seemed
nearly subdued. The ruins continued to smoke and send forth
flames occasionally, but no apprehensions were entertained of
further danger. Happily the,. night was s2rener otherwise the
burning em'bers must have spread destrpction over greater part
of the Old Town.
BURNING OF TITETRON CIIOItCFI STEEPUE.:

Scarcely.lQthe rtgitriiiim excited by the conflagration de-
scribed above begun to subside,.when a new alarm wax given ;
and about 12 o'clock on the forenoon of Tuesday, it was aiscov-
creel that the steeple of the 'l'ron Church, distant 200 yards from.
thebuildingsrecently consumed, was in flam.m. Snore flying brand
had lodged on the wooden balustrade, near its summit., and the
wind, which had unfortunately risen toe hurricane, soon fanned
it into a blaze. The engines instantly repaired to• the spot, and
by means of long ladders, tire firemen reached the roof of
the Church. All their efibrts, however, to save the steeple
proved in vain. In a short time the whole of the conical super-
structure
of wood was enveloped in flame. The casing of lead
melted like wax, and poured down in streanrlets—the minute
hand of tire clock,. on the south site, suddenly dropped-down
paralyzed—and the paint of the dial plate scaled oil in flakes.
The strength of the structure long resisted the intensity of the
heat, and the weathercock maintained its pre-eminence among
the bickering flames. AL length the fierce element prevailed—
the weathercock was prostrated, and .the ;ire rose in a mighty
column to the sky. The interior of the steeple was totally
consumed, but the body of the Church, which was partly
filled ,with moveables from the Iligh-street,_ was only par-
tially injured. This was mainly owing to .the seasonable
ar-
rival of a most powerful engine, belonging to the Board of Ord-
nance, and directed by Deacon Field, slitter. ably assisted by three
serjeants of dragoons, whose names we. would !lava been Most
happy to publish, bad we been. acquainted with them. It is
stated that the fine hell of the church has, disappeared. The
heat was, we should imagine, scarcely sufficient to inch it, yet it
has not been found among the ruins. Probably it, was broken
in falling, and the fragthents may haVe subsequently been car-
ried off' by some of the numerous depredators on the outlook for
whatever they could lay their hands on. -
FIRE IN THE PARLIAMENT S9.IIARE AND DESTRUCTION

OF THE JURY COURT ROOM
After the fire in the 'lron Church had been subdued, it was
generally supposed that the conflagration was at an end ; but on
rueeday night, about ten o'clock, a new alarm was given of
a tire haviug broken out in the Parliament Square—a place
directly to the windward of the former scene of destruction.—
It originated in the top story of that lofty pile of building
on the south side of the square, which, in rear, was eleven
stories in height. The apartment in which it began was oc-
cupied by a woman named Macdonald, of indifferent character,
but not, as has been stated, the person of the same name who
made herself notorious at the trial of the late Mrs. Mackinnon.
Whether wilful accidental has not yet been ascertained, but
of course the affair will be meet minutely investigated. -We
refrain, for obvious reasons, from noticing the many re-ports in
circulation. 'The eitriordimirYheight of the blinding?) prevented
the engines, all of them more or less disabled by former service,
bearing with any effect on the flames
; and as the wind blew
strong front the west, they spread with amaeingrapidity. Floor
*fire. The appearance
after boor became ignited, and soon after midnight the whole vast
mass of building was enveloped in livin
front the Cowgete at four o'clock in t e morning, was truly
awful. Every part of the city was illuminated ; and the whole
adjacent country must have been alarmed by the portentous
lAare of the flames. Au hour after wards the fire reached the
ast side of' the square, and in two hours more, all that escaped
the conflagration in the month of June last, were included in
the general destruction. Among the premises destroyed were
—the New Jury Court Boom, the Office of the Water Com-
pany, that of the Auditor of the Court of Smsion; the shops
of Mr. Laurie, null Messrs. Bell and Bratlfute, booksellers;
Messrs. Jardine and Wilson's Chambers r.
; M R . Scott, en-
graver ; Mr. Williamson, writer, &e: By some judicious
precautions the Exchequer, the Parliament House, the Li.
braries of the Advocates and Writers to the. Signet, and
'the Banking-house of Sir William Forbes and Company,
were rescued from the jeopardy in which they for some
'time remained. At eight o'clock the fury of the flames had
abated, and at that period the interior walls of' the south-eastangle fell upon the front wall, and were precipitated into the
square, with a terrific crash. Several persons were hurt, and a
ul of dust was thrown up that darkened the firmament. The
only part of the old buildings in the Square now remaining is the
house adjoining the new Exchequer Buildings, in which the
Office of Messrs. Brougham and Anderson, and the house of Mr.
Allan, the painter, are situated. During the whole night, that
part
of the Old Town, to the eastward of the scene of confiagra_
LOU), was exposed to a shower- of sparki and flaming brands.
These again set fire to the buildinee in rear of the I ielamtreet,
where' the flames broke out with such violence, that much
anxiety was entertained for the Commercial Bank. Here
the most melancholy accidents happened, In one of which
Mr. Braidwood, director of engines, nearly loin his life; and
here, we rejoice tee ,be able to add, these calamities terminated.
Frequent. alarms of fire in other places were given in the course
of edttestiay,` originating principally in chimnies ignite aby
burning embers. One broke out in Carrubber's-elose, among
some chips under the roof, and assumed a threatening appear-
ance, but was eventually got under. About three io the after-
noon, a heavy shower of rain helped to extinguish the embers
lodged on the tops of the houses—prior to which a Proclama-
tion by the Magistrates had recommended a general inspection
of the house tops, and the stationing of watches thereon.
Burning fragments of a large size fell on the Calton-hill—
at Nortonillace—and on the caster road to Leith as far' as the
toll.
During the whole of this eventful night, the Old Town re-
sembled a city besieged and exposed to a severe bombardment.
The of
panic had spread far beyond the probable boun-
daries of the flames, and the destruction of the greater part of
the city was tremblingly predicted. 'tumours that incendiaries
were abroad were prevalent, and generally credited. Military
were seen in all directions—the streets were deluged with water,
and many a wretched female and child, rendered houseless,
passed that tempestuous night among the piles of furniture
heaped up in every quiet corner. On no similar occasion have
so 'many wretched families suffered. From three to four hun-
dturet
e. T
d are out,hbeurerniesdnot
a close nor a lane near the scene of misfora a great proportion of' whom are left desti-
-tune but is crowded with the wreck of furniture. The Lord
Provost, with that humanity which has always characterised
him, made an immediate application to the officers of Govern-
ment, for the use of Queensbury House, as a temporary shelter
for the desolate grouper crowding the streets, which was Instantly
granted. The managers of the Infirmary also sheweel the
greatest liberality and anxiety to alleviate the general distress,
not only. to bodily sufferers, but by ordering food to be given to
their relations in attendance. 'the Commissioners of Police
notified that persons in a state of destitution would be
.provided.
with money for present exigencies,
by applying at their office.
Many accidents of course occurred ; but, amid conflicting
_reports, it is not easy to particularize all with certainty. Se-
veral persons have been killed, chiefly by the falling of'
the ruins, and many severely injured. On the afternoon
of Wednesday, two men were killed by the falling of
a high stack .of chinmies in Conn'e' Close, one of
claimed At
Ate
sweep,
whom was
oathefirremnoatn the Naval Yard,
burned and bruised, has since died in the Infirmary
artilleryman, hurt by the falling of a wall in the Perna,
ment Square, is not expected to recover. A tailor is in
a similar condition—and two boys and a woman, much
bruised, are in the Royal Infirmary. dangerously
The body of a boy, with.