The Sun.
London, England, 1815-07-17 00:00:00

AwrOri, AND DEsTltticTivE rtnris.

On Frida.y night, the neighbourhood of Spital-
fields was thrown into tini,:er,al terror by an ex-
ploSion iii theineuse of one Lichileau,
in Joltn-
!street, Brown-street. This was almost instantly
succeeded by another, and one 'universal blaze
was spread over the whole neighbourhood. The
proprietor was a:mannfacturer Of fire-works ; iu
his house were depoaitetl several barrels of gtin-
powder, •which had ,explodcd. The house was
blown hoist its- foundation, and all its
inmates buried in the ruins : these-consisted of six
or eight persons, intmely,-Mr. LiChileau, his wife
anti sister, two other females; servants-) n Mr.
Oldham, and, it is feared, some others. In the
booses, adjoiniirg also, on either side, three or
four more perished, and a souther of persons in
the snrroauding neighbourhood vere dreadfully
11011 by pieces of glass, brick., timber, and other
articles falt.log- upon them; or being forced into
the Mtilluiv, by the elloct-s of the explosion. The
house tit ,Mr. Lichileau was bit irate within two
doors of, the hre.wery of Truman and Haub ory,
and within four dohs of Browie-strect, where
;lieu! is a meeting of three ()thefts; and such was the
effect of these dreAltil ex plobions, that it not only
consumed the ,t wo adjoining houses, but nearly
destroyed four others, and -injured some hundreds,"
forcing itself round the corner, and spreading de-.
struct ion. down the streets, the • exhibiting
t terrible picture of havoc and destruction. At
two o'clock on Saturday the engines continued -
to play upon the ruins, while at each house some
of the wretched victims who had fallen were dis-
covered, and dragged forth in a mutilated state.
At three o'clock the renntins of Mrs, Lichileatt,
her sister, and that of a female servant, had been
taken nut, and deposited its the bone-romn of Spi-
talfields Church. The fire is said to have been
occasioned by Mr. Lichileau striking a light, to
look for some squibs which two, boys cattle to
purchase. An inquest will this day be held on
the bodies discovered in the ruins. _

On Saturday rut rning a fire broke ont at Cock-
bill; Ratcliffe, whiuli destroyed about 20 houses'
before it %vas subdued.

A fire liArioened at lath. on Satufdarse'nnight,
:thrtitled cvirli melancholy consequences. It oc-
curred at the house of Mr. Diamond, a hair-
dresser, who had retired to bed little inure than
HI) hour, when about 12 o'c'tock he was .aroused
fivin his sleep by some persons who had providen-
tially observed the smoke Issuing from the loner
part of the premises. Mrs. Diamond was happily
from home. Mr. Ditimoni,lmmediately ilarnied his
female servant, and then rushed into the street, but
ventured back again to urge her instant
-I-The poor creature, however, wishing to save
her little property., re.turne,ll to her room, and pe-
fished' in the attempt, from' suffocation. She
slept in aim attic', and the staircase being in
ilames, several firemen ascended a ladder to at-
tempt the rescue of the unfortunate girl, when the
ladder broke, and the chief fireman tell front the
attic! AV hidotV on the pavement, anti was killed on
the spot. A subscription has been set on foot for
his widow and eight ebildtea. Tice fire was ex-
tinguished after destroying the greater part of the
premises.