Star.
London, England, 1808-09-21 00:00:00

'FURTHER PARTICULARS OFTHE DREAD-
FUL FIRE IN. COVENT-GARDEN.

At half past twelve the Theatre was entirely cleared
of its visitants, and Mr. Brandon, the house-keeper,
having inspected the saloon and the lobbies with his
accustomed accuracy, ordered the watchman upon his
duty, and retired. The watchman then, accompa-
nied by a dog which always attends Kitt`!, went the
usual rounds behind the scenes, under the stage, and
over the pit, boxes, and two galleries, and in the course
of his search discovered nothing to alarm him. It is
then said that he fell asleep, and about half past three
o'clock was awoke by a sense of suffocation and
smoke enveloping him on all sides. He immeciately
ran to the apartments of Mr. Brandon, whose sensa-
tions on this appalling occasion may be easier ima-
gined than described. At the imminent risk of his
own life he made the most strenuous exertions, an&
at length succeeded in obtaining the personal assis.
tance of those who were roused by the dreadful con-
figration. The doors in Hart-street and Bow-street
were forced in by the mob, and all was activity and

perseverance.
About four o'clock yesterday morning, a female
servant awoke Mr. Hughes, the Treasurer, who re.
sides in the house, and told him it was on fire. It
was soon discovered that the fire proceeded from the
upper part of the Theatre, and thus the persons who
inhabit it had an opportunity to effect their escape.
The crackling of the flames was heard at the extremi.
ties of the Strand. As the heavy timbers fell, the
light burning matter was thrown• up to an immense
height and extent, and the whole atmosphere was filled
with floating flakes of fire, which fell in all directions,
spreading consternation, and threatening ruin to the
whole neighbourhood, on which it fell in a burning
shower. fhe attendance at Covent-Garden Market
was pretty full at that hour, and a crowd of people
were of course on the spot; but as the fire broke out
some where contiguous to the upper gallery, and the
wind blew the flames to the eastward, the fire had
raged within for some time before the alarm became
general. About half past four o'clock the volunteers
began to assemble, and the engines to arrive from
every quatrer of the town ; but nearly an hour had
elapsed before any efficient supply of water could be
obtained. At this time the whole Theatre was one
cornrlete body of fire._

In Bow-street, the house No. 9, belonging to Mr.
Paget ; Nos. 10 and 11, which were attached to the
Theatre; No. 12, belonging to Mr. Hill; No, 13,
(The Strugglers coffee-house) ; No. 14, belonging to
Mr. Johnson, the fruiterer ; and No. 15, were coin.
pletely destroyed. Nos. 16 and 17 were seriously da.
mnged, though not entirely consumed. At the rear
of Mr. Paul's Mineral Water Warehouse, there was a
horse in serious danger of being burnt; but, as has
'been freqtaently observed on similar occasions; so
great was the terror of the anima, that it was impos-
possible to move him from the spot until a cloth was
tistened over his head, so as to make him completely
blindfolded. A house in Stewart's-rents was set par-
tially on fire by the falling of a flake of lighted wood
down the chimney. In Hart-street, the flames corn.
municated to the houses on the side opposite the Thea-
tre, and four of them caught fire at the same moment;
but by the great activity of the people and firemen,
they suffered little more than a severe scorching.
Great apprehensions were entertained for the safety
of Drury Lane Theatre, as the flakes of fire were car-
ried by the wind with force and in great quantities in
that direction. A great number of people mounted the
roof, ready, in case of actual fire, to open the immense
reservoir of water provided there ; a precaution very
desirable in all great public buildings, and which with
due care, must for ever preserve that splendid Theatre
from the fate of its neighbouring rival and sister. They
also stopped the Windows with wet cloths, to prevent
the entrance of ale flames, and thus secured the
Theatre._ All the people in the neighbourhood took
a similar'precaution, and were employed with their
servants in picking up the flakes of fire as they fell
upon the roofs or in the court yards, and upon
the out houses. It was not merely the light matter
that was thus dispersed in a flaniing state. Solid
lumps of burning cinders, coals, and wood, might
he seen in the streets as far as Temple-bar. Of the
light matter, pieces of books and paper were carried
by the wind, which, during the most violent period
of the conflagration was at South West, as far as
Moorfields, where they were picked up. Such was
the appearancal in the vicinity of Bow-street, the in-
habitants of which were exposed to a shower of fire,
veil a blazing light around them, reflecting the
brightness of meridian day, and those in the imme-
diate vicinity of the burning pile, emptying their
houses, and flying in all directions, to a place of
safety for themselves, their children, and their pro-
perty. To the people in the suburbs, or approaching
town in the mail-coaches, it made a more magnificent
appearance. The scite of the Theatre being upon a
great elevation, and the building lofty, it was seen at
a considerable distance; and it seemed as if the whole
quarter of the city, from St. Martin's-Line to Temple,
bar was wrapt in flames. The above, however, is the
whole extent of injury sustained in the neighbourhood,
but as to the Theatre itself, it is totally consumedondi
on the Hart-street side, not even the walls are stand,
ing. The Ship Tavern, and part of Mr. Brandon's,
the box-keeper's office, are all standing at that
angle. The most painful part of this dreadful event
still remains to' be described. At an early stage of
the fire, a party of firemen broke open the great door
under the Piazza, on the western side, and having•
introduced an engine into the passages in the interior,
they directed it towards the galleries, where the fire
appeared to burn most fiercely, when, melanchJly to
relate ! the part of the building over the passage,
which they thought was a stone arch, but proved to he
merely an imitation of stone, fell in, and buried thew,
with several others who had rushed in along with there
in the ruins, It was a considerably time before the
rubbish, which now blocked up the door, could he
cleared .away. When it was effected, a miserable
spectacle preseoted itself—the mangled bodies of the
dead and :dying appearing through the robbiSflso
discovereirin each advance to remove it f—, 0.01"
o'clock eleven dead. bodies..had been removed into
the church-yard of St. Pad:. on the opposite side of
Covent Garden. When the, bodies were tirought
the church-yard, they'Were in a heated start and
covered with dirt ; on some of therm 'the flesh was
burnt to the bones. • For the purpose 'of identifying
she sufferers, several pails full of water were thrtire
upon them. Sin were sent Co the hospital