Star.
London, England, 1808-03-21 00:00:00

DEAL, MARCH 20.

Remain in the Downs his Majesty's ships as per
last. Wind S. E. foggy.
HULL, MARCH is.

His Majesty's sloop of war Clio sailed from hence
yesterday for Leith, taking under her protection se-
veral vessels bound to the North of the- Humber.—
On Monday last the Resolution, &ORMSBY, sailed from
Whitby, for the Greenland Whale Fishery ; and on
Wednesday the rest of the Whitby Greenland ships,
consisting of the following vessels, proceeded to sea ;
viz. Experiment, BARTON ; SMITH ; William
and Ann, JOHNSTON ; Aimwell, AGAR ; Henrietta,
ICRARSLET ; and Volunteer, KRLD.
GRAVZSIND, MARCU 19.—Sailed the Mary, Cullen, for Dub-
lin; Port Patrick, Christie, for Guernsey; Duckenfield Hall,
Channell, for Antigua ; Northumberland, Franklyn ; Sovereign,
Campbell ; Lord Keith, --; Alexander, Price, and the Eu-
phrates, Herbert, for India.

Finr.—A terrible fire broke out at two o'clock on
Saturday morning, at Chelmsford, in Essex, which
burnt so furiously for a considerable time, as to threaten
the destruction of whole the town. It broke out at Mrs.
Smith's, the milliner, formerly Miss Jones's, the first
house of the middle row, in the centre of the town,
which k consumed, together with the four next ad-
joining houses, viz. Mr. Peek's, Mr. F. Hill's, Mr.
Room's, and Mr. Nash's. Unfortunately two young
ladies (one a daughter of Mr. G. Williams, of Ongar)
apprentice to Mrs. Smith, perished in the flames ; and
a third was so severely burnt, that her life is despoiled
of. Nothing could equal the general consternation of
the inhabitants, awakened to a scene of such extreme
horror in the dead of the night. No discovery has
yet been made of the cause of this dreadful accident.
Providentially the town was well supplied with run-
ning water through its centre, and excellent engines
belonging to the several Insurance Offices, or the ca-
lamity must have been more extensively ruinous.
A dreadful fire broke out on Thursday evening at
Clenton-range, Surrey, at the house of Mrs. Lacey,
which destroyed the same in less than two hours. It
was occasioned by a very frequent neglect, that- of
leaving a candle burning in a bed room, after a child
had been put to bed by the maid servant. The fur-
niture of the bed, it is supposed, caught fire, and such
was the rapidity of the flames, that the servant maid,
who had gone up stairs to hang up some wet clothes,
had no opportunity of descending, and in jumping
from the window to the leads of an adjoining house,
she broke her thigh. The infant, which was the grand-
daughter of Mrs. Lacy, perished ; and the latter, who
slept in the Borough on the night of the fire, is suffer-
ing the loss of her faculties by the sad event.
The woods belonging to FRANCIS NEW BERRY, Esq.
at Heathfield, in Sussex, were set on fire twice last
week, namely, on Monday and on Friday nights ;
but, from the exertions of the neighbours, only a few
acres were destroyed. About six years ago the barn,
ricks, &c. were burnt down at this Gentleman's
farm, who is a Magistrate for the County ; and these
acts of enormity are supposed to have been perpe-
trated by persons who have been punished by his
means for offences against the laws.
HOUSE-RREARING.-It iS a fact generally known,
that scarcely a nigbt passes in which burglaries are
not committed in various parts of the town, by par-
ties belonging to a regular gang, for a long time
known to the Police. On Thursday afternoon, the
servant of Peter Thompson, Esq. after dinner, left
his master's house (No. 7, Lisle-street), which he had
in care during the absence of his Master, and on his
return, after dark, as he was walking along the pas-
sage, he kicked against some furniture, which after-.
wards proved to be packed ready to be conveyed
away. At this moment he heard a person run up
stairs : he therefore ran into the street and alarmed
the neighbours. The thief, whcse name is Dalton;
was secured, whilst getting out at the parlour windowt
and delivered over to Craig, the officer, belonging to
Marlborough-street. Furniture to a considerable
amount was packed tit, ready for conveying R 71314 ;
but the prisoner, who is a known thief, said he was
asked to go into the house and do a job; by a stran-
ger, whom he did not see again. The prisoner was
fully committed for trial.