Star.
London, England, 1830-08-21 00:00:00

A CURIOUS SCENE.

The neighbourhood of Wardour-street, Soho, was on Thursday,
during the greater part of the day, thrown into the utmost state of
confusion and excitement, arising from the following singular cause:
A few days ago, a very destructive fire took place at the house of
Mr Aldous, a pawnbroker, in Berwick-street, which not only con-
sumed the whole of the premises, but also the extensive stock of
pledges, chiefly belonging to the poor population of a densely inha-
bited district thereabouts, and preparatory to clearing away the ruins
from the site of the building, there was an auction commenced there
yesterday of the remains of the halfsburned and mutilated pieces and
patches of all sorts of things that were dug out of the rubbish, and to
this sale it appears no persons whatever were admitted except those
of the Jewish persuasion ; no doubt upon the very judicious calcula-
tion, that no earthly beings besides the Children of Israel, could
possibly convert such scraps to any useful purpose or emolument.
The poor people of the neighbourhood who had lost their property
in pledges by this fire, considered it, as it would seem, a very hard
case that they should not only have suffered beyond redemption in
the first instance, but that in this final scramble they should also be
excluded from a chance of laying hold of, or even purchasing the
remains, perhaps, of a favourite petticoat or pair of breeches ; but.
above all, they felt indignant that an exclusive preference should be
given to the Jews. Indeed, they evidently seemed to think that
they had a right, without purchase at all, to whatever they could
recover and identify as their own out of the ruins ; but here they
were clearly in error, because the whole of the ruins immediately
after the fire became the property of the Insurance Company, where
the premises were insured. However this may be, certain n is, that
no sooner did the auction begin, than the whole place was ow-
-1 rounded by several hundreds of men, women, and children, who
seemed strongly disposed to act a Parisian scene and take the place
by storm : but after sonic consideration, it was determined to wait
quietly until the Jews came out with their new purchases, and then
to seize upon them and appropriate the different articles to those in
the crowd who could lay claim to them by identification.
The consequence of this silent arrangement was, that when the
Jews made their appearance with their bargains, they were set upon
from all sides, chiefly by the women, ons claiming the sleeve of a
gown, another the bone of a stays, another the leg of her hus-
band's breeches, &c. &c. until at last the alarm with the Jews
became so great that, u if moved by one Impulse, the whole
body of them scattered and ran as if for their lives, in all directions,
pursued at the top of their speed by the Christian party. shout-
ing and yelling after them. The Jews, who, from their usual
slender diet, were in good wind, for the most part outstripped
their pursuers in the chase, and made their escape, but many of
them were compelled to take shelter by (luting into the first
open house that presented itself, where they were either pro-
tected or turned out again, as accorded best with the disposition of
the owner. There was one house in particular, in Wardour.strcet,
that brought upon itself a regular siege, or rather storm, by me
shelter which the inmates afforded to about half a dozen of the fugi-
tive Jews. The populace again, the women chiefly, attacked this
house with the utmost fury, smashing the windows with stones, and
covering its white front with plasters of mud, calling out at the
same time to deliver up the b—y Jews. Ihe inmates, however,
did not bear this attack unrebutted, for they, oe rather a warner,
who seemed to be the whole garrison, poured down buckets of water,
and the contents of other and more annoying vessels, on the hods
of the assailants in the street, from the windows, and kept up re
gallant a defence that she withstood the attack successfully, and
saved the Jews, in this instance at least, until a party of the rho
came up, and put an end to the siege altogether, by dispersing the
assembled multitude.

BIRTHS.
The 18th inst. in Doctors'-Commons, the lady of W. Pritchard,
Esq. of a son.—Yesterday, Mes.G. Hughes, Gower-strret, B"l6nd*
square, of a daughter.

31ARIUED.
At Ramondt, on the 17th inst. Mr. C. Parka, of DoughlY4lrte!,
to Sophia, third daughter of die late C. L. Parka, of the Royal Mi-
litary College.

DIED.
• The 16th Inst. at Reading, in her 90th year, Charlotte. relict of
J. Pretdjohn, Esq. late dike island of Barbadoes.—The 19th tug.
at Ramsgate, Elizabeth liken&ld Catllie, eldest daughter of E. Car.
file, Eati. Hampstead.—Friday, Penelope Louisa, eldest daughter of
Mr. Laurence, of the Paragon, Blackheath, in the 16th year of
ha age.

temes: Printed sad Pabllsied by Join, team. at obi Shea'
Orram No.l, Piaten-pliee.Tioniile Bar.