Star.
London, England, 1809-01-23 00:00:00

FIRE AT ST. JAMES': PALACE.

The following particulars of the rise and progress
of the fire in St. James's Palace, on Saturday morning,
may be depended upon as strictly ac-curate
About half-past one in the morning, Mrs. ELLIS,
a servant to Mrs. BRANDENBURGH, the female keeper
of the KING'S private apartments, was awoke by
a strong smell of fire. She instantly jumped out
of bed, opened her room door, and found the gallery,
leading to Miss RICE'S apartments, (the Queen's
Dresser), enveloped in smoke. She courageously
went forward to the bed-room of Miss R.'s female
attendant, and attempted to open the door, but finding
it locked, she knocked violently. No one answering,
she looked through the key-hole, and perceived that
the room was in flames. Finding every effort to get
the doer open fruitless, she ran back to her own
apartment ; and, having two children with her,
was fearful of them and herself being suffocated by
the smoke ; and, seeing the flames coming up the
staircase, she, with the children, made their escape
out of a window upon some leads, so that we fear
there is no doubt but the young woman perished.—
By this time (a quarter before two o'clock), the
flames had burst out of the windows of Miss RreE's
apartments, and the smoke was making its way
through the roof. The Duke of CAMBRIDGE'S servants
were among the first discoverers of the alarming
scene from the exterior ; they apprised his Royal
Highness of the event, who had then not retired to
rest. The Duke of CAMBRIDGE immediately sent a
messenger to order the drums to beat to arms ; and,
in the interim, his Royal Highness, attended by his
servants, proceeded to that side of the Palace where
the fire was situated, viz. the South side, next the
garden. Arriving opposite the spot, the Duke saw
the unfortunate woman who first made the discovery
at the window of her room, (which was next the
roof), in a state of mental distraction, shrieking
dreadfully, with her two children in her arms.—
The flames had by this time communicated to the
chamber. The servants of the Duke of CAMBRIDGE
likewise perceiving the poor woman's shocking
situation, and urged by motives the most laudable,
made their way with all possible speed over the roofs
from their master's apartments, and round the angle
of the Palace to the leads, over the room wherein the
unhappy female and her children were confined.—
Their arrival was most providential indeed, for she
was then at that moment in the act of preparing to
throw them out of the window ; but happily they
were extricated from their perilous situation without
sustaining any very material injury, except the wo-
man's hair at the back of the head being entirely
burnt off. The whole of the inmates of the Palace
were by this time (two o'clock), alarmed, and crying
out for engines, and water. No water could be pro.
cured, when the engines did arrive ; the pipes were
frozen up. " Open the great main," exclaimed the
Duke of CAMBRIDGE. About 20 men were employed
in this work, and a plentiful supply of water procured
about half past three o'clock. By this time the fire
had extended its ravages over the whole of the left
wing ; from the south side of the Palace, viz. the
King's private apartments, and the Queen's ; to the
Duke of Cambridge's on the east side. The con-
flagration was beyond conception dreadful ; the co-
lumns of fire ascended to a prodigious height, and
the wind having taken a south-western direction,
fears were entertained for Marlborough House,
as great bodies, of liquid fire fell upon its roof.—
In the midst of all this bustle and confusion, the
Prince of WALES made his appearance, having arriv-
ed on foot, through the Park, accompanied by Colo-
nel M`MAHON, &c. His Royal Highness found, near
the engine-house (next the Park), three of his bro-
thers, viz. YORK, CUMBERLAND, and CAMBRIDGE, all
assisting, by encouraging the men to exert themselves
in working the machines. About four o'clock, the
great colonade- (in the principal court yard) was dis- ,
covered to be on fire. No one but a spldier would
venture on this part of the Palace ; he directed the
pipe as long as the Duke of CAMBRIDGE would permit
him to remain there. All efforts proved useless to
preserve the greater proportion of the South and the .
East sides of the Palace; they were all involved e
ruins about six o'clock ; it was nearly nine before th
flames were completely got under.
No one was more indefatigable than the Duke of
YORK. By his Highness's great presence of mind,
the lives of several men were preserved; they would
have been lost by an ill-judged temerity, in venturing
into a part of the Eastern angle, which a few =merits
afterwards fell to the ground with a hideous crash,
had not the Puke insisted upon their retreating. The

Duke of Seem joined the Royal party about a quay.
ter past six in the morning.
The unfortunate woman who was burnt to death,
was to have gone to Windsor on Friday, but on ac-
count of the Royal Family removing to Windsor on
that day, she could not procure a place in any of the
coaches ; she, therefore, took a place to go by one of
the Saturday's coaches. No tidings could at first be
learned of this servant : the only account that could
be obtained of her was from Mrs. ELus, who said she
drank tea with her, and about ten o'clock, it being
her intention to get up early, he went to bed, and
took a piece. of candle with her, about three inches
long, to light her to bed. Owing to what accident
the fire happened, remains a matter of doubt, but it
is certain, that it broke out on or near the King's back
stairs.

The following apartments are nearly destroyed, viz;
1. The King's Apartments.
2. The Queen's ditto.
S. The Duke of Cambridge ditto.
4. Mrs. Moore's ditto.
5. Mr. Tucker's ditto.
6. Mr. Cock's ditto.
7. Mrs. Hunter's ditto.
b. The King and Queen's footmen ditto.
9. All the rooms under the colonade, •n the south side of the
great court-yard.
10. The roof over the eastern apartmenu in the great court-
yard.
11 The King's back stairs.
12. The Friary.
13 Part of the Qerman Chapel.
The Queen's guard chamber, although much in-
jured, is not destroyed. The armoury was preserv-
ed, and almost the whole of the furniture and pictures
in the King's apartments. The Duke of CAMBRIDGE
lest every thing • his Highness's attention was solely
directed to one Object, viz. that of stopping the pro-
gress of the flames. One-third at least of the Palace
is burnt down to the ground ; no part but the walls
are left standing. Two parties of foot soldiery, mus-
tering sixty men each, and a troop of the Life Guards,
did duty through the night, to protect the avenues
leading to the Palace, and to prevent all improper
persons from 'gaining access. The Duchess of YORE,
who was at Godolphin House, in the Stable-yard,
was so much terrified, that she could not be prevailed
upon to continue in her apartments ; her Highness
walked to and fro in the garden, until the arrival of
the Duke. The Dukes of CLARENCE and KENT were
out of town. The absence of the KING, Quit's, and
the Princesses, may be considered as a very providers.
41 and happy event ; they left the Queen's House
early in the morning previous.
Miss Rica was out of town at the time the fire
happened in her chambers.
Exclusive of the supply of water obtained from the
great main in the Palace, the canal in the Park was
resorted to, and the reservoir in St. Jamees.street.--
No other accidents happened than those we have al-
ready enumerated. About fifteen windows in length
are burnt down, next the Park. The state apartments,
we believe, have escaped.
Mr. WYATT, the Surveyor General, has been sent
for by an express, to Wilton Park, the seat of the Earl
of PEMBROKE.

The flames were so vivid, and seen at such a die-
tance, that a person who arrived from Staines says,
that at three o'clock they were se= there, and it was
fancied that all London was on fire. The inhabi.
tants of the Palace were seen issuing in all directions
from their apartment, half•naked, and every effort
was made to save the turniture and effects. The en-
gines continued, occasionally, to play on the smoaking
ruins, during the whole of Saturday night.