Star.
London, England, 1825-11-24 00:00:00

Jill? JAMES, DATED MIRAMICIII, OCT* 11, 182 g.

" The North side of Mir amlchi is now a heap of
ashes; it is not ascertained to what event the fire
reaches, some say eighty, some two hundred miles
back ; for about twenty miles up and down the river,
nothing is seen but stacks of chimneys, they being built
of stone, whereas the houses, which were of wood, are
all burnt, and I am sorry to say a great number of
men, women, and children, cattle, &c. My stover
helped to bury thirty-eight yesterday, in one small settle-
' meat; stone they had to put into coffins with spades,
so many as six in a coffin, according to the number of
the family. Three ships are totally burnvviz. Canada
of North Shields, Concord of Whitby, and Jane of
Allow. The Canada was all loaded, the others were
discharging ballast at the same heap as the James.—
The James was on fire at three different places at three
diffaent times, but, thank GOD, we put it out before it
got to any great height. We have our jib, main-mast,
znd trysail burnr. The fire broke out about eight in
the evening on the 7th instant, at the river side; all the
afternoon we heard a roaring away to the northward of
us, accompanied by smoke and soot ; but no one sup-
posed it would be se instantaneous, for before we could
distinguish any flame; the fire flakes came off the land,
on board, thicker and faster than ever I saw a snow
storm in my life—branches of trees and burning leaves,
and so for the same distance up and down the river'
already mentioned, and all at the same instant accompa-
nied by a hurricane. It must have come through the
woods at a great rate, for people who went up to see if
they could see anything like fire, could not, although the
smoke u as very thick ; they quickly ran back, and before
they got down two minutes, the fire was at their heels.
Some saved themselves by running into the river up to
their chins, and keeping their heads constantly wet.
Many children who were in bed were snatched up by
their mothers and carried Joan to the river, but before
they got them down their shirts had caught, which were
torn off; in this state they were lain on the beach, their
parents keeping them continually wet, the father with
his hat, and the mother with her shoes, until morning,
when they were taken on board the shipping. I have
now a family on board, a man, woman, andfour children,
who were in that state. People who were in the woods,
as far as can be heard, were dreadfully off. Whole
camps of men, from 10 to 40 in a camp, who were
gone in for the winter to fell timber, are consumed, to-
gether with the cattle. People are coming in ; some
have lost a wife and children ; some a husband and
children—some mere, some less—some naked and burnt.
One woman in par ticular,finding the tire too but to bear,
as she was sunning with her two children, laid them
down, and lay upon them ; she is burnt from her heels
. to the crown, so much, that not a bit of flesh is on
her—the children not hurt ; she still lives, but in great
agony. Some who could get into boats west upset and
drowned. Gilmore and Rankin's stores are all bum,
except about seventy barrels of pork. They got out
the fire yesterday. Mr. Abrahams, the merchant we load
with, has had all burnt down. I tent my carpenter to
' say I should be happy to see them on board should they
think proper. Mrs. Abrahams said, ‘. for Gods sake,
take the I. somewlierr." The carpenter went into the
house to take them ; t' e children were taken out of
bed in blaakets, and Mrs. Abrahams without a bonnet,
with eight children, were coming to the ship, when the
fire met them I.ke a furn.,ce, and they returned.