Star.
London, England, 1814-02-12 00:00:00

Vag .4.140/E et7sTottoiceusiL

l'hht.inorning tho inhabitant* of Th'arnes-streeff
Tower-hill, and geineiaHly all the Eastern part of the
Town, near the Thames, were thrown into the most
dreadful alarm and confusions by the discovery that
the Custom-house was on fire.

The Fire broke out about six o'clock in thefilidlfflio.
ing, and speedily spread with so much fury to. it
leave little or no hopes of arresting its progress. In.
little time the whole building WAS wrapt in the sit=
souring element, and when this Paper was put to
press continued to burn with unabated fury.
The fire is supposes to have originated in a flue of
one of the offices of business in the eastern wing of
the building, adjoining the housekeeper's apart.
meats.

The books and papers of the Searcher?' Mice, ou
the quay, were saved: they were conveyedout of the
windows, and put on board a lighter lying along..
side. In the Surveyor's Office some books were
saved; but in the Secretary's Office, from being so
close to. the. Storekeeper's apartments, few, if any,
documents were saved, and consequently the bond,
in the Coast Bond Office were likewise• lost. In the
Long Room, the objects so important in a national
point of view, the books and some..f the documents
of the Collector outwards, were saved; but it is
feared that those belonging to the Collector inwards
are lost. We are sorry, from information we have
received, that documents of nearly 100 yearvold bate
been all destroyed.

Many more books and .papers might hay. been
saved, had it not been for the confusion inseparable
from such a state of alarm occasioned by the know,.
ledge that gunpowder. v)as deposited in the armoury
of the volunteer corps of the Custom-house. The
dreaded explosion actually did take place at about 20
minutes before ten o'clock, of about seventeen bmrels
of powder. Some of the bricks were carthd by the ex.
plosion as far as Billingsgate, where a m ats vras
wounded in the head by the fall df one of thi,m; aid
three men are reported to have been killed by the
explosion. •

The fire soon afterwards reached the other side of
the street, where the Holland Coffee-house and other
houses in the same line became a prey to the flames.
Ten of them were burning when this Paper was put
to Press, and the devouring element- was still ex-
pected to ,extend its ravages.—Among those on
fire are several warehouses full of goods. It
is possible that some of these might have been
saved but for the explosion of gunppwder, which for
a time suspended every effort. The shock was felt
at the Royal Exchange, -arida gentleman who came
into Town by Whitechapel says it was felt afthe dis-
tanCe of four miles.
But for the alarm excited by the knowledge that

gunpowder was in the armoury-, it is th(hight that a
multitude uf people must have perished—but fear
kept the croud at a distance : nrit was it till sometime
after the explosion that the fire•men cnuld naalto any
great exertions,
We are happy to learn, by persons who have been

to view the fire from the Thames, that at 12 o'clock
none of the large Warehouses which lie towards
Tower-hill, nor any of the Wharfs or Cranes on th•
Custom-house Quay, had then caught-fire.
- The Commissioners of the Custom-house, as might
be expected, soon hurried to the scene of conflagra-
tion, whence, after giving directions to the Officers,
&c. they proceeded to the house of the Secretary,
on Tower-hill, to deliberate on the means to be adopt-
ed for expediting the business of this great commer-
cial City. They were in consultation when out last
accounts left Tower Hill.
• HALF-PAST Tivitvx.—The fire in the Warehouses
opposite the Cusiom-bouse is considerably got under,
and the Engines appear to prevent the further pro.
gress of the flames.