Star.
London, England, 1824-12-01 00:00:00

NOTICES OF REMARKABLE FIRES IN EDINBURGH.

A small work, under the above title, published for
the benefit of the sufferers by the late fires, has just
made its appearance, and contains a great deal of cu-
rious information. The author is Mr. Chambers, al-
ready known by his Traditions of Edinburgh. The fol-
lowing is a letter from Mr. Duncan Forbes (father of the
celebrated President), to his brother, Colonel Forbes,
giving an account of the great fire in Edinburgh in 1700:
" DR BROTHER—My last was with humbling news,
and this with news more humbling. Upon Saturdy's
night, by ten a clock, a fyie burst out in Mr. John
Buchan's closet window, towards the Meaje Mercate.
It continued while eleven a clock of the day with the
greatest fravor and vehemency that ever I saw Lyre do,
notwithstanding that I saw London borne.
" There ate burnt, by the easiest computation, betwixt
three and 400 familys ; all the pryde of Edinr. is sunk ;
from the Conate to the High-street all is burnt, and
hardly one stone left upon another. The Com-
missioner, President of the Park. Prest. of the Session,*
the Bank, most of the Lords, Lawyers, and Clerks,
were all burnt, and many good and great familys.t It's
said just now by Sir John Cochran and Jordanhill, that
ther is more rent burnt in this ft re than the whole city
of Glasgow will amount to.t The Parliament House
very hardly escapt ; all registers confounded;—
clerks' chambers and processes, in such a _confusion,
that the Lords and Officers of State are just now mett
at Boise's Tavernesi in order to adjourniug of the Ses-
sione by reason of the disorder. Few people are lost,
it any at all : but ther was neither heart nor hand left
amongst them for saving from the fyre, nor a drop of
water in the cisternes. Twenty thousand hands flitting
ther trash they know not wirer, and hardly twenty at
work. These Babells, of ten and fourteen story high,
are down to the ground, and titer falls very terrible.,
Many rueful spectacles, such as Corseligt naked, with
a child under his inter, happing for his lyffe ; the ffische
Merca.e, and all from the Cowgate to Pett-stteet's
Close burnt; the Exchange, waults, and coale cellars
under the Parliament Close, are still burneing. This
epitome of dissolution I send you, without saying any
more but that the LORD is angry with us, and I see :to
intercessor. Tell your wyffe her friends are weal; and
if this come to hand, send it to my wyffe how soon you
have read it. I bid you adieu, and am,

" Yr Log. Brothr. to serve you,
" D. FORBES."

Sir Hugh Dalrymple, son of the first Earl of Stair. The Pre-
sident's Stairs, on the east side of the Parliament Close, derived their
name from him. He lived in the fourth fiat, which he had insured
in the Friendly Office; and, what is very remarkable, the recent
desti action of this property was compensated upon that very in-
surance, which bad been continued nearly a century.
t The Parliament Close, and the tenements behind, were then
the chief residences of the great, and of the highest official charac-
ters in the town. The Bank of Scotland, then the only one in the
kingdom, which had been instituted only five years before this
period, was in the Parliament Close, and burnt out on this occasion,
though, as we learn front a scarce pamphlet-history of the esta-
blishment, all the effects, books, and notes, were saved from the
flames. The great }.arl of Bute was born (17l3) in the Parlia-
ment Close.

t This seems scarcely credible.
Had not the wind providentially blown from the south-west,
the Parliament House, and all the valuable property therewith
connected, must have been destroyed.
Andrew Ross kept a tavern in the Eschange-buildings, at the
bead of the hack stairs, during the early part of the last century.
Ile is mentioned in Pitcairn's Latin poem " Ad Advent's," where
his face is called " yukus astrifer," in compliment to its pimples.—
We cannot point out the situation of his tavern at the time of the fire.
1 David Home, a Lord of Session, appointed at the Revolution.

Salisbury and neighbourhood have felt the effects of
the hurricane on Tuesday, to which thunder and light-
ning contributed to give terrific effect. Some of the
fine trees in the Close were torn up by the roots, and
massive limbs of others rent from their parent trunk.
One of the turrets of the Cathedral was blown down,
and there is scarcely a house in the city but has more
or less sustained some injury. A large portion of the
wall of the extensive premises of Mr. Collins, on the
Canal, has been blown down, and the whole of the
house and buildings nearly stripped of the tiles. No
lives were lost ; nor has any personal injury, we are
Sappy to say, been sustained.
An individual was lately committed to prison at,
Brussels, on a charge of usury ; he demanded the right
of bail ; the authorities assented, but told him they
would require securities to the amount of 700,000
florins—about 64,0001. sterling.
The number of Spanish emigrants in this country
has been increased, by the arrival of about fifty more
from Gibraltar, whence they were sent by the Go-
vernor, who paid a small sum for their passage to Eng-
land. They are all in a state of eltrain destitution. ,

BIBLE SOCIETY DISCUSSIONS IN IRELAND•

A debate of three days' length has taken plate in the
Presbyterian Meeting-house in the town of Carlow, be-
tween the Catholic Clergy and the friends of the Bible
Society, on the propriety of circulating the Scriptures
without note or comment. On the two first days the
discussion was gonducted with tolerable propriety and
order, but on the third day it broke up in a manner.
which is variously described in the Irish papers of dif-
ferent parties. The termination of the business is thus
noticed by the Carlow Morning Post :
" The debate terminated by one of the Roman
Catholic clergy asking a question, which he contended
they, according to their principles, could not answer.
The Gentlemen of the Bible Society replied, that they
were ready is reduce their answer to writing. The
assembly called, 46 Answer! answer! question! ques.
tion!" At this moment the feelings of the meeting were
thoroughly excited. Some cried out for " Adjourn.
ment r—others " Question! question!" All became a
scene of commotion. The chairman addressed the
meeting, but could not obtain a hearing. The Gentle-
men of the Society seemed to have lost their fortitude,
but there was no danger. They were seen flying to the
door—each persoit was about to depart—all was tumult.
At this critical moment, the Rev. Mr. Clowry ascended
one of the pews, from which he obtained a hearing,
silence being for a moment restored. He said that he
was not surprised at the intense interest he witnessed
where the question regarded the religion of a people.
He deprecated, however, all violence, from whatever
side it proceeded, and said that no cause but a bad one
required intemperance for its support.
" The CHAIRMAN, whose dignified conduct com-
manded the respect and admiration of all parties, ob-'
served, that it was his private opinion that, as the
Roman Catholic clergy and people were not willing
that the Gentlemen of the Bible Society should interfere
with the instruction of the people of their communion,
he deemed it unwise in them to press their pi oceedings
further. He would therefore pat the question of ad-
journment sine die, which was carried with acclamation.
The meeting then broke up.",
'The Dublin Evening Moil says, in refeience to the
same transaction, " The yells and vociferatioiss pro-
ceeding from the mob, whith almost exclusively occu-
pied the body of the meeting-house, were of a most ter-
rific description; and the calls to have the Priests'
6 question answered, were most astounding. At length
the violence of voice having nearly expended itself, the
ruffians proceeded to more unequivocal manifestations
of what their ultimate ihtentions were. A rush was
made over the pattitions by which the pews are di-
vided—the barriers were forced, which excluded the
meeting from the speakers and members of the Com-
mittee, and the whole fury of the body appeared to be
directed towards the platform erected on the right of
the chair for the Protestant Clergymen who took a past
in the discussion. The lights were nearly all extin-
guished, and the appearance presented at this moment
was appalling and terrific, By a special intervention
of Divine PROVIDENCR, the lives of the Protestant
Clergy were preserved. Captain Battersby, command-
ing the police at Carlow, reached the platform by a
private door communicating with the vestry-room, a
few seconds before the mob had obtained it, for the
purpose of communicating to Mr. Daly and- Mr. Pope
(not aware of what was going on within doors) that he
would not be answerable for the safety of their liverif
they :ventured into the street. Perceiving the state .of-
fury displayed by those within, this Gentleman
promptly prevailed on the Clergymen not to lose a
moment in effecting their escape, which he fortunately
afforded-them the means of accomplishing, LI assisting
them over a wall eight feet high, into an adjoining
garden, in the house belonging to which they were
concealed, twit the departure of the Priests drew the
greater portion of the mob from the scene of action.—
yhen the rioters reached the platform, and found that
their intended victims had escaped, no description can
give an idea of their fury. Father O'Connell mounted
the pulpit, and having declared the Bible to be a most
pernicious book, gave Goo thanks for the triumph ob-
tained by him and his party."

SHOCKING ACCIDENT.—As Mrs. Manley was cross-
ing the road on Hillingdon Heath, last Sunday even-
ing about six o'clock, to the stile which leads to her
cottage, with her grand-daughter in her arms, aged six
years, a coach passing along at the time unperceived or
unheard, came in contact with the unfortunate Lady
and the child, on the near side, when the wheels passed
over them both. They were conveyed to the cottage,
where the child died at seven o'clock, and the grand-
mother at nine o'clock the same evening. The old Lady
was upwards of 70 years of age.
Potacz RePoars.—About ten days ago, two per-
sons of the names of Cox and Carroll, were charged at
the Bow-street office, with having stolen a gold chain
from the shop of a watchmaker at Hammersmith, and
the evidence being strong, though entirely circumstan-
tial, Sir R. BIRNIE committed them, observing, that al-
though it might be doubtful whether they would he
convicted, be should be taking upon himself the pro-
vince of a Jury if he did other wise than send them for
trial. The facts of the case were mentioned in some
of the newspapers, and it was stated that a watch
was found upon each of the prisoners. Some days
ago, an elderly man, who stated himself to be a
watchmaker, residing at Acton, Middlesex, applied
to Mr. Halls, the Magistrate, after the business of
the day was over, and stated that on the same afternoon
that the gold chain was said to have been stolen from
the shop at Hammersmith, a lad, about 15 or 1G years
cf age (that is tine age of Carroll), came into his shop,
and after looking at several articles, he went away with-
out buying anything. Soon after his departure he
(applicant) missed a new silver watch, with chain and
seals appended. He learned, by inquiry, that the lad
was seen to join a man in a cart, who drove off towards
London. He subsequently saw an account in the news-
papers of the alleged robbery at Hammersmith, which
appeared to have been committed under circumstances
like his own. His object now in applying was to see
Carroll, as he had, little doubt but he should find him
to be the same who came into his shop. Mr. Halls told
him to go to Newgate, where he might be allowed to
see the prisoners, and if he recognized Carroll, he could,
if he chose, indict him at the Sessions. The Magistrate
sent Cousens, a patrol, with him to expedite the busi-
ness; and the result was, not only that Carroll was
recognized, but the watch, chain, and seal, found upon
the other prisoner, Cox, were identified as the same
stolen from the shop of the applicant, who lodged a
detainer, and will of course indict both prisoners.

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