Star.
London, England, 1829-09-17 00:00:00

FIRES AND ROBBERIES.

DREADEVL FIRT. IN HIGII HOLBORN.—Between
two and three o'clock this morning a fire broke out in the house
of Mr. Hanson. the silversmith. No. 75, High Holborn, next door
to Mr. Hopkinson's large coach manufactory, which in a little
time communicated to the house No. 74, occupied by Mr. Ray.
the tinman, and from thence to Mrs. Drew's, the poulterer. All
these houses were built of wood, and being on fire at the same
time, the conflagration was awfully grand. It was wi:h the ut-
most exertions and difficulty that the lives of the inmates of the
different houses were preserved in their night clothes. Ihe As.
surance-oilice engines were promptly on the spot, but the supply
of water was for some time very scanty; and no effort of the fire-
men could preserve these houses and their valuable stock and fur-
niture from complete destruction. The fire communicated to the
upper part of the Bed Lion public-hosise, at the corner of Red
Lion.street, kept by Mr. Preece, and consumed the two upper
floors, but the lower part of the house escaped the fate of the three
first mentioned bouts. The rear. of Mr. Hopkinson's premite.
received considerable damage. Mr. Hanson was insured in the
Sun Assurance-nice ; bat we could not learn whether or not the
a►er houses were insured. We are glad is state that no one re.
ceived any personal injury upon this occasion. The fire was got
under by half past five o'clock.
Thursday the observatory of the Royal Military Col-
lege at Sandhurst, near Bagsbot, was broken open, and robbed of
several valuable mathematical instruments and a brass time-piece.
The burglary is supposed to have been committed by a man who
has been working as a labourer about Sandhurst, and was seen on
the road to London the following morning wi.h a bundle under
his arm.

Monday night the dwelling-house of Mr, William
Brand, a jeweller, of Dartford, Kent, was broken into and robbed
of a coosiderable quantity of property, of which the following
formed a part of what the thieves succeeded in carrying off :-
24 wedding-rings. 48 fancy rings, 24 gold seals, 24 pair of ear.
dogs, 5 pair of spectacles, 4 silver music-boxes. The amount of
property carried away is estimated at between 400/. and 3001.

THE MANUFACTURING DISTRICTS.

NIAMIICITILII, TUIMAT EIIOIII6G.

Our market to-day has not experienced any material
alteration. In consequence of the stoppage of a great many of
the mills, it was expected that the demands for yarns would have
been more brisk, but I cannot learn that these anticipations
have been realized. In coarse cloths a little has been done,
but at ruinously low prices. In fine goods there is next to
nothing doing. There were several drapers in town towards
the latter end of last week, but their purchases are very limited.
being entirely confined to the filling up of their stock. They are
not to be tempted with any thing cheap; they wont look at bar.
gains. They find goods reduced since their last visit, and they very
justly expect further reductions. Their plan now is to came often
to market, and buy only what they want at the time. Their au.
tuna trade should be now at its hest ; hut really the manufacturers
begin to fear there will be no autumn trade at all.
The greater part of the coarse spinners have turned out, in con-
sequence of the muter, offering to reduce their wages unless they
discontinued their assistance to the turnouts. The Authorities,
thinking prevention better than cure, have bad the Dragoons
parading the streets, and as yet there has been no attempt to riot.
There are crowds assembling around the factories where the
e• knohsticks" are employed, for the purpose of annoying them,
almost every day ; but no violence has been offered, except what
I have before mentioned. As yet, all is quiet ; but I tear this
will not last loos.
I have not seen, in any of the London or provincial papers, any
thing like a description of the effect. of the state of our trade in
this and the neighbouring towns. In our principal streets you
will scarcely observe any difference. Here and there a shop-
keeper has discovered that one half of his ►ha•p is unnece.-
sary ; and that, without great inconvenience to himself, the
other bait might be occupied by some trat6e.man carrying nn
a genteel business, and you find him running up a partition for
that purpose; but this shows a decline of beaus', and it is not
often resorted to ; and the man who doss it must have cash its
hand to pay off all his debts, or hi. credit is gone. Your " Re.
porters" and other strangers w►o visit this town, walk thruugh
the streets, and straightway they conclude that things are just
as they used to br, and that there is no such thing as distress.—
In the secood.rate streets you find more of such alterations. It
is often found 'bat a front parlour is an ammonia, y waste of
room ; and you see it enla..r converted into a sloop, or, as that
costs an outlay. decanted with a card, inscribed" Apartments."
or, more humble, '• Lodgings." Of these cards, and of " houses to
be let," I never, in any t,.rnicr period of distress or stagnation, saw
so many. Many of the respectable class of shopkeepers sad trades-
men—those whom you would designate by the term • middling
classes,"—are glad to make up their incomes by taking lodgers ;
a way which, with many I know of, would have gene down very
its only a year or two ago. In the districts occupied by the
poor people, the spinners, weavers, labourers, &c. the scene is
most distressing. To find a house comfortably furiti.bed. and
occupied by one family only, is a very rare thing. The houses
are divided and subdivided. let, sub-net, and tab.:oh-W. The
furniture is of the most miserable description; in many bunt.
only a straw bed and a three-legged chair. Rents they never
think of paying, and the landlords must submit quietly, for
there ►s nothing to distrain upon. One owner of cottage property
in Newton'', district, shaven me his cnilector's ►out, and during
the last three weeks all that be received fur 'weber cottages, let
at its. 6d, a week, or 6f. 106. a year, was one skillbig and alapenCe.
1 dare say. as bad a case as can be found ; but there are
hundreds not muc► better. Publicans ate 'Aeolians; thtir ale at
4d. a quart. but even that price will not tempt men that have no
spumy In tbeir pockets. There is every where the appearance
bad times, and you cannot look around you without perceivh•g the
moat manliest preparations for worse. The prospect of winter,
with our town in such a state, is fearful; Jar more so than either
is 1510 ot 1n lief.

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