Star.
London, England, 1821-09-14 00:00:00

INQUESFS.

FIRE IN GRACECIIURCII-STREET.
Yestei day evening, at a quarter past seven o'clock,
Inquisitions were taken at the George and Vulture
Tavern, George-yard, Lombard-street, before Ttros.
SHELTON, Esq. Coroner for London and Southwark,
on view of the bodies of Hope Parkins, Abraham
Jackson, and another man, unknown, who perished
in the following melancholy manner :
After the Gentlemen of the Jury, who comprised
sixteen of the most respectable inhabitants of the
Ward, were sworn and impanelled, they proceeded,
with the Coroner, to view the bodies of the unfortunate
sufferers, which were placed in Allhallow's Church,
where they exhibited a most heart-rending spectacle.
The Coroner and Jury having returned and resumed
their stations, the following witnesses were called
and examined : - .

...... _
Samuel Burstin, of Three Kihg's-court, Lombard-
street, fireman to the London Insurance Office, stated
that he was at the Engine-house, Bishopsgate-street,
between two and three o'clock on Sunday morning,
when an alarm of fire was given ; he went into the
street, and saw a number of sparks in the air, in the
direction of Gracechurch-street; he called the de-
ceased, Parkins, to get out the engine, and when they
a: rived in Gracechurch-street they found Mr. Ryan's
house on fire ; Mr. Ryan was in a state of great agi•
tation, and said he was insured in the London In
surance Office; they went up to the first floor, and
found that and the greater part of the premises in
flames ; Parkins took down the clock, and went down
stairs with it; witness received a weighty box, which
he imagined contained cash; and took it out at the
wind9w ; but when he came to the house of Mr. Col-
lins, where he intended to deposit it, the lid came
off, and he found it only contained brown sugar; on
his return, the house.had become such a prey to the
devouring element, that any further attempts to save'
it would be fruitless ; he consequently went to play
upon the house of Mr. Bull, which was insured in
their Office. The body of Parkins was found on
.Wednesday morning, under the writing-desk, at the
house of Mr. Ryan; :the same evening, the body of
Abraham Jackson was discovered also in the ruins
of the same house. Jackson was a turncock belong-
ing to the London Fire Office; another fireman as-
sisted in taking out some cheese and a looking-glass
at Mr. Ryan's house; he saw Parkins coming down
with a glass; he afterwards returned up stairs, and
found the staircase above the dining-room all on fire,
as also the kitchen; not seeing any of his fellow-ser-
vants, he came out as precipitately as he could, and
in a quarter of an hour afterwards the roof and wall
fell in, and he was told two of his fellow-servants
were baled in the ruins; cannot say accurately in
which house the fire broke out, as they were nearly
all on fire at the same moment.

Here it was observed by several of the Jury, that
the houscs had been in a very dilapidated state, and
had been built about the time of the memorable fire
of London, at which time it was an inn, called the
White Hart.

Mr. Ryan said, he heard an alarm of fire in the
street ; he then opened the window, but perceived no
fire; he alarmed the family; his servants brought
down their boxes; he got his books from the count-
ing-house, and also his cash-box, but still saw no ap-
pearance of fire; he looked towards Mr. Fossick's,
next door, but still saw no fire; he then returned up
stairs, and found the whole place in flames; and the
heat was so intense, that he was obliged to retreat as
fast as possible.
From the circumstance of the bodies of the de-
ceased being found in the ruins of Mr. Ryan's house,
it is conjectured that they went to render assistance,
or to save some part of the property.
The Jury expressed themselves satisfied, and re-
turned their verdict—That the deceased persons came
to their deaths by accident.

In the course of Wednesday night some villains
broke into the shop of Mr. Simpson, silversmith, of
Piccadilly, and succeeded in taking away property's
to die amount of £5OO.