The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1836-03-18 00:00:00

OXFORD. CONVOC?TION.

( Frorn. the London Standard of Tuesday.)

Our readers.areldrearly aware that a Convocation, the most
momentous as concerns the subject to be proposed to it, which
will have been held for a century and a half, is appointed at
Oxford for•this day week. We insert the formal notice of the
Vice-Chancellor.. .

" The following form of a statute will be promulgated in a
Congregation to be holden on Saturday, the 19th instant, at
ten o'clock, and proposed in a Convocation •to be holden on
Tuesday, the 22d, at two o'clock.
G. ROWLEY, .V ice-Chancellor.
",Delegates' Room,•March 11, 1836.
Whereas it has been committed by the University to the
Regins.Professor of Divinity, that'he be one of those by. whom
select preachers are appointed, according to Tit. xvi. sec. 8,
and likewise that his advice be resorted to if -any preacher he
called in question, according to 'Fit. xvi. sec. .11. Aud whereas
the present.Protessor has, in his published writings, so treated
of theological:tioetrines, that the University can.have no coo-
lidence in him in this particular, ,
It is 'enacted. that the Regius Professor of Divinity be ex-
empted from the aforesaid functions until such.time as it shall
otherwise seem fit to the University ; but lest meanwhile the
University. suffer any injury ,by this exemption, other persons
shall occupy the, place of the said Professor—namely, in the
appointment of select preachers, the Senior Pro Vice-Chancel.
lor ; er in his absence, or when he shall occupy the place of the
Vice-Chancellor, the Pro Vice• Chancellor .next in order .(pro-
vided always that he be in holy orders); and in the council to
he held on sermons, the Lady Margaret of Richmond's Reader
in Divinity."

DREADFUL FIRE AND LOSS OF LIFE AT

PLYMOUTH.

• PLYPIOIIITII, MAncit 12.
The citadel at this place has been visited by one of the most
awful dispensations of. Providence that ever befel the town or
neighbourhood.- the house of the Fort. Alajot Watson was last
night consumed.by fire; and the tliajor, with two of his daugh-
ters, have perished in the flames. No certain cause rase' be
assigned its ;the origin of the calamity. it appears the family,
croisisting of the Major, his two suns, three daughters. lir.
Pode (a friend ,if the family), and a servant, retire] to hed
about one o'cioe;;., The '.first titan,. was give,' i,y the maid ser-
vant, who. kiao escaped frme the hurtling house aomil :lye in the
morning, and was standing outside the house calling to her mas-
ter to rt llntc ner. The are nuts,' have been sinotiliterino• in the
lower part of the house three or :our tioors, for or the front
doot iteiog opened, the wind, which was °lowing, teutpestnttsly,
sent such Utast into the premises, that they; appeared to ignite
throughout instantaitoottsl); and although no outward evidence
was Visible:net...re, he house was now enveloped in flames, as
it had neer tired tit twenty
.places at the saute moment. • The
building .vas ef 'fight .natertals. The eldest son, Mr. John Wat-
son, (who is blind), and Mr. Henry, escaped hy,!ropping [run
their bed root. windows. Mr. Pode assisted Miss Watson to
escape the same ..ray, and then followed himself. It is supposed
that oa hearing .he alarm, the Major went to the stairs, which
he apist, na.ve discovered in ;lames, and that en returning to his.
bed mon. he found that in the saute state. Ti!e two daughters
who were intret slept in a hed room on the set owl lour. One
was twenty-two and the other sixteen years ..f age.
t-Z). halt-past seven the house was thotoughly consumed,
not:nit:4 MA the oare walls and fire-place's remaining. Every
particle tti the notiseltold furniture is deStoye.l. Speedy mea-
sures were adopted to discover the remains of the Alajor and
his ; ten daughters, to employing the soldiers in searching tirong
the burning embers; and the hign esteem in which this unfor-
tunate officer was held cooled tie easily discovered in the tears
that were shed by those who had to perform this melancholy•
duty. The tai dis were ;taunt in the underground cellar, and it
is supposed that the lire had previously ,made such havoek in the
flooring or the grnmad and first story that the Major must have
been precipated roth little interruption front his hed-roon. into
the cellar. The bodies are mere shapeless cinders; the !leads
are consumed. _ . .

It is sail, the are was caused by the servant having put some
wood to 'try or the hots of the parlour grate before she went to
bed. This woo,), is supposed to have been blows' nr the re-
ela ining tire by a sudden gust of wind coining down the
chimney, and have been afterwards earried into ,he room
by the same deans. The house is prominently situated tr.! the
smith-west corner ,if the citadel, from which quarter the wind
blev, ?uriotisly last tight. The wind also prevented the report
of :, ,misket. rroin neing heard, although tired three times by one
of ;he sentinels. the gunner was the first Lo assist. .le heard
the' shrieLs or ,he .laid servant, dropped his portfire, and
rmiSed soldiers in the neighbouring range.
Major Watson, who was of Scottish origin, was about 70 years
of age, orstronp museutar Frame, and very tali, being snore
than si:: Feet niol, so that he might nave easily escaped had he
resorted to his herl-rout,' window on the first alarm. He had
sat it “nopany with (turns, the poet, in the tlighlands, :sod
wills his present :I.la.iestv (.ing William IV., when it the West
He has 'lone • his country much service in nis profes-
sion. lie was or a kind, amiable, and affable disposition. and
having ,•esided in ,he cows- between 20 and :30 years, his t,land-
ness of manner had endeared him to numerous friends. His
toss, and that of his ilanghters, in t. way so suddev and lament-
able, has thrown to gloom over the sown evalied only by the
visitation of souse nAiona, calamity.