On Monday last, Mr. Garne...
The Times, 1824-11-17T00:00:00

On AMonday last, Mfr. Garnet, of the Bell, in Flect-street, was alarmed by a strong smell of fire, which seeinedl to arise from seine part of his own premises; but being un- able to discover the cause of it, he was induced to believe thitt it proceeded from the late conflagration, in the irnme- (liate neighbourhood of which his house is situated. 'Ihe sinell, however, increasing. a still further search was made yesterday, and, fortunately, was atten4ed with success. In tha chimney-place of an unoccupied apartment in iIMr. Garnet's hou-e, had been deposited a strong nmhogany sea-chest: this was filled with old papers, which wvere covered with a moreen Curtaini. It was discovered that the lid of the chest ha(d been completely consumed, and that the conteints had smouldiered away into tindler. This circumstance can be accounited for in no other way than by suoposing that some sparks fromii thie burning houses hat; fallen dlown the chimiley on the chest, antd that the thic'k htist with wlhichi it was covered had served as food to the lighted materials, which at lengthi had burned entirely through the lid, andc set fire to the papers within. The morecn curtain, it is thouight, prevented theni bursting into flame, but for which circumstance, it i)s not imprebable MIr. Garnet's preimises would have beu (lestroyed. It is not impossible that some inflamedl materials froin the same dreadful firc mighit liave fallein en Ihe ol(d and consequenit- ly easily coinmiustible stables and workshops at the back of MIr. WVilkinlson's. A young man, of the namc of Patterson, a commort blacksmith at Doune, produced to us, a few days ago, the blade o1' a pen-knife, in the ccntre of which he said would be found a portion of straw entire, and without having suffcred in the smallest from tire, The blade, wlichi was well tempered, and without the least flaw, was accordingly broken in the presence of several respectable individnals, when a piece of straw, as described, was found enclosc, aitioluzh the metal had been repeatetily beated before it was properly tenipereti. The youig man had been induced to exert his ingenuity in this way, in consequence of having seen in the newspapers an ac. count of a feat of the same kind produced by the vorkmcn of lion. don. who challenged the workmen of some other placectoequal it. The contrivance can be of no practical use; yet it shows what tbe perse- verance of an obscure individual gin effcct, when aitMcd by natural ta- lents, and stimulated by that cm mmesdable spirit of cttnulation Whticli never fails to accomnpany inborin g:nius. Ile is only20 years ofage; an untutore(l country smith, yet he has produced specimens of his in. genuity In various ways thiat would have clone credit to the more ex. periencetl artists of the metropolis. Of these we may mention a pair of pixtels, tiniAhed so highly thant they excited surprise when shown tomakerg in LAondoni. It is well kniown that articles ofthiis kinid have to go throuighi various hands cre they can be completc ; but our young workman finished everypart himself, in a ray that would hiavedione credit to him had he been regularlv bred torvcrydlcpart. cient.-Stirling Jousrncal. At a mectinig of our Corporation on Tuesday last, the frcedomil of the city was sold to Mllr. Pritchard,tailor,of Eign-street,and AMr.AVinter, bettei known as Spring, the Chiampion, for 331. IGl. 9d. each. Petitioss were presented from VWalter Wilkins, ElSs., II.P.; Thlioucas Andrew Knight, Esq., of Doaicton.castic ; and Mtr. Bcti- Jamin l,oyd, an old anid rcspectable trades;nan of thc city, in Lie ututal manner, offerinlc to purchase their frecdom ; but, to the sharre and disgrace of the nciiibers composing the majoritv of the coectilig, they were reiected I Mr.Milkins is the tespectable mem- ber for thic coutnty of RaAscor, and M r. Knight, the President of the Royal Hlorticultural Society of Lontdon; and we should have thought their rank ncid respcctability woulit have entitled them to a favour- able consitleratioci witb this sapient body. But it seenis the person who takes thce lead at these meetings irnagined that thlc above gen- tienien were disposed. to sulpptort the independenit candlidatc, for the representatioti of the city. All the new memubers of th:is corporation have, it seems, been chosen by the gentletnan alluded to; and of course they are entirely subservient to, and at the will of,theirileader. Can we, thierefore, be surprised at thicir rejectiHg MIr. NVilkins, Jr. Knighit, artl A1r. Ll,yd, and athinitting Mr. Pritchard and Mr. Winter ? If itc freemcen of Hereford do not bestir theniselvek, it is evident that the representation of this city will eventually becoime aS rrspecdtabe and iudepcedent as that of Penryn, Gatton, or Old Sa. rum; as we find that the leacling member of thic corporate body liha onlY toinake known his sovereign will, to commnand, at all times, as great a majority as thatt which on Tuesday last submitted to his dic- tieu1-.-Je, eford fndepcltdde,z. TONNMOUTs.-Tlhursday se'lnight, the Mayor antd Bai- lifls gave their ntial ball to their young friends. The pleasiurcs of tbe evenicc, trouit Lhe preparations for the festivity, were not daml ped; and cite spaciots Town-hall was filleti to cxcess. Across tihe centre of thc roocic, four large evergrecn arclies were thrown, de- corated with flowers, from the green-houses of friends in tlte neigh. bourhloocl. This being lciglcly illuintinated, had a nmost plcasing effcct; rIc floor was chalked with appropriate embibculs, for trece sets, atid nearly 160 couple enjoyed thc plcasuires of thc Mazy gancc in the eoitrse ot tiCe evening. At twelve the conipany sat down to a cold collation, and tea; and it is supposed tltat 380 partook of the re. frcshnmcnt it affbrded. The Jury.roomn was also filltel witi aconivivial party, enjoying thc usual roti tine of song and toast; about four the company began to retire,but Apollo liglited many to tlteirliomes. The whole wvas niaaged Iyafew young men, wltose arrangencntsdeserve unqualified praise; the (decorations of thc Hall were ehfectedl by the gratuitois exertions of difFerent tradesmen. \1eV should he happvif wc could conclade here: we know party spirit w ill go far, but theheighit to whichi it attained on that night is almost incredlible. The intelli. gence hcaving in thtc day arrived, as to thc discliarge of the rmle for a new tIal on thc part of Yeates, but enlarging a rule for otlters. no party liad cause to extti; though the one had to pa.y the expense, the conclusion on the wliole was not unfavourable. Mr. Josepih Price had over and over again assertcd, that the verdlict at Gloces- ter affected thce wlole of the burgesecs ; but as it did not, to nmake some comnpensation fbr'thc disappointment, a msedting was convened at Jones's, the scrgeant-isajor of the AlonmouLlc MD1ilitia, wlho keeps a public-house (is this allowable?), wvherc a large mob, conisistingof the lowest dregs of society, was allured bv the quantities of' beer &c., whichi were given away; and when fitilly chiargeel, marched with the above Joseph Price (a coiunty magistrate), Dr. Bevan, and others, in themidst of them, throughc n1cetown, annoying and insult. ing every person of opposite political jt incipils. When thcv canic oppo- site titc Town-hall, a stand was made; repeated .ltouts of defiance wcre given); but as this had no eficct, a large portion of tilc miiob made a rush at the doors, which wcre closed just in tiic to prevent their adIllission. Thus foiled, they moved off, headed bv the militia band (paid by the public), stil continuing their insuilts and noise, whiicih were increased in a tenfold degree opposite the rcsitlence of throse burgesses who nay be obliged to disclaim. 'Tie Ibayor, fl. Huighe, F,sq., with undaunted courage, now ordered out six con. stables, who, witic himself, endured every species of obloquy Bil- -ingsgate could fucrnisb. t closely wateling the movetnents osf the niob, we arc hape y to find one has been committed to gaol, and threce held to bail, for assault and riot, and a clue has bees found, which, when wurovelled, will give the proceedings a morc serious char acter titan that by which, ct prcsent, they could withI prcdecicc he characterized One of the (loorkeepers of the Hall was severely litirt; a respectable tradesmnat's wife had a valucable lace cap acid fri:l tern from her, and received sUCse Se- rious blows: and the insults endured by the femn4leR going to the ball beggar description. Thlroughi the firsilsue9s of tite Mlayor, not one was permitted to leave the hall, so that no incomivenience was experienced by the itnmates, beside alarm. If a country magistrate be thtus permitted to inflame a mob with liquor, then head it, aided by the cnilieia staff arid band, antd at past to at ni2lit, traverse the streets to aninoy every ote of opposite political priniciples, can we cx. pect Itc lower classes to a?ubtit to lawss thus violated-can the Coni- tnand r-in-Cliief expect discipline in militia stafl' thus encouraged. and who are ever the miost ctive of the mob-can the pcnblic be ex- pecte(d to pay the expense of a band, whicil on all ocasions parades the streets playing rcgular tunes, till it frrives opposite the door of as independent burgess, and then mialkes the most discordant noiscs with itc ittstrtmtents in concert with the shouting of the mob? The above account has been veritied ott the oaths of ll persons, it being the determinatiocn of many respectable inhabitants to prosecute the heuds of the party for the riot-Iereford Indepeadett.