morning, large fplinters being driven to the diftance of nearly thirty yards from the spot. Three men were ftanding under another tree, in the fame field, one of whom was ftruck down, and appeared lifelefs for a fhort time; in the courfe of about three or four hours he fo far recovered as to be able to walk, but is ftill incapable of going about his business. 13th. This afternoon, at 5 o'clock, a fire broke out at the bakehoufe and warehouse of Mr. alderman Curtis, which was unfortunately burnt to the ground. A fugar-houfe, adjoining, likewife caught fire, but, by the great exertions of the firemen, a confiderable part of it was preferved. A dreadful fire broke out at Radcliffe, at three o'clock in the afternoon of this day, which confumed more houfes than any one conflagration fince the memorable fire of London. It began at Mr. Cloves's, barge-builder, at Cock-Hill, near Radcliffe, and was occafioned by the boiling over of a pitch-kettle, that ftood under his warehoufe, which was confumed in a very fhort time. It then communicated to a barge, it being low water, lying adjoining the premifes, laden with faltpetre and other flores. This occafioned the conflagration to fpread widely in a very fhort time. Several other veffels and fmall craft, lying near the barge, foon after took fire, without any poffibility of getting them off. The blowing up of the faltpetre from the barge, occafioned large flakes of fire to fall on the warehoufes belonging to the Eaft-India company, whence the faltpetre was removing to the Tower (20 tons of which had been fortunately taken -the preceding day). The flames foon caught the warehouses, and here the fcene became dreadful: the whole of these buildings were confumed, with all their contents, to a great amount. The wind blowing ftrong from the fouth, and the high-ftreet of Radcliffe being narrow, both fides caught fire, which prevented the engines from being of any effential fervice; and, in the course of the evening, it extended itself to the premifes of Mr. Jofeph Hanks, timber-merchant, in London-ftreet, where it again raged moft furiously, and communicated to Butcher-row, the whole of the weft, and part of the caft, fide of which was confumed. The fire then took its courfe up Brook-ftreet, Stepney causeway caught the premiles of Mr. Shakespeare, ropemaker, and burnt through to the fields on the one fide, and the whole of the dwellings on the other; forming altogether a fquare of great extent. What is very remarkable, the dwelling-houfe of Mr. Bear, an extenfive building, although furrounded by the flames, was fortunately preferved, without the leaft injury. Mr. Devaynes carried an account of this dreadful fire to the cabinet minifters, who were affembled at lord Grenville's; and measures were immediately taken for giving every affiftance in the power of government, for extinguifhing the flames, and preferving order and tranquillity in the midft of fuch a dreadful calamity.A furvey has been taken by the warden, and other officers of the hamlet, whofe report was, that out of 1200 houfes, of which the hamlet confifted, not more than 570 were preferved from general conflagration; and, what is more to be regretted, the greater number were the principal contributors towards the fupport of the poor. It having been reported that the fire was ma C 2 liciously liciously occafioned, upon the most minute inquiry it is clearly afcertained it was intirely accidental, from the cause above mentioned. It raged with fo much violence, that it was with the greateft difficulty Mr. Cloves and his fervants efcaped, one of whom was terribly burnt, and is now in the London hofpital; and Mr.Cloves himfelf had, unfortunately, his arm broke, and is otherwife much hurt. That fome idea may be formed of the very great lofs fuftained by this unfortunate event, the warehouses of Mr. Whiting contained fugars to the amount of upwards of 40,0001. which were intirely deftroyed. The diftrefs of the niferable inhabitants exceeded all defcription. In the furrounding fields were depofited the few goods, confifting chiefly of bedding, they were able to fave. Step ney church was opened for their reception, and above a thousand people were obliged to remain all night in the fields watching the remnant of their property. Children crying for their loft parents, and parents lamenting the fate of their children, added to the horrors of a scene not equalled during the prefent century. At least 1400 people are thrown on the public benevolence. By the humanity of government, there were, on the 25th, about 150 tents pitched in an inclofed piece of ground adjoining to Stepney churchyard, for the reception of the poor fufferers, and bread was diftributed from the veftry for their relief. The tents being found infufficient to contain all thofe who have been thus fo fuddenly deprived of their habitations, a number of covered waggons have been fent from the Tower, to accommodate the remainder of these diftreffed objects. The number of fpectators to view the ruins of the late fire at Radcliffe-crofs, and the encampment of the poor inhabitants, whom this unufual conflagration has driven to live in tents, is wonderful. A meeting of the affluent inhabitants of the city was held at the courthoufe, Wellclofe-fquare, on the 26th, to take into confideration the moft effectual means of alleviating the diftrefs, when a fum very little fhort of 1000l. was immediately subscribed; the Eaft-India company gave 2101. On the fame day, the fubject was taken into confideration at Lloyd's, and about 7001. collected. Several humane gentlemen, who were at the Wellclofe-fquare meeting, have fince attended at the different avenues leading to the defolated fcene, for the purpose of foliciting the benevolence of thofe perfons whofe curiofity led them to witnefs the diftreffes of their fellow-creatures. The late fubfcription, for the unfortunate fufferers by fire at this dreadful conflagration, difcovers portraits of univerfal charity, peculiar to Englishmen; but the following, though of the humbler kind, deferves to be recorded: on one Sunday collection of the vifitants who thronged to fee this encampment of the wretched, 800l. was received; 4261. odd, of this fum, was collected in copper; and 381. 1 1s. of it bestowed in farthings. 18th. As fome workmen were undermining a lime-pit, in the liberty of Staunton Harold, a large ftone, which was forced to a great height in the air, in defcending, unfortu nately fell upon William Smith, a young man who was paffing along the top of the pit with a bundle of hay on his arm, and killed him inftantly. 21ft. A fire happened at Naffington, Northamptonshire, by which thirteen thirteen dwelling-houfes were deftroyed, and a great number of hovels and other buildings adjoining, with nearly the whole of the property of the inhabitants, who were all uninfured. The lofs is computed at from 3000l. to 4000l.; and the fituation of moft of the fufferers is rendered pitiable indeed. A number of ingenious French emigrants have found employment in Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, and other adjacent counties, in the manufactory of lace; and it is expected that, through the means of thefe artificers, confiderable improvements will be introduced into the methods of making English lace. DIED. 28th. At Paris, aged 35, under the guillotine (with nearly feventy of his party, members of the convention), Maximilian Robefpierre. This emulator of Cromwell was fhort in ftature, being only five feet two or three inches in height. His step was firm, and his quick pace in walking announced great activity. By a kind of contraction of the nerves, he used often to fold and comprefs his hands in each other; and fpafmodic contractions were perceived in his fhoulders and neck, the latter of which he moved convulfively from fide to fide. In his dress he was neat and even elegant, never failing to have his hair in the beft order. His features had nothing remarkable about them, unless that their general afpect was fomewhat forbidding; his complexion was livid and bilious; his eyes dull, and funk in their fockets. The conftant blinking of the eye-lids feemed to arife from convulfive agitation; and he was never without a remedy in his pocket. He could foften his voice, which was naturally harth and croaking, and could give grace to his pro vincial accent. It was remarked of him, that he could never look a man full in the face. He was mafter of the talent of declamation; and as a public fpeaker was not amifs at compotition. In his harangues, he was extremely fond of the figure called antithefis; but failed, whenever he attempted irony. His diction was at times harth, at others harmoniouf ly modulated, frequently brilliant, but often trite, and was conftantly blended with common-place digreffions on virtue, crimes, and confpiracies. Even when prepared, he was but an indifferent orator. His logic was often replete with fophifms and fub, tleties; but he was in general fterile of ideas, with but a very limited fcope of thought, as is almoft always the cafe with those who are too much taken up with themfelves. Pride formed the bafis of his character; and he had a great thirst for literary, but a ftill greater for political, fame. He fpoke with contempt of Mr. Pitt; and yet, above Mr. Pitt, he could fee nobody unless himfelf. The reproaches of the English journalists were a high treat to his vanity: whenever he denounced them, his accent and expreffion betrayed how much his felf-love was flattered. It was delightful to him to hear the French armies named the "armies of Robefpierre;" and he was charmed with being included in the lift of tyrants. Daring, and cowardly at the fame time, he threw a veil over his manœuvres, often imprudent in pointing out his victims. If one of the reprefentatives made a motion which displeased him, he fuddenly turned round towards him, with a menacing afpect, for fome minutes. Weak and revengeful, fober and fenfual, chafte by temperament, and a libertine by C 3 and was the the effect of the imagination, he was exifted without him. When, on the night of the 27th of July, he found himself abandoned by his friends, he difcharged a pistol in his mouth, and, at the fame time, a gens-d'arme wounded him by the difcharge of another. Robelpierre fell bathed in blood; and a fans-culotte, approaching him, very coolly pronounced thefe "there exifts a words in his ear, Supreme Being." Previous to his execution, the bandage being taken off his head, his jaw fell down, in confequence of the wound which he had given himself. the metropolis, that has been known for many years. It commenced between three and four P. M. and was accompanied by long and livid flashes of lightning. The rain at the fame time burft down from the clouds like cataracts. The oldeft inhabitant of London, it is believed, never witneffed fo awful an event. The thunder was fo loud, that thofe who 1 have faced the rage of the elements in all climes do not remember ever to have heard peals of fuch force. The lightning, attracted by an iron weather-cock, ftruck the roof of the examiner's office in Rolls-yard, Chancery-lane, and made a hole large enough for a man to creep through, thattering many tiles, bricks, &c. and juft afterward a ball of fire fell near the lodge in the fame yard, which felled two perfons for a moment without hurting them, and, rifing again, made its courfe through one of the windows, which was open, of the Crown-office in Chancery, and, it is apprehended, muft have paffed out at one of the back windows of that office, which was alfo open. From the clouds of fmoke that immediately iffued and continued for feveral minutes, it was feared the office was on fire; but, on opening the door, it was happily difcovered to have received little or no injury. On examination it was found, that the nails and iron-work, which the lightning met with in its paffage, had been melted, and partly vitrified by the intenfe heat. The Cock public-houfe, Temple-bar, received fome damage; fortunately, however, it did not catch fire: the flash which hurt this houfe was feen to come down, in an immenfe body, a few yards eaft of Temple-bar; it wheeled about with great velocity, and firuck the fireet with immenfe force. Fortunately the heavy rain. had driven every perfon from the ftreet; and no coach was paffing. The firft effect obferved was fimilar to that produced by an explofion of gun-powder; every particle of ftraw, mud, and even the water, was completely fwept from the ftreet; and the doors and windows of the houfes, particularly on the north fide of the ftreet, were fhaken, and fome others driven open. The centre-beam at Lloyd's coffee-room fuddenly cracked during the ftorm, and a great part of the ceiling fell down: the torrent of rain was fo great that in a few minutes the floor was covered with water; no accident, however, happened in confequence. In Great Windmill-ftreet, two balls of fire fell within ten minutes of each other, the direction of which extended towards the fouth, of prodigious length, but without much injury. Gent. Mag. 8th. A few days ago, at his majefty's fuit, the caufe refpecting the marriage of prince Auguftus Frederick and lady Augufta Murray, which had been folemnized at the parish church of St. George, Hanoverfquare, was finally determined in the Arches court, Doctors Commons; when Sir William Wynne delivered the judgement of the court, that the faid marriage was utterly null and void; and alfo declared, that a former marriage, pretended to have been had at Rome, was alfo, by the law of this country, invalid and illegal. By a late decree of the court of Exchequer, in a tithe_caufe, inftituted by the rev. D. Collyer, vicar of Wroxham, againft two of his parifhioners, it is established, that no tithes are due for clover cut green, and given for want of other food to horfes ufed in hufbandry, and that C 4 clover |