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fchooner; but, unfortunately, a part of the burning materials had been carried up, by the explofion, into the maintop; and, this communicating to the rigging, fet the whole on fire, which, falling down from time to time, rekindled the flame in various parts of the hull; and, most of the water-buckets and and other implements having been blown overboard, no hope remained of being able to fave any part of the wreck that might ferve as a raft for those who remained. The flames extending over nearly the whole of the wreck, left no time to deliberate, and but little for a laft exertion. Whatever things could be met with to answer the purpose were haftily lafhed together, and put overboard as a raft, to which all the men on board, amounting to fifty-nine, were obliged to commit their fafety. The poor boatswain, who, from his broken leg, was almoft unable to move, was affifted to the raft; and, all hands having got hold, it was pufhed from alongfide; but, immediately before leaving the fchooner,captain Wade had ordered the cable to be cut, that, as it was ebb-tide, the wreck of the fchooner and the raft might be drifted together towards the Laurel, that the fight of the burning wreck might guide the boats from that fhip in the track to find them; for, as they had fired guns of diftrefs on the breaking out of the fire, and as they knew the light must be feen from the Laurel, they confided in her coming to their affiftance. The raft and wreck continued drifting with the ebb tide, within pistol fhot of each other, for about two hours, when the wreck fuddenly went down; a circumftance that rendered their fituation

more difmal, as the difappearance of the light leffened the chance of the expected boats falling in with them. Captain Wade propofed that they fhould now and then raise a general fhout, as the boats might perhaps be within hearing, though they might not be able to difcern them. This expedient was readily adopted. After the lapfe of fix hours in the water, paffed under an awful anxiety, the found of the pulling of oars infpired them with unfpeakable joy, and in the course of half an hour they were taken up by the Laurel's boat, and safely carried on board, where they were received with the kindness due to their misfortunes. The caufe of the fire on board the Ganges is afcribed to the fpontaneous combuftion of a fmall quantity of woodoil, contained in a dubber, or leathern jar, which was flowed in the after gun-room. A fire originating from a like caufe occurred in the arfenal in Fort William, about five years ago.

13th. The North weft wing of the King's Bench prifon was about 9 this evening difcovered to be on fire. The flames burft forth with incredible fury, and were driven by the wind towards the centre of the building. The confternation which immediately took place is hardly to be exprefled, not only within the prifon but without. Many of the prifoners wives and relatives who refided in the rules, alarmed at fo dreadful a conflagration, appeared under the walls fhrieking, and demanding the releafe of thofe whom their fears reprefented in fuch imminent danger; but, at the very firft intimation of the accident, St. George's, the Bermondfey, St. Saviour's, Lambeth,

Christ Church, and Newington, volunteers, with a party of the Surrey cavalry, attended and prevented the populace in general from taking that ftep, which, perhaps, the beft feelings of human nature had, upon the fpur of the moment dictated. Within the prifon, we are happy to learn, not. the flightest endeavour was made on the part of any one to escape beyond its walls; all were engaged in affifting those who were more immediately within the reach of danger. Above an hour had elapfed before the engines arrived and began to work, by which time the flames had arrived at an ungovernable height. They raged with fuch violence, that it was with difficulty a fmall part of the prifoners furniture and effects were faved. Many wretched and indigent families, whofe whole property was contained in their rooms, were compelled to leave it a prey to the devouring element. How the fire was occafioned no one can with certainty tell. It broke out at No. 10, in an upper room, in the farther corner of that part of the building where the tap is, juft at the entrance of the prifon. There was no fire in the room, nor was there even a fire-place. The perfon who occupied it was an old man, of the name of Adams, who at the time of the accident was drinking at the Brace, a public room at the farther end of the prifon. The flory he relates is, that his for had called upon him early in the evening, and had left him two 10. notes, which he was to call for again on Monday morning; for the better fecurity of these notes he put them in his trunk, and he fuppofes, at the time he did fo, a

fpark from the candle fell into the trunk. The part where the fire commenced is called the Old Building, and the upper rooms are not vaulted, confequently the whole was confumed; the flames then spread through the two upper ftories, as far as the chapel, confuming near the whole of them, both in front of the parade and in the back part of the prifon. Here the firemen prevented it extending farther by forcing off the divifion No. 6 adjoining, at the back of which it ended, by confuming the apartment occupied by lady Murray, at No. 1, in divifion 15. There are between 80 and 100 rooms deftroyed. When this building was erected, the floor of the upper flory was not vaulted; had it been fo, the prefent accident would have been comparatively trifling. The second story was vaulted, otherwife the whole fabrick must have been destroyed, There are a few rooms which were vaulted, and are preferved, though they were furrounded by flames. It was not till one in the morning that the fire was fubdued, and it was near 4 before it was finally extinguished.

25th In confequence of fome obftructions which the commiffioners for dividing and inclofing the open fields of Wilbarfton, Northampton, had met with from a number, of perfons claiming right of common in the faid fields; who not only ' avowed their determination to refift the fencing out of a piece of land allotted them in lieu of the common right, but had even fet the civil power at defiance; the Northampton and Althorp troops of yeomanry were ordered to aflemble at

Harborough yefterday evening, and this morning they fet out thence for

Wilbarfton,

Wilbarston, under the command of major Cartwright, attended by the officers of the two troops, and by the reverend Mr. Griffin, one of the magiftrates of the county, and having under their efcort a waggon loaded with pofts and rails, for fencing out the above allotment. On approaching the parish they found a mob of about 300 perfons, who had lighted a bon-fire in the middle of the road, in order to obstruct the paffage of the waggon, which they would not allow to proceed. On which the magiftrate read the riotact; and, after waiting an hour, the troops were ordered to advance and efcort the waggon to the spot, which was immediately done and one or two of the most active of the mob were taken into cuftody, and compelled to affift in fetting down the pofts and rails. After waiting 2 or 3 hours, the greatest part of the crowd difperfed; when the yeomanry returned, and the workmen were left in quiet poffeffion of the field.

DIED. 23d. At Caiftor, near Norwich, Sayer, a butcher, aged 110 years. He followed his vocation, and retained his faculties, till the day of his death.

Lately, Mrs. Gatford, of Horfham, Suflex. She had not paffed the threshold of her mansion for more than 20 years before her death. In confequence of which, her carriage was fuffered, for want of ufe, to drop to pieces in the coach-house, and her horfes to range uninterruptedly in fields of the richeft paftures. She poffeffed a good fortune; and though, during her life-time, was not known to apply any part of it to charitable ufes, yet her will proved, that at her demile fhe was not totally unmind

ful of the poor in her neighbourhood; to whom the bequeathed a confiderable fum to be diftributed in bread, and included other poor objects in the number of her legatees. The moft fingular of her bequefts is 15l. per annum, to her cats and dogs, for their maintenance.

The directions of her will, with refpect to her interment, were, that her body should not be removed from her chamber until a month after her death; that, to prevent her becoming offenfive, it fhould every night be bathed with fpirits ; and that her remains fhould be buried in four coffins, the outer one to be of marble, and fixed in the vault; which directions were duly observed at her burial on the 13th of Auguft.

AUGUST.

Ift. The king, queen, and princeffes Augufta and Elizabeth, accompanied by the countefs of Harrington, fet off in two carriages, at half paft five o'clock, from Kew Palace, for lord Romney's feat in the Moat Park, Maidstone. The royal party ftopped to breakfaft at earl Camden's feat at Riverhead, where they were met by the prince of Wales, duke of Cumberland, and numbers of the nobility, and the king's equerries in waiting. The royal family reached the ground at twelve o'clock, on which above 5000 of the volunteers of the county of Kent were drawn up, under the command of their different officers, and his royal highnefs the duke of York. Earl Camden gave the word of command to his own corps of cavalry, and lord Romney to the infantry corps. The regiments

went

went through their exercise in a manner highly fatisfactory to his majefty, who expreffed the great pleasure he experienced in viewing fo fine a body of men. After the review, marquees were erected on the lawn for their majefties and the nobility to dine, and tables in view of the royal tents were laid out for the volunteers. The entertainment, to which 6,500 perfons fat down, confifted of every delicacy of the feafon. It was not till fix o'clock that their majefties and the princef fes took leave of their noble hoft, on their return to Kew. The town of Maidstone was brilliantly illuminated in the evening, and a grand ball was given at the town-hall. The ftrength of the different affociations of the county of Kent at the late royal inspection, according to a return, amounted to 5,721. To give an idea of the dinner provided for the companies of volunteers, there

were

3 fcore lambs, in quarters. 200 difhes of roafted beef. 700 fowls, three in a dish. 220 meat pies. 300 hams.

300 tongues. 220 fruit pies.

220 dies of boiled beef. 220 joints of roafted veal. Seven pipes of Port were bottled off, and fixteen butts of ale, and as much fmall beer, was alfo placed in large veffels, to fupply the company.

17th. The female fervant of Mr. Goldfinch, in Lombard-ftreet, was difcovered hanging in the kitchen, quite dead, and burnt in a moft dreadful manner, occafioned, as it is fuppofed, by a candle that the had placed near her when she tied herself up. This day the co

roner's jury held their inqueft on the body; and, it being proved that the had appeared in a difponding way for fome days before, they returned a verdict of lunacy.

The late rains have been more general and more fevere than perhaps was ever experienced in this country. Letters from all quarters are replete with the moft diftreffing accounts of their effects.

The mail which fhould have reached Birmingham at two o'clock in the morning of Wednesday, did not arrive there till feven in the evening. The passengers, &c. were forwarded over the flooded places in boats, the coach being neceffarily left behind.

The devaftation in Lancashire has been extenfive and confiderable; almost all the bridges on the Merfey, the Tame, the Wedlock, the Irk, the Irwell, &c. have been deftroyed, as well as numerous mills on their banks; the aqueducts and banks of fome of the canals have given way, and all the adjoining country has been laid under water. Some dye-houfes on the Irwell, &c. have been demolished, and immense quantities of cloth carried away; one house is ftated to have loft 800 pieces.

In Worcestershire the inundations, occafioned by the overflow of the Severn, Team, and in fact all the ftreams and rivulets in the county, have been greatly deftructive to the farmers of hay, corn, fheep, &c The rain here has prevailed three weeks almost without intermiffion, and travelling during the last week was nearly fufpended. The head of a mill-pond on the Ludlow road fome days fince gave way, owing to the unufual preffure of the water. Five horfes in a coal team, fome dif

tance

tance from the place, were overwhelmed in the torrent, and drowned before affiftance could be procured; as were two horfes in a team on the Martley road, in confequence of their being forced by the current into a deep ditch.

In Yorkshire the floods were at tended by a form, which greatly contributed to the damage they occafioned. The canal at Hudderffield has been confiderably injured, and feveral mills and houfes near Holmfirth, and other places in the Weft Riding, have been entirely fwept away, by the overflowing of different ftreams. The rivers Oufe and Tees rofe unufually high.

In Gloucefterfhire, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire, Staffordshire, and in fact in almost every county in the kingdom, the inundations have been extenfive and greatly injurious.

The aqueduct bridge for the duke of Bridgewater's canal over Chorlion brook, at Stratford, has given way; as has the aqueduct for the Afhton canal, near Afton.

On the Cheadle road two horfes in a poft chaife, were drowned, and the driver narrowly escaped by ftanding on the top of the carriage.

About Sheffield, the rivers Dunn and Sheaf were fwollen to an unufual heighth, overflowed their banks, inundating the houfes and country adjoining.

Many parts of the Carlifle road were, for fome time, impaffable; the bridges, however, on that line have refifted the torrent.

Many hundred acres of grafs, ready for the feythe, have been laid under water, and materially injured, by the overflowing of the river Derwent, and a confiderable quantity of new hay has been carried away. Markeaton brook, which runs

2

through Derby, has likewise done much damage.

The rife of the Trent, on Monday, was almoft inftantaneous; hundreds of perfons were employed on its banks during the morning making hay; and in the courfe of the evening, thousands of acres were totally inundated, and many tons of hay carried down the stream. Near Sawley, a great number of fheep were loft; and at Catton, a fine boy, twelve years of age, was drowned.

The lower part of the town of Afhbourn was inundated to fuch extent, that the inhabitants were driven to the upper apartments.

The Manchefter heavy coach, in pafling Hanging bridge, was nearly loft, the water washed over the bridge, and for a space of nearly 300 yards, poured in a torrent acrofs the road; the carriage, for a confiderable diftance, was lifted from the road, while the horses fwam, till, by extraordinary and fortunate exertion, they regained the road: two hundred perfons were collected, expecting every inftant to fee the coach dafhed down a precipice of confiderable height, but without being able to afford the leaft afsistance. On other parts of the road the water was fo high, that the horfes were up to their necks, and the body of the coach in the water; the trees were their only guide, the hedges being in general washed away.

The road about Cardiff has been impaffable. Two bridges near Congleton, one near Stone, and another near Newcastle, have been demolished.

DIED. At Annonny, in his 524 year, Stephen Montgolfier, celebrated for his invention of air

balloons.

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