A8il.]° Incidents and Marriages invand near London. 
which corps d’ armée, are closely supported 
by the main body, Before they quitted their 
position they destroyed a part of their cannon 
and ammunition 5 and they have since blown 
up whatever che horses were unable to draw 
away. ‘They have no provisions excepting 
what they plunder on the spot; or having 
plundered, what the soldiers carry on their 
backs; and live cattle. I am concerned to 
be obliged to add to this account, that their 
Conduct throughout this retreat has been 
marked by a barbarity seldom equalled, and 
Never surpassed. Even in the towns of 
Torres Novas, Thomar, and Pernes, in which 
the head-quarters of some of the corps had 
been for four months, and in which the inha- 
hitants had been induced by promises of good 
treatment to remain, they were plundered, 
and many. of their houses destroyed on the 
night the enemy withdrew from their po- 
Sitton, and they have since burnt. every town 
and village through which they have passed. 
The convent of Alcobaca was’ burnt by order 
from the French head-quarters. The Bishop’s 
Palace, and the whole town of Leyria, in 
which General. Drouet had had his head- 
quarters, shared the same fate ; and there is 
not an inhabitant of the country of any. 
class or description, who has had any dealing 
er communication with the French army, 
who has not had reason to repent of it, and to 
complain of them. 
This is the mode in which the promises 
- haye-been performed and the.assurances have 
been fulfilled, which were held out in the 
Proclamation of the French Commander-in- 
377 
Chief: in which he told the inhabitants of 
Portugal, that he was not come to make 
war upon them, but, with a powerful army 
of one hundred and-ten thousand men, to 
drive the English into the sea. It is to be 
hoped that the example of what has occurred 
in this country, will teach the’ people of 
this and of other nations what value they 
ought to place on such promises and assur= 
ances, and that there is no security for life 
or for any thing which renders life valuable, 
excepting in decided resistance to the enemy. 
L have the honour to enclose returns of killed 
and wounded in the several affairs with the 
enemy since they commenced their retreat. 
I have received the most able and cordial 
assistance throughout these operations from 
Lieutenant-General Sir Brent Spencer and 
Marshal Sir W. Beresford, whom I had ree 
quested to cross the Tagus, and who haa 
been with me since the 11th instant; from 
Major-Generals Sir W. Erskine; Picton, 
Cole, and Campbell, Major General Slade, 
and Major-General the Hon. C. Colville, 
and the general and other officers. command- 
ing brigades under their orders respectively, 
I am particularly indebted to the Quarter-: 
Master General Colohel Murray for the as-~ 
sistance I have received from him, and the 
Deputy Adjutant-General the Hon. Colonel 
Pakenham, and the Officers of the Adjutant 
and Quarter-Master General’s departments, 
as also to those of my personal staff, wha 
have given me every assistance in; their 
power. 
WELLINGTON. 
pe rrreere e 
INCIDENTS, MARRIAGES, anp DEATHS, rn anp nEAR LONDON: 
With Biographical Memoirs of distinguished Characters recently deceased, 
re —ae - 
HE following is an account of duty paid 
~ by the twelve principal Fire-offices for 
the Christmas quarter ; 
Sun...... £22,885 | Hope.....+ £4,482 
Phenix,... 14,611 | British: ...., 3,995 
Royal Exch. 13,014 | Albion..... - 3,763 
Imperial ... 8,995 | Westminster+» 2,959" 
Globe ..... 6,932 "| Afias.... sees 2,802 
County .... 4,927 | Hand-in-Hand 2,791 
“A new dock has lately been opened at 
Rotherhithe, near the King’s Victualling- 
office, called the East-Country Dock, capable 
of holding about 80 ships, intended for those’ 
froth America, the Baltic, the Fisheries, aud 
others containing aval stores, 
* On.Monday, April the 8th; two houses in 
Tronmonger-row, Old. street-road, which, not- 
withstanding they were under repair, were 
crowded with inhabitants, fell down with a 
most tremendous crash, and buried a great 
number of the inmates in the ruins.’ The 
London militia, who were exercising in the 
» Artillery-ground, were immediately sent to 
_ aid the suffcrgrs, and, by unwearied exertions, 
1 
> 
— 
Ee ee 
eleven persons were taken ont, four of whom 
were dead, viz. a mother and three children, 
named Crewe; the” wounded persons were 
taken to St..Bartholomew’s hospital, most of 
them in a most deplorable state. The fires 
in the grates having communicated to the 
ruins, in the course of the evening, some 
apprehensions were entertained for the safety 
of the neighbouring houses, but on the arri- 
val of several engines the flames were soon 
quenched. A coroner’s inquest was held on 
the bodies of Mrs. Crewe and her children, 
when the jury brought in a verdict -of acci= 
dental death—and sentenced the Ironmongers* 
company, to whom the houses belonged, to 
pay 1001. as a deodand. - 
MARRIED. 
At St. George’s, Bloomsbury, Lieut. T. 
A. Edwards, of the royal navy, to Sarah, 
youngest daughter of Mr. Surman, of Isling- 
ton-row.—-fhe Rev. S. Birch, rector of St. 
Mary, Wovlnoth, to Margaret, eldest daughs 
ter of Williamm Browning, ¢sq. of Woburn- 
place, Kusscll square, 
At 
