Particulars of the great Explosion at Leyden. 



1821.1 



from this description of property, tlie 

 whole of his income wouhl be absorbed 

 in poor's rates. 



The fact is, where poor's rales are 

 levied upon the proprietors of houses, or 

 on the tolls or profits of canals, they 

 are a direct income tax, and where the 

 poor's rates are 10s. in tiie pound iu a 

 year, they are a tax upon the income 

 of the proprietors of houses or canal 

 shares, equivalent to £50 per cent. At 

 the same time the occupiers of other 

 houses, when the rents are more secure 

 to the proprietor, would be paying only 

 2^ per cent on their income. 



And with respect to the profits or 

 income of canals, it is the only profit 

 or income which is rated in any other 

 instance in the town of Birmingham. 

 It must be admitted that houses aie at 

 low rents in Birmingliam,and that the 

 poor's rates are not levied on several 

 tI)ousand houses and gardens in Bir- 

 mingham. If an act of parliament had 

 passed, authorising overseers to com- 

 pound with the proprietors of such 

 small properties for an annual tax of 

 5 per cent on the actual rents, such pro- 

 prietors would pay their fair proportion, 

 and the increase of the fund for the 

 poor derive a considerable increase. 

 ^ G. 



For the Monthly Magazine. 

 Particulars of the explosion which 

 tooh place at hKYDEy, in Holland, 

 «« the year 1807. Translated from 

 the Dutch. 



THOUGH this ilestructive accident 

 was mentioned in all the journals 

 of the time when it took place, yet no 

 connected naiTative of it has hitherto 

 appeared ia any English publication. 

 On the I2th of Januaiy, 1807, a vessel 

 loaded with gunpowder entered one of 

 the largest and finest canals of the city of 

 Leyden, in the Rapenburg, a street in- 

 habited chiefly by the most respectable 

 families. This vessel was moored or 

 made fast to a tree in front of the house 

 of Professor Ran, of the university. 

 Those who have l)een in Holland, or 

 have read descriptions of that country, 

 know that almost every street has a 

 canal iu the middle, faced with a brick 

 wall up to the level of the street, and 

 with lime trees planted on both sides, 

 which produce a most beautiful effect, 

 besides forming a delightful shade in 

 hot weather. Vessels of all kinds are 

 fre<iuently moored to these trees, but 

 • Leyden Innng an inland town, flic 

 greater part uf Ibose which happened 



235 



to be iu the Rapenburg were country 

 vessels. Several yachts belonging to 

 parties of pleasuie from the Hague and 

 other places, were lying close to the 

 fatal vessel, and as no person was aware 

 of the destructive cargo it contained, 

 all were in perfect secnrity. It has 

 never been ascertained wiiat was the 

 immediate cause of tlie explosion ; as 

 theie was only one of the men on board, 

 the rest having gone to a public-house. 

 The laws and regulations in Holland 

 respect iuggimpowder are very good, but 

 no doubt were not attended to iu this 

 instance. 



About a quarter past 4 o'clock in the 

 afternoon, the awful catastrophe took 

 place, as all the clocks in the surround- 

 ing iiouses and churches which were 

 not destroyed were found standing with 

 little variation at that time. It would 

 be useless to attempt a description of 

 the awful moment of the explosion; 

 this has often been done, but has 

 always come far short of the reality in 

 the opinion of those who witnessed it. 

 A student of the imivcrsity passing 

 through a street from which there was 

 a view of the Rapenburg, with the 

 canal and vessels, related to us the fol- 

 lowing particulars. 



" At that moment when every thing 

 was perfectly tranquil, and most of the 

 respectable families were sitting down 

 to dinner in perfect security, at that 

 instant I saw the vessel torn from its 

 moorings, a stieiim of fire burst from 

 it in all diiections, a thick black cloud 

 enveloped all the surrounding parts and 

 darkened the Heavens, whilst a burst, 

 louder and more dreadful than the 

 loudest thunder instantly followed, and 

 vibrated through the air to a great dis- 

 tance, burying houses and churches in 

 one common ruin. For some moments 

 horror and consternation deprived 

 every one of his recollection, but a 

 universal exclamation followed, of, 

 God, what is it ! 11 undreds of people 

 might be seen rushing out of their 

 falling houses, and running along the 

 streets, not knowing what direction to 

 take ; many falling down on their knees 

 in the streets, persuaded that tlie last 

 day was come ; others supposed they 

 hail been struck by lightning, and but 

 few seemed to conjecture the real cause. 

 In the ujitlst of this av.'ful uncertainty, 

 the cry of God, what is it! again 

 sounded mournfully througli the air, 

 but it seemed as if none could answer 

 till! dreadful question. One conjecture 

 followed another, but at last, whtii the 



black 



