58 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1813. 



out of town, and only a young 

 man, who conducted the business, 

 remained in the house. Alarmed 

 by the smoke which came from 

 the lower part of the premises, he 

 went down stairs to escape by the 

 street-door, but found his way 

 completely barred by fire. He 

 then endeavoured to save his 

 master's books and papers in the 

 shop, where the fire is supposed 

 to have broke out ; but in that 

 attempt he found himself envelop- 

 ed in flame. By great exertion he 

 got through the blaze to the stair- 

 case, dreadfully scorched, and then 

 reached a trap-door at the top of 

 the house, and was taken off the 

 roof by the people of the adjoining 

 house. They conveyed him im- 

 mediately to St. Bartholomew's 

 hospital, where he lingered seven 

 hours and expired. The house is 

 entirely consumed. 



31. Mr. Aiken, the pedestrian, 

 started from the Surrey-side of 

 Westminster-bridge at 12 o'clock 

 at noon, to go to a spot near Ash- 

 ford, Kent, and return, the distance 

 being 108 miles in 24< Iiours, for 

 two hundred guineas. The pedes- 

 trian did 13 miles in the first two 

 /hours, and arrived at Wrotham- 

 heath, 25 miles, in four, where he 

 took refreshment of cold chicken 

 and wine. He went on at a 

 slower rate, and did half his jour- 

 ney in less than ten hours. The 

 pedestrian halted three quarters of 

 an hour, and then went back to 

 Larkfield (24< miles), at the rate of 

 less than five miles an hour. On 

 his arrival near Farningham, 18 

 miles from his j>jurney's end, he 

 had more than four hours to spare, 

 but he was much fatigued, and 

 did only three miles tlie uext hour : 



he recovered, however, and won 

 the match by nine minutes. It is 

 as great a task as any on pedestrian 

 record, considering the ground was 

 not chosen, but hilly. 



AUGUST. 



1. This morning, between 

 three and four o'clock, an alarm- 

 ing fire broke out at Mr. Barton's 

 patent engine manufactory, in 

 Tufton-street, Westminster. It 

 burnt with great fury to the coach- 

 yard in Marsham-street, and threat- 

 ened devastation to the whole 

 neighbourhood. The valuable 

 steam-engine, which, it is sup- 

 posed, occasioned the catastrophe, 

 was destroyed. The damage sus- 

 tained is estimated at 2,000/. 



2. A fire broke out at a grocer's, 

 the corner of Holies and Stanhope- 

 street, near Clare-market. It was 

 discovered about nine o'clock at 

 night, and for a considerable time 

 it raged with uncommon fury. 

 The houses opposite were more 

 than once on fire, and those im- 

 mediately adjoining it at one time 

 it seemed impossible to save, and 

 the inhabitants were seen remov- 

 ing their goods in all directions in 

 the greatest hurry and alarm, It 

 was a spacious and lofty house, and 

 the immense volume of flame 

 which burst from its large bow- 

 windows below, and from the win- 

 dows on each side in the two 

 streets, of which it was the corner, 

 presented a spectacle equally terri- 

 fic and magnificent. The arrival of 

 numerous engines happily arrested 

 the calamity. For some time their 

 exertions had little effect, but 

 before 11 o'clock tlue violence of 

 the flames considerably abated, and 



