90 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1813. 



alone was estimated at 22,000 

 head. Every little spot of bare 

 ground was crowded with ani- 

 mals. It was not uncommon to 

 find herds of deers intermixed 

 with wolves, and both, from a 

 sense of danger, equally domesti- 

 cated. The waters, at the latest 

 date, had not lowered more than 

 two feet. The miasmata arising 

 from the stagnant waters, putrid 

 carcases, &c. were become so 

 strong, that a pestilence was anti- 

 cipated. The total loss of property 

 is variously estimated ; the lowest 

 is eight millions of dollars ; the 

 lughest twenty-two. 



21. The Waterford Chronicle 

 communicates the following de- 

 plorable occurrence: — " Between 

 five and six o'clock on the evening 

 of Saturday last, as three soldiers 

 of the Wicklow militia, in com- 

 pany with a female, were walking 

 on the road to the Wilderness, ad- 

 joining ClonmeJl, they were at- 

 tacked by some men, apparently 

 country people, who knocked them 

 down. Two of the soldiers made 

 their escape, but the third was 

 murdered upon the spot. His body 

 was conveyed into Clonmell, and 

 three wounds were found on it, 

 one on the head, and two on the 

 neck, the latter of which had the 

 appearance of being inflicted with 

 a slater's dressing knife. On Sun- 

 day evening, about seven o'clock, 

 the greater part of the Wicklow 

 regiment rushed out of the bar- 

 racks, and dispersed in various di- 

 rections through the town, me- 

 nacing with destruction every per- 

 son they met. A large party of 

 them proceeded to the place where 

 the murder was committed, and 

 «et fire to two cabins, which were 



totally consumed. It was reported, 

 that an old woman, who was in 

 one of them, was wounded in 

 endeavouring to escape from the 

 flames. We have not learned 

 whether any mischief was com- 

 mitted in the streets. General Lee, 

 on hearing of the disturbance, im- 

 mediately ordered the drums to 

 beat to arms, doubled the picquets, 

 and, with the assistance of the of- 

 ficers, who exerted themselves to 

 the utmost to restore order, suc- 

 ceeded in securing tranquillity." 



25. The neighbourhood of Great 

 Peter-street, Westminster, was 

 thrown into much alarm by an ex- 

 plosion of gas, which shook the 

 surrounding houses. It appeared, 

 that a pipe unexpectedly burst in 

 the premises of the Gas Light 

 and Coke Company, in conse- 

 quence of which much gas had 

 oozed out and filled the apartment ; 

 but not calculating on this, one of 

 the men took a candle and pro- 

 ceeded to the spot, to ascertain 

 what was the matter. The mo- 

 ment the candle was introduced, 

 the whole of the gas that had es- 

 caped from the pipe burst into a 

 flame, with a dreadful explosion, 

 as if fire had been communicated 

 to a heap of gunpowder. By it 

 this man was much injured, as 

 well as two or three more of the 

 workmen : but the speedy arrival 

 of the fire-engines, and the exer- 

 tions within the manufactory, soon 

 got the fire under control. 



26. An alarming fire broke out 

 at Messrs. Dickinson and Co's pa- 

 per manufactory, at Nash Mill, 

 Herts, about six o'clock in the 

 evening, which in a short time en- 

 tirely consumed some capacious 

 buildings, containing large quan- 



