408 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1804. 



This night, about 8 o'clock, a 

 dreadful fire broke out in three ware- 

 houses in Ducks-foot-lane, belong- 

 ing to Messrs. Whiting, Shillitto, 

 & Co. wholesale grocers, in Thames- 

 street. In a very short time the 

 whole concerns were in flames, and 

 the entire stock, consisting of teas, 

 sugars, &c. was consumed. The 

 fire was not got under till near 11 

 o'clock, by which time the roof had 

 fallen in, and the insides of the build- 

 ings were completely destroyed. It 

 was reported that when the person, 

 whose business it is to shut up the 

 warehouse and see all safe, went 

 there for that purpose, on opening 

 what is called the lump-room, (a 

 place where a fire is constantly kept,) 

 he found it in a blaze. The property 

 which has been lost is very consider- 

 able. A great number of engines 

 attended ; and the volunteers turned 

 out with the greatest alertness and 

 promptitude. 



M. Bonamy, who lately arrived 

 from St. Domingo, has authenticated, 

 in the Paris papers, the reports of 

 the cruelties committed by Dessalines 

 and the negro chiefs, and has stated 

 many other excesses of a nature al- 

 most too horrid for recital. — He 

 vouches for the truth of the follow- 

 ing particulars: — M. La Caussade, 

 a merchant, who arrived from Bour- 

 deaux in April, with a valuable car- 

 go, gave a grand entertainni'ent to 

 the negro chiefs, with a view to save 

 his property. Dessalines and 40 of 

 his general officers were present ; 

 and after the repast,Dessalines drank 

 the health of his host. On this sig- 

 nal M. La C. was seized, stretched 

 upon the table, and the whole of 

 his guests buried their knives in his 

 body. — -f^y then proceeded to the 

 house of Maiame George, whose 

 three beautiful a5,ughters they poig- 



narded in the balcony ; and, after 

 restoring the senses of the mother, 

 compelled her to witness the dying 

 agonies of her children. They then 

 hung her from the balcony. 



10th. A thunder storm took 

 place this day at Chipping Sodbury, 

 which seriously alarmed the inhabi- 

 tants of that place. Mr. James 

 Wickham, a butcher living there, 

 had three fine sheep struck dead 

 with the lightning, which was exn 

 treniely vivid and awful. A young 

 man in the act of throwing a wheel- 

 barrow lull of stones into a lime- 

 kiln, near Wotton-under-edge, was 

 in a moment struck dead on the 

 edge of the kiln, and precipitated 

 headlong to the bottom. Though 

 his cloaths were not singed, his 

 body was burnt in a drea.dful man- 

 ner. 



As one of the judge*s servants 

 was walking in the street near the 

 White-hart, Taunton, (where he 

 stayed to refresh on his road to the 

 assizes at Wells,) a lad rode up a- 

 gainst him with such violence as 

 caused his instant death. He was 

 an old and faithful servant. — Ver^ 

 didl, accidental deatii. 



An overland dispatch arrived this 

 day from India, announces the re- 

 newal of hostilities there. It ap., 

 pears that Holkar, submitting to 

 the intrigues of the French, who still • 

 remained about him, had expressed 

 his dissatisfaction at the treaty of 

 peace, and-made some infringments 

 on the newly ceded territories'. Ge- 

 neral Wcllesley had set off for Poo- 

 nah, on the I7th of May, to take 

 the command of the forces. Colo- 

 nel Murray, who is stationed in the 

 Guzerat, had also received orders 

 to join the general with a consider- 

 able body of troops, on Holkar's 

 frontier*. It is added, that a plan 



has 



