5/8 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1805. 





The former are destroyed, the latter 

 have suflered no injury whatever. 

 Althougli the first have, for a series 

 of years, been known by the appel- 

 lation of the Four Mills, they, in 

 fact, included ilve different aquatic 

 wheels, and worked fourteen mill- 

 stones. The cost of the erection of 

 these Mas only 80001. they were in- 

 sured at 10,0001. but we understand, 

 in consequence of the prodigious in- 

 crease in the price of labour and 

 timber, they cannot be rebuilt at a 

 less expence than double the amount 

 of the sum insured. The other 

 buildings, which have been reduced 

 to a state of ruin, are two granaries 

 of Messrs. Millwood's, and one of 

 Messrs. Hatch and co. and a dwel- 

 ling-house, with a counting-house 

 attached to it. The extremity of a 

 malt-house across the channel was 

 burnt, and the boarded front of a 

 cottage, on the north ^ide, was rip- 

 pcd off, to protect contiguous edi- 

 fices. Two barges atioat, the one 

 laden, the other empty, were burnt 

 to the water's edge: a pleasure- 

 boat, by the activity of the popu- 

 lace, was rescued from the danger. 

 Had not the wind suddenly turned 

 to the north-east, the spacious 

 structure of the distillery of Messrs. 

 Hatch and co. and the adjoining 

 Tillage, must inevitably have been 

 involved in the common calamity. — 

 For nearly two hours the tire raged 

 with unabating fury, before any en- 

 gine was brought to diminish its vio- 

 lence. All the inflammable mate- 

 rials on the adjacent road and 

 bridge, and even the piles in the 

 stream, to the distance of eight feet 

 from the principal scene of the con- 

 flagration, were in a blaze, and pre- 

 sented a spectacle not less singular 

 than terrific. About 1000 sacks of 

 earn and flour are supposed to havo 



been burnt, and the total loss h 

 conjectured to be 50,0001. The 

 cause of this calamity is at present 

 unknown. Of the five mills, three 

 had not been worked, or even 

 opened, during Sunday ; the other 

 tAvo had been stopped and locked up 

 at three in the afternoon of that 

 day. In the latter, the fire did not 

 make its appearance until nine in 

 the evening, it is possible that the 

 latent heat in a part of the machi- 

 nery might subsequently communi- 

 cate with some combustible mate- 

 rials. 



22d. A melancholy accident hap- 

 pened at the Crown and AiTchor 

 tavern, in the Strand. As Mr, 

 Sinikin, senior, master of the tavern, 

 was going down stairs, about eleven 

 o'clock at night, his foot slipped ; 

 and, being unable to recover him- 

 self, he fell over the ballustradcs, 

 which caused so severe a concussion 

 of the brain, that he expired almost 

 immediately after. 



This day, while the men were at 

 work at the Hurlet coal-Avork, near 

 Paisley, the inflammable ai took 

 fire. Four men were blown from 

 the bottom of the pit into the air ; 

 their bodies were torn in pieces, 

 and the mangled parts scattered 

 about in all directions. One of thein 

 was found at the distance of 300 

 yards from the mouth of the pit. — 

 There is every reason to fear tliat 13 

 others, Avho were below, have all 

 been killed. The father of one of 

 the sufferers went down, in the 

 hope of saving them, but was in- 

 stantly killed by the foul air. A 

 horse, at the mouth of the pit, was 

 killed, arid the whole of the machi- 

 nery blown to atoms. 



23d. The magnificent ceremony 

 of the Installation of the Knights 

 of the Garter at Windsor Castle, 



which 



