120 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1812. 



stant the whole were wrapt in one 

 sheet of inextinguishoble flame. 

 The utmost consternation ensued ; 

 and for more than an hour, it 

 was feared that the fire would fix 

 on an adjoining square of(consider- 

 able magnitude, consisting of some 

 of the best buildings in the town. 

 This, however, was happily pre- 

 vented. A fire so tremendous, 

 and causing such extensive devas- 

 tation, has not happened within 

 the memory of the oldest inhabi- 

 tant. No less than seven families 

 have had nearly their whole pro- 

 perty consumed. 



3. The Galway mail-coach, 

 which left Dublin last night, was 

 stopped by a numerous band of 

 robbers, near Kilcock, and com- 

 pletely plundered. The robbers, 

 before they stopped the coach, 

 fired a volley, by which the guard 

 and one of the passengers were 

 killed. They then plundered the 

 coach, which carried, it is said, 

 property to a considerable amount 

 for the fair at Ballinasloe. The mail- 

 coach coming from Galway fortu- 

 nately stopped for several hours at 

 Kilbeggan, on having heard the 

 atrocious circumstance, and thus 

 avoided a similar fate— Dublin 

 Evening Post. 



5. The lock which connects the 

 Gloucester and Berkely Canal 

 with the Severn, having recently 

 been cleaned out, was opened 

 for the passage of vessels, and 

 accordingly a barge, laden with 

 coal, was admitted into the 

 basin. Some young men having 

 procured three swivel guns, to 

 celebrate the event, and wishing 

 to cause a louder report than usual, 

 inconsiderately rammed down the 

 charge of one of them very forci- 

 bly with wet wadding ; on apply- 

 ing the match it unfortunately 



burst, and wounded three of the 

 byestanders so severely,'thatoneoi" 

 them, Mr. S. Dowdeswell, a re- 

 putable farmer, of Standish, died 

 on the spot, leaving a young widow 

 and tiiree infant children to lament 

 his untimel}' end ; another (the 

 youth who fired the fatal piece) 

 lived only till the following night ; 

 but the third, though most danger- 

 ously hurt, still survives ; and 

 there are somehopes that he may ul- 

 timately recover. — Gloucester Jour- 

 nal. 



5. This morning a fire broke 

 out in the back premises of Messrs 

 Bowden and Tucker, extensive 

 drug-brokers, in Camomile-street, 

 Bishopsgate-street. The flames 

 raged with great fury, and ex- 

 tended their ravages along the 

 back of the Bishopsgate-street 

 houses, as far as to Houndsditch, 

 where several houses have suffered. 

 Two maid-servants are missing, 

 belonging to a family which chanced 

 to be out of town. No estimate can 

 yet be formed of the extent of the 

 loss. 



On Tuesday, the 6th instant, 

 a coal pit, at Shiney-row, coun- 

 ty of Durham, suddenly took 

 fire by explosion of the inflam- 

 mable air ; in consequence of 

 which one man and six boys were 

 severely scorched, but who are all, 

 however, in a fair way of recovery. 

 On the Saturday following (Oct. 

 10) about half-past one p. m. the 

 Harrington-mill pit, distant from the 

 above-mentioned pit about 2 or 

 300 yards, also took fire, most sud- 

 denly, by which 4 men and 19 boys 

 were killed upon the spot, and 

 many people severely wounded and 

 burnt ; two boys are still missing. 

 This dreadful catastrophe was like- 

 wise occasioned by the explosion 

 of fire damp. 



7. A 



