306 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1809. 



upon the tower of Preston church, 

 in order to observe its course. 

 When it approached nearer to Ci- 

 rencester, it moved on with a velo- 

 city almost incredible ; and making 

 towards the basin of the canal, 

 where it did considerable damage, 

 skirted the town, and entered lord 

 Bathurst's park from the Tetbury 

 road, just above his lordship's man- 

 sion. Here its fury seemed to be 

 at its height ; for timber trees (some 

 measuring from six to ten feet in 

 girth) were torn up by the roots, 

 whilst others were stript of their 

 branches, or literally cut asunder ; 

 forming a scene of devastation very 

 rarely witnessed in this climate. — 

 After crossing the jjark, it entered 

 an orchard of Barton Farm, where 

 it threw down several trees, &c. 

 and seemed to disperse, as it could 

 no longer be traced by the naked 

 eye. Its course might easily be 

 traced, from the fallen trees, &c. 

 whicli lined each side, completely in 

 a withered and burnt state. Large 

 branches of trees were carried to a 

 very considerable distance; and 

 hay-fields, where the grass had 

 been cutdown, were nearly stripped 

 of their crops. 



On Saturday night, a dreadful 

 fire broke out in the house of miss 

 Siarke, milliner and dress maker, 

 No.62,Conduit- street, Bond-street. 

 The whole family had retired to 

 rest, but before miss Siarke fell 

 asleep, she smelt fire, and instantly 

 rose to ascertain the fact, when, to 

 her astonishment, she discovered 

 tliat the flames had reached the 

 staircase. She had presence of 

 mind instantly to fly to the top of 

 the house, where the young people 

 her apprentices slept, and happily 

 succeeded in getting them all down 

 stairs and out of the houhie, where 



miss Siarke and they remained a 

 considerable time, during a heavy 

 rain, without any other clothes on 

 than their night dresses. The fire 

 by this time had got to such a height 

 that the whole house was in flames. 

 Had the discovery been ten minutes 

 later, every soul in it must have 

 perished. It next communicated to 

 the house of the hon. Mr. North, 

 who has lately sailed for Malta, 

 the whole' 'of which is entirely con- 

 sumed. Great part of Mr. North'3 

 library, which was one of the best 

 in London, and had been very lately 

 removed to Conduit-street, we are 

 sorry to add, has been either burnt 

 or damaged. The fire on the other 

 side of miss Slarke's house, commu- 

 nicated to the house and shop of 

 Mr. Hurley, a grocer, which, with 

 the contents, were consumed. We 

 are sorry to state, that two men of 

 the Imperial Fire Office (one of the 

 name of King) in endeavouring to 

 save the library of Mr. North, 

 nearly fell a prey to the flames. The 

 ceiling of the room unexpectedly 

 fell in upon them, and they were for 

 a considerable time buried in the 

 burning ruins. King is so much 

 burnt in the legs, that it is found 

 amputation of one or both of them 

 will be the consequence. The other 

 is also much burnt, and otherwise 

 hurt by a beam falling across his 

 body. They are both in the Mid- 

 dlesex hospital. Miss Siarke has 

 lost every particle of her furniture 

 and stock. She was just on the 

 point of settingout for Brighton for 

 the summer, with suitable articles, 

 all of which were in the house. 



This fire is memorable as having 

 been the remote cause of the death 

 of the celebrated Mr. Windham. 

 With ail the zeal of the friend and 

 scholar, Mr. W^indhara exerted his 



utmost 



