268 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1810. 



JULY. 



1. Louis Buonaparte abdicated 

 the throne of Holland, by a re- 

 script of this day's date. 



Calamitous fete given at Paris 

 by the prince of Schwartzenburgh : 

 when many persons were burnt 

 in the building erected for the 

 ball. The following are some of 

 the details received from Paris, 

 concerning this melancholy event: 

 •' The emperor and empress had 

 scarcely retired at the commence- 

 ment of the tumult, when the crowd 

 precipitateditselftowards the three 

 doors which led from the hall. It 

 is impossible to form an idea of the 

 despair and terror which seized 

 upon every body when the cry of 

 • Save himself who can,' was heard ; 

 they crowded together, they ran 

 against each other ; some persons 

 were trampled under foot. The 

 lustres, the ceiling, and the beams 

 fell, and wounded the unfortunate, 

 who issued frightful cries. The 

 heat caused theglasses and lustres, 

 with which the hall was decorated, 

 to crack with an explosion as loud 

 as that of a pistol. Prince Kura- 

 kin was thrown down by a lustre, 

 which broke his arm, and in this 

 condition was trampled upon by 

 those who endeavoured to save 

 themselves. Many ladies experi- 

 enced the same fate : others were 

 overtaken by the flames, which set 

 their robes of gauze and lace on 

 fire, and either consumed or da- 

 maged them. A great number of 

 ladies made their escape to the 

 garden almost naked, and hid 

 themselves in the thickets. Many 

 wished to save themselves by a 

 hole which the fire had made in 

 the wall ; but not being able to 

 find the passage, many were suf- 

 focated or burnt. They reckon 



the number of persons who pe- 

 rished at from sixty to seventy. 

 Diamonds and jewels to the 

 amount of many millions were 

 lost in the tumult. Prince Ku- 

 rakin had in his hat a superb soli- 

 taire, estimated at four hundred 

 thousand franks, which he lost, as 

 well as his epaulets, worth eight 

 hundred thousand franks ; be- 

 sides, at the moment he was thrown 

 down, he was nearly losing a finger 

 on which he wore a superb ring in 

 brilliants. It is suspected that 

 many were at this fete who were 

 not invited. 



A very violent storm in the 

 metropolis: its effects felt in most 

 parts of England. 



3. The first annual commemo- 

 ration since the installation of 

 Lord Grenville, commenced at 

 Oxford this day. The morning 

 was ushered in by the ringing of 

 bells, of which there is a, profusion 

 in all parts of this city. At nine 

 o'clock the outer gates of the yard 

 of the theatre were opened, when 

 ladies and gentlemen had their 

 clothes actually torn to rags, and 

 lost their shoes, rings, &c. A 

 number of rings and trinkets were 

 afterwards picked up out of the 

 mud. The rising semi-circle was 

 reserved empty for the noblemen 

 and doctors who were to be in the 

 procession. Sir Sidney Smith en- 

 tered the area at ten o'clock, in 

 his uniform : he was soon recog- 

 nised by the bachelors of arts and 

 under-graduate members of the 

 university in the upper gallery, 

 where an avenue was made for sir 

 Sidney, by the masters of arts and 

 bachelors of law, when he bowed 

 respectively to all parts of the gal- 

 lery. The head of Worcester 

 college had the care of the semi- 

 circle «et apart for the noblemen 



