CHRONICLE. 



75 



late years is ascribed to merchants 

 sending their riders through every 

 nook and corner of Germany to 

 obtain customers. 



The late fair was attended by 

 several Greeks from the Seven 

 Islands and the Morea, who pur- 

 chased a considerable part of an 

 elegant impression of the prin- 

 cipal Greek and Roman classicSj 

 edited by Schaifer, Herman, Beck, 

 &c. 



About one o'clock on Saturday 

 morning the extensive premises 

 of Mr. Irvine, Nos. 49 and 50, 

 Great Marylebone-street, Oxford- 

 street, were discovered to be on 

 fire. It was two o'clock before 

 any water could be procured, nor 

 could a sufficient supply be then 

 obtained. The premises were to- 

 tally destroyed, with all their con- 

 tents. Eight new carriages were 

 destroyed, finished, as also 18 

 which were building. The tur- 

 pentine, varnish, and other in- 

 flammable materials on the pre- 

 mises, added greatly to the con- 

 flagration, and made the blaze 

 Tisible for several miles around. 

 A few carriages, and a small part 

 of the household furniture, were 

 saved. Several persons were se- 

 verely hurt by the falling in of 

 some of the timbers, and one man 

 is since dead. 



3. Edinburgh. — About 5 o'clock 

 on Friday afternoon, a most dis- 

 tressing accident occurred within 

 a (juarter of a mile of Bathgate, 

 on the road leading to Linlithgow, 

 and nearly opposite Balbairdie- 

 house, the seat of Mr. Majori- 

 banks. Robert Meikle, a servant 

 of Mr. George Simpson, farmer, 

 Easton, and a tacksman of exten- 

 sive lime and coal works in the 

 neighbourhood, had been directed 



by his master to carry with a 

 horse and cart a considerable 

 number of barrels of gunpowder, 

 for the use of his lime-quarries, 

 to the place which he occupies as 

 a depot for that article. Jieikle, 

 at the place above described, was 

 sitting on one of the shafts of the 

 cart. From causes yet imknown, 

 the giuipowder took lire, and 

 shocking to relate, exploded with 

 a tremendous noise, so much so 

 that some of the people in Bath- 

 gate declare it shook their houses. 

 The unfortunate man who drove 

 the cart was thrown into a clump 

 of planting in Mr. Marjoribank's 

 lawn J the body of the cart was 

 driven from the wheels, and the 

 horse ran furiously to Bathgate 

 with the body of the cart, where 

 it soon alarmed the inhabitants, 

 who ran to the spot, and disco- 

 vered Meikle literally burnt to a 

 cinder, scarcely a vestige of his 

 clothes having escaped from the 

 fire. When found, he was alive, 

 but insensible, and was imme- 

 diately carried to jMr. White's, 

 Glenmavis, an adjoining farm- 

 liouse. Medical assistance from 

 Bathgate was soon procured, but, 

 notwithstanding every effort, the 

 poor man died in about an hoiu' 

 and a half after the accident, 

 leaving a wife to lament his loss. 

 The horse was also much scorch- 

 ed. It is tmderstood there were 

 about nine barrels of gunpowder 

 on the cart at the time of tlie ex- 

 plosion. 



5. At a meeting of magis- 

 trates at Chippenham, ^^'ilts, five 

 weavers were convicted, and sen- 

 tenced to one month's imprison- 

 ment and hard labour, for unlaw- 

 fully combining to control the 

 clothiers theie in the management 



of 



