CHRONICLE. 



^99 



that instant the floor gave way, 

 and she was precipitated into the 

 burning gulph beneath. Milend 

 then withdrew, and in a few se- 

 conds the house was level with 

 the ground. The flames rapidly 

 increased, and communicated with 

 the adjoining houses, nine of 

 which, including the Ship public 

 house, were consumed. V^ery lit- 

 tle of the property was saved. 

 The Sun fire-engine was first on 

 the gi-ound, and was soon suc- 

 ceeded by others, which prevented 

 the devouring element from ex- 

 tending its ravages further. No 

 other life was lost, or personal 

 injury sustained, except the me- 

 lancholy catastrophe which befel 

 Mrs. Cock. The next day, on 

 digging in the ruins of the house, 

 a part of the poor old creature's 

 bones were discovered almost cal- 

 cined to a powder. Search was 

 made during the week for the re- 

 mainder, but in vain. On Friday 

 evening a Coroner's Juiy sat on 

 her ashes, and, after hearing evi- 

 dence, none of ^^■hich threw any 

 light on the origin of the fire, re- 

 turned a verdict of — Accidental 

 Deatlt. Most of the houses were 

 insured. 



31 . The detailed accounts of the 

 expedition to explore the liver 

 Congo, or Zaire, have reached the 

 AdiTiiralty. Melancholy as the re- 

 sult has been, ficm the great mor- 

 tality of the ofliceis and men, ow- 

 ing to excessive fatigue, rather 

 than to the effects of climate, the 

 journals of Captain Tuckey and 

 the gentlemen in the scientific 

 departments are, it is said, highly 

 interesting and satisfactory, as far 

 as they go ; and probably they 

 extend considerably beyond the 

 first Rapids or Cataract. It 

 would seem, indeed, from the 



extract of a letter from the Sur- 

 geon of the Congo, inserted be- 

 low, that the mortality was en- 

 tirely owing to the land journey 

 beyond these rapids, and that 

 Captain Tuckey died of complete 

 exhaustion, after leaving the 

 river, and not from fever. The 

 climate, Ave understand, was re- 

 markably fine ; scarcely a shower 

 of rain, or any humidity in the 

 atmosphere, and the sun seldom 

 shining out but for a few hours 

 in the middle of the day ; Fahren- 

 heit's thermometer seldom ex- 

 ceeding 76 degrees by day, and 

 never descending below 60 de- 

 grees at night — such a climate, in 

 fact, as one would wish to live 

 in : but an anxious zeal and over- 

 eagerness to accomplish the ob- 

 jects of the expedition, and to ac- 

 quire all the information that 

 could possibly be obtained, seem 

 to have actuated every one, from 

 the lamented Commander to the 

 common seaman and private ma- 

 rine, and led them to attempt 

 more than the human constitution 

 was able to bear. The total num- 

 ber of deaths amounts to 18, of 

 which 14 were on the land expe- 

 dition. They consist of — 



Capt. Tuckey, Commander of 

 the Expedition ; Lieut. Hawkey, 

 Lieutenant of the Congo ; Mr. 

 Professor Smith, Botanist j Mr. 

 Tudor, Comparative Anatomist ; 

 Mr. Cranch, Collector of objects 

 of Natural History ; Mr, Gcdwey, 

 a friend of Captain Tuckey, who 

 volunteered from pure love of 

 Science ; Mr. Eyre, the Purser. 



The names of the remainder 

 have not been returned. 



The Dorothy transport that ac- 

 companied the Congo into the 

 river lost but one man, and he 

 fell overboaid and was drowned. 



Extract 



