LON 
great wed door of the cathedral, Ins lordfliip was received 
by the dean and chapter* The centre aide to the choir 
was lined on each fide by the river-fencibles, in full uni¬ 
form. A molt excellent and appropriate fermon was 
preached by his lordfliip’s chaplain, from a Kings viii. 66 . 
And they bleffed the king, and went into their tents joyful and 
glad of heart, for all the goodnefs the Lord had done for David 
his fervant, and for IJ'rael his people. The coronation- 
anthem was performed previous to the fermon, by the 
full choir, with great effeCh The proceflion returned 
about three o’clock in the fame order. 
At five o’clock the corporation were introduced up the 
grand ftaircafe, in front of the Manfion-houfe ; the trum¬ 
pets founding during their entrance in the veftibule. 
The building had been previously decorated with a fplen- 
did illumination, confifting of elegant devices of the rofe, 
thiftle, and (hamrock, in coloured lamps—in the centre, 
a radiant difplay of G. R. and the crown, with “ Long 
may he reign.” Tire pillars were taftefully ornamented 
with wreaths of lamps ; and the whole was much admired 
for its general grandeur and effeCL On entering the grand 
f'aloon, which was lined by the band of the Welt-London 
militia, playing God fave the king, Rule Britannia, &c. 
the company were individually received by the lord-mayor 
in his robes of ftate, with all the affability, politenels, and 
attention, that diftinguifh this worthy chief magillrate. 
The faloon was brilliantly lighted with large Grecian 
lamps beautifully painted, and difplaying a fcene at 
once novel and elegant. At half paft five o’clock, the 
doors of the magnificent Egyptian Hall were thrown open, 
illuminated by the blaze of innumerable lamps, taftefully' 
arranged round the pillars and the elegant lultres and 
chandeliers fufpended from the roof. The tables were 
laid out with the greateft tafte, and covered with an ele¬ 
gant and hofpitable dinner, the whole of which was ferved 
with plate. The band continued during the whole of 
dinner to play feveral delightful military and other airs. 
-—After the cloth was removed. Non nobis Domine was fung. 
The lord-mayor then gave, “The King, God blefs him, 
and long may he reign over a free and united people;’’ 
which was drunk with three times three, and with exult¬ 
ing enthufiafm, amid thunders of applaufe that continued 
unabated for a confiderable length of time. After this ef- 
fufion of loyal feeling had fubfided, the grand national 
anthem of God fave the king was performed by the pro- 
feflional gentlemen prefent, with appropriate additional 
verfes for the occafion, the whole company ftanding and 
joining in the chorus with the moft heartfelt zeal, accom¬ 
panied by the animating found of the military band. 
Many other loyal toafts were given ; and the company 
retired, highly plealed with their own feelings and with 
the hofpitality and urbanity of their chief magistrate. 
The illuminations of the public buildings and offices- 
were unufually tafteful and fplendid. 
On this happy occafion too, a proclamation was iffued 
for pardoning all deferters from the fleet; and another, 
pardoning all deferters from the land-forces, provided they 
Surrendered in two months. The lords of the admiralty 
ordered an extra allowance of 4lbs. of beef, ^lbs- of flour, 
and a pound of ratlins, to every eight men in his majefty’s 
Ships in port, with a pint of wine, or half a pint of rum, 
each man. Eleven crown-debtors were this day difeharged 
from pril’on, in addition to above 100 liberated by the 
Society for the Relief of Perfons imprifoned for Small 
Debts. The donations to this fociety for the above cha¬ 
ritable purpofe were moft liberal, The city of London let 
the example by fubferibing ioool. 
The provincial newfpapers of the following week were 
filled with accounts of the manner in which the jubilee 
was celebrated in every country town and altnoft every 
village; in fome by illuminations and feafting, in others 
by Setting unfortunate debtors at liberty. The Annual 
Regifter contains an account of a charming fete contrived 
for this day at Frogmore, near Windfor, by her majelty 
and the princefs Elizabeth. Nor was thisjjifplay confined 
Von. XIII. No. 501, 
D O N. 213 
to the united kingdom. It was feen in the moft diftant 
parts of the empire; and it was in one of our foreign de¬ 
pendencies (Bombay) that the jubilee was celebrated with 
the greateft judgment, tafte. Splendour, and efteft. See 
Ann. Reg. 1S09. p. 395, 703. 
We have now a few incidents to relate which more par¬ 
ticularly concern the metropolis. 
On the 22d of January, about half paft two in the 
morning, a fire was difeovered in St. James’s Palace, 
near the king’s back Stairs. An alarm was inftantly- 
given, but it was feveral hours before water could be 
procured for the engines kept in the palace and thofe 
belonging to the various infurance-offices which had liaft- 
ened to the lpot. The flames during this interval had 
made confiderable progrefs, and they were not lubdued 
till they had confunred the whole of the private apartments 
of the queen, thofe of the duke of Cambridge, the king’s 
court, and the apartments of feveral perfons belonging to 
the royal houfehold. The Dutch chapel nearly under the 
the armoury-room fuftained confiderable injury; but the 
moft valuable part of the property, in fuch of the royal 
apartments as were deftroyed, was preferved. 
On Friday night the 24th of February, Drury-lane thea¬ 
tre was burnt to the ground. About five minutes paft 
eleven o’clock, the flames burft out at the lobby-windows 
of the front in Brydges-ftreet, while volumes of fmoke 
were feen ifluing from every part of the theatre. In lef* 
than a quarter of an hour it fpread into one unbroken 
flame over the whole of the immenfe pile, extending from 
Brydges-ftreet to Drury-lane; fo that the pillar of fire was 
not lefs than 450 feet in breadth. It is impoffible for the 
mind to conceive any thing more magnificent than the 
fpeftacle, if the idea of the horror and ruin which it brought 
on the fufferers could have been feparated from the fuhli- 
mity of the objeiff. In about thirty minutes after its com¬ 
mencement, the Apollo on the top fell into the pit, and 
foon after the whole of the roof fell. The refervoir of 
water on the top, which formed with the iron curtain the 
topic of reliance for fecurity in the prologue with which 
the theatre was opened, was like a mere bucket-full to th® 
volume of fire on which it fell, and had no vilible elfeft 
in damping it. Any attempt to go near the flames was 
totally impracticable; and all that was faved from ruin 
was done by the prefence of mind and activity of Mr. 
Kent, a literary gentleman, who was the fir ft to difeover 
the flames. He hurried to the door, and gave the alarm. 
Mr. Powell the prompter, and Mr. Johnlton the mecha- 
nift, with the two watchmen and Mr. Kent, were the only 
perfons prefent; for, being a Friday in Lent, there had 
been no play nor rehearfal. They alcertained that the lire 
broke out in the hall, under the lobby at the Brydges- 
ftreet entry, which had been (hut up this feafon, and where 
fouie plumbers had been at work. It was, when Mr. 
Kent broke in, confined to that fpot; and they made an 
effectual attempt to get out the theatre-engine, and play 
on it from their refervoir; but in ten or twelve minutes th© 
fire ran up the front boxes, and fpread like kindled wax. 
This may be accounted for from the body of air which 
fo large a hollow afforded, and alfo to the circumftance 
of the whole being a wooden cafe: for our readers fhould ba 
informed, that this immenfe pile was conftrtided of timber, 
and that the frame flood for many months, exhibiting a very 
fine carcafe of carpenter’s work, before the ribs were filled 
in with bricks. Timber was then under 3I. per load ; and 
the architect thought that this wooden frame would contri¬ 
bute to the propagation of found. It did not, perhaps, per¬ 
fectly fucceed in this refpect; but it certainly contributed 
to the conflagration. Finding it impoffible to prevent th© 
deftruction of the building, the gentlemen fayed the books 
from the room called the Treafury; and they v.'erb parried 
fafely to Mr. Kent’s houle, in Taviftock-ftreet. The only 
otherarticle faved wasa bureau, in Mrs. Jordan’s room : Mr. 
Kent broke the pannels of the door, and brought out tha 
bureau. All farther endeavours were rendereu impoffible, 
by the excels of heal. 
About 
