92 
the gnited bands playing ** God save. the 
| King.” Mr. Harris and Mr. Kemble having 
paid their respects to his Royal Highness, ush- 
cred him to the marquee. Mr. Smirke, the 
architect, now presented a plan of the build- 
ing to his Royal Highness, who, attended by 
all the grand masonic officers, then proceeded 
to the ceremonial. On a signal given the 
stone was raised several feet, his Royal High- 
mess advanced to the north-east corner of . ety 
and deposited in a ‘Space cut in the basement, 
a brass box, containing tke British coins of 
the year, and a bronze "ried bearing a like- 
ness of the Prince With this inscription on the 
TEVEISS ioe 
Gcoeius 
Princeps Walliarum ~ 
Theatri Fae ee 
Regiis instaurand}, Auspiciis, - 
In Hortis Benedictinis 
Londini . 
~ Sua Manu Locavit 
M DCce. Vili 
Another medal, also accompanied the above, 
engraved by Gragory, with the following in-> 
scription: 
Vader the auspices of 
his most sacred majesty George III. 
king of the united kingdoms of Great Britain 
_and Ireland, 
_ the foundation stone of the Theatre, Covent 
Garden, 
wag laid by his Royal Highness 
George Prince of Wales, 
‘.. M.DCCC.VIL 
On the reverse of this medal is inscribed:— 
© Robert Smirke, Architect. 
Six hed-men now conveyed the necessary 
quantity of cementing mortar, which was 
spread on the base stone by the same number 
of workmen. His Royal Highness then, as 
grand-master, finished the adjustment of the 
moitar with a silver trowel presented to him 
by Earl Moira; the stone was then lowered 
to its destined pusition, all the bands playing 
$¢ Rule Britannia,” and the people applauding 
swith the most animating cheers. The Prince 
then tried the work by the plumb, tbe level, 
-and the square, which were presented to him 
“by the proper masonic officers, and then finish- 
ed laying the stone by three strokes of his 
allet; three silver cups were then succes- 
skely presented to him, containing the an- 
cient offerings of corn, wine, and oil, which 
... be. poured over the stone with.impressive so= 
demnity. His Royal Highness then restored 
the plen of the building into the hancs of 
‘the architect, desiring him to complete the 
" gtnicture confermably thereto; and addressing 
_ Mr. Harris and Mr. Kemble, wished prospe- 
“rity to the: building and the national objects 
connected with it. Thus closed the ceremo- 
ny, and his Reyal Highness, wha performed 
his part. with dignity, . and whose manners 
during the ‘whoie time were highly captiva- 
ting, retired to his carriage under another sa- 
| Incidents in and near London. 
_~ Buried 
[ Feb. 1, 
lute of artillery, and amidst the acclamations 
of the multitude. After the ceremony Mr. 
Harris received a letter from Colonel M:Ma- 
kon, stating he had it in command from his 
Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, to ex- 
press to the proprietors and the architect his 
very high approbation of the extreme order 
and regularity with which the arrangement 
of the whole ceremonial had been formed and - 
conducted, 
‘About two o’clock in the morning of Sa- 
turday, the 21st of January, a fire was disco- 
vered in St. James’s Palace, near the King’ $ 
back stairs, An alarm was instantly given, 
_ but it was several hours before water could be 
procured for the engines kept in the palace 
and those belonging to the various Insurance 
offices which had hastened to the spot. ‘The 
flames during this interval had made consider- 
able progress, and they were not subdued 
till they bad consumed the whole of the pri- 
vate apattments of the Queen, those of the 
Duke of Cambridge, the King’s Court, and 
the apartments of several persons belonging. 
to the royal household, who will severely 
feel the loss théy have suffered. The Dutch 
chapel nearly under the Armoury-Room has 
sustained considerable injury; the most valu- 
able part of the property in such of the royal 
apartments as are destroyed, has been preser- 
ved; but unfortunately 2 young woman, ser- 
vant to Miss Rice, one of the assistant dres- 
sers to her Majesty, perished i in the confla~ 
gration. 
The General Bill of all the Christenings 
and Burials within the Bills of Mortality, 
from December 15, 1807, to December 13, 
1808, is as follows: Christened in the nine- 
ty-seven parishes within the walls 1088; 
buried -1572.—Christened in the seventeen 
parishes without the walls 4503; buried 
5969.—Christened in the twenty-three out- 
parishes in Middlesex and Surrey 10,1055 
buried 9757.-—Christened in the ten parishes 
in the city and . liberties of” ees. 
4210; buried rks 
Ss... 10,189 
Christened ee Faninlss, a BCaF- 
Males... . 10,228 
Females... 9,726 
Whereof have died — 
Under two years of age... 
Between two and five .... 
Five and ten.... 
Ten and twenty © 
Twenty and thirty ...... 
Thirty and forty ...2.-.. 
Forty and fifty ..4.-.---- 
Fifty and sixty -....-.-.. 
Sixty and seventy......-. 
Seventy and eighty ...... 
19,906. 
t 19,954. 
eaeers tease 
Eighty and ninety...2-... 504 
Ninety anda hundred 2. © 65 
A. Wandred? oe eee 1 
A hundred and two ...-.- 1 
Increased i inthe burials this , year ate ‘ 
T e 
