13th. This afternoon, about three, one of the largest powder-mills, on Twickenham-common, not far from Hanworth, blew up, with a moft violent explosion, attended by circumftances of the moft melancholy nature. Four men, employed in corning the powder, were blown to atoms in the air, and many of the timbers of the building thrown to a distance of half a mile. It was only on the Thurfday preceding that a fmaller mill, belonging to the fame proprietors, blew up, but no lives were loft. The explofion of this day broke many panes of glass, at the distance of one and two miles.

Calcutta, Jan. 21. It is with much concern we state the lofs of the company's armed fchooner, the Ganges, commanded by captain Wade, the particulars of which are as follow the Ganges came to an anchor, on the evening of the 11th, to the eaftward of Lacam's channel. The Laurel was then about four leagues farther in the offing, in a fouth-eafterly direction. About eight o'clock at night, while captain Wade and his officers were on deck, a difagreeable smell of burning oil and Imoke came from the cabin. On going below, the smoke appeared to be coming from aft. The gun-room was immediately cleared, and, on opening the fcuttle of the after gun-room, the smoke rushed out, and plainly indicated that to be the quarter where the mischief lay. Captain Wade directed all the powder that was in the gun-room and cabin to be quickly removed; while himself, his officers, and his people, were employed in throwing water into the after gun-room. Their efforts were greatly impeded by the fuffo

cating vapours, which compelled captain Wade, and thofe with him, to make their way upon deck. The fire was bursting forth from the ca bin-windows; but captain Wade ftill indulged the hope of being able to get it under, and continued to employ every exertion for that purpole; but, at the fame time, as a meafure of prudence, he directed his officers to get the boat out, and to keep her clear a little a-head of the fchooner. This was no fooner done than thirty or forty people leaped on board, and the officers found it indifpenfably neceffary to put off, in order to prevent the boat from being furcharged. Captain Wade and thofe who had remained with the schooner perf 1 levered in the moft fpirited exertions to extinguish the fire; but it gained ground in fpite of all their efforts. The people, every moment in dread of the veffel blowing up, crowded forward upon her bows, bowfprits, jibboom, &c. In this alarming fituation, captain Wade, with great compofure, proceeded to prepare rafts. He, his two boatswains, and fome others, were ftepping aft to cut away the main-maft, that it might ferve as a spar; at this inftant, the fire communicated to the magazine, which exploded with great violence, tearing up the deck from the tafferel to feveral feet before the main-maft. By this accident eight men were killed; the fecond boatswain had his leg broken, and captain Wade was thrown feveral feet forwards. At length recovering himself, he found that the flames had nearly ceafed, most of the parts that were on fire having been blown up with the magazine; he was encouraged, therefore, to renew his efforts to fave the remains of the

fchooner

fchooner; but, unfortunately, a part of the burning materials had been carried up, by the explosion, into the maintop; and, this communicating to the rigging, fet the whole on fire, which, falling down from time to time, rekindled the flame in various parts of the hull; and, most of the water-buckets and and other implements having been blown overboard, no hope remained of being able to fave any part of the wreck that might serve as a raft for those who remained. The flames extending over nearly the whole of the wreck, left no time to deliberate, and but little for a laft exertion. Whatever things could be met with to answer the purpofe were hastily lafhed together, and put overboard as a raft, to which all the men on board, amounting to fifty-nine, were obliged to commit their safety. The poor boatswain, who, from his broken leg, was almoft unable to move, was affifted to the raft; and, all hands having got hold, it was pufed from along fide; but, immediately before leaving the fchooner,captain Wade had ordered the cable to be eut, that, as it was ebb-tide, the wreck of the fchooner and the raft might be drifted together towards the Laurel, that the fight of the burning wreck might guide the boats from that fhip in the track to find them; for, as they had fired guns of diftrefs on the breaking out of the fire, and as they knew the light must be feen from the Laurel, they confided in her coming to their afliftance. The raft and wreck continued drifting with the ebb tide, within piftol fhot of each other, for about two hours, when the wreck fuddenly went down; a circumftance that rendered their fituation

more difmal, as the disappearance of the light leffened the chance of the expected boats falling in with them. Captain Wade propofed that they fhould now and then raise a general fhout, as the boats might perhaps be within hearing, though they might not be able to difcern them. This expedient was readily adopted. After the lapfe of fix hours in the water, pafled under an awful anxiety, the found of the pulling of oars infpired them with unspeakable joy, and in the course of half an hour they were taken up by the Laurel's boat, and fafely carried on board, where they were received with the kindness due to their misfortunes. The caufe of the fire on board the Ganges is afcribed to the fpontaneous combuftion of a fmall quantity of woodoil, contained in a dubber, or lea thern jar, which was ftowed in the after gun-room. A fire originating from a like caufe occurred in the arfenal in Fort William, about five years ago.

15th. The North weft wing of the King's Bench prifon was about 9 this evening difcovered to be on fire.

The flames burft forth with incredible fury, and were driven, by the wind towards the centre of the building. The confternation, which immediately took place is hardly to be expreffed, not only within the prifon but without. Many of the prifoners wives and relatives who refided in the rules, alarmed at fo dreadful a conflagration, appeared under the walls fhrieking, and demanding the release of those whom their fears reprefented in fuch imminent danger; but, at the very firft intimation of the accident, St. George's, the Bermondfey, St. Saviour's, Lambeth,

volunteers, with a party of the Surrey cavalry, attended and prevented the populace in general from taking that fiep, which, perhaps, the beft feelings of human nature had, upon the fpur of the moment dictated. Within the prifon, we are happy to learn, not the flightest endeavour was made on the part of any one to escape beyond its walls; all were engaged in affifting those who were more immediately within the reach of danger. Ábove an hour had elapfed before the engines arrived and began to work, by which time the flames had arrived at an ungovernable height. They raged with fuch violence, that it was with difficulty a small part of the prifoners furniture and effects were faved. Many wretched and indigent families, whofe whole property was contained in their rooms, were compelled to leave it a prey to the devouring element. How the fire was occafioned no one can with certainty tell. It broke out at No. 10, in an upper room, in the farther corner of that part of the building where the tap is, juft at the entrance of the prifon. There was no fire in the room, nor was there even a fire-place. The perfon who occupied it was an old man, of the name of Adams, who at the time of the accident was drinking at the Brace, a public room at the farther end of the prifon. The ftory he relates is, that his fon had called upon him early in the evening, and had left him two 101. notes, which he was to call for again on Monday morning; for the better fecurity of thefe notes he put them in his trunk, and he fuppofés, at the time he did fo, a

trunk. The part where the fire commenced is called the Old Building, and the upper rooms are not vaulted, confequently the whole was confumed; the flames then spread through the two upper ftories, as far as the chapel, confuming near the whole of them, both in front of the parade and in the back part of the prifon. Here the firemen prevented it extending farther by forcing off the divifion No. 6 adjoining, at the back of which it ended, by confuming the apartment occupied by lady Murray, at No. 1, in divifion 15. There are between 80 and 100 rooms deftroyed. When this building was erected, the floor of the upper flory was not vaulted; had it been fo, the prefent accident would have been comparatively trifling. The fecond ftory was vaulted, otherwife the whole fabrick must have been deftroyed. There are a few rooms which were vaulted, and are preferved, though they were furrounded by flames. It was not till one in the morning that the fire was fubdued, and it was near 4 before it was finally extinguifhed.

25th In confequence of fome obftructions which the commiffioners for dividing and inclofing the open fields of Wilbarfton, Northampton, had met with from a number of perfons claiming right of common in the faid fields; who not only avowed their determination to re fift the fencing out of a piece of land allotted them in lieu of the common right, but had even fet the civil power at defiance; the Northampton and Althorp troops of yeomanry were ordered to affemble at Harborough yesterday evening, and, this morning they fet out thence for Wilbarton,

On

Wilbarfton, under the command of major Cartwright, attended by the officers of the two troops, and by the reverend Mr. Griffin, one of the magiftrates of the county, and having under their efcort a waggon loaded with pofts and rails, for fencing out the above allotment. approaching the parish they found a mob of about 300 perfons, who had lighted a bon-fire in the middle of the road, in order to obftruct the paffage of the waggon, which they would not allow to proceed. On which the magiftrate read the riotact; and, after waiting an hour,, the troops were ordered to advance and efcort the waggon to the fpot, which was immediately done and one or two of the most active of the mob were taken into cuftody, and compelled to affift in setting down the pofts and rails. After waiting 2 or 3 hours, the greatest part of the crowd difperfed; when the yeomanry returned, and the workmen were left in quiet poffeffion of the field.

DIED. 23d. At Caiftor, near Norwich, Sayer, a butcher, aged 110 years. He followed his vocation, and retained his faculties, till the day of his death.

Lately, Mrs. Gatford, of Horham, Suflex. She had not paffed the threshold of her mansion for more than 20 years before her death. In confequence of which, her carriage was fuffered, for want of ufe, to drop to pieces in the coach-house, and her horfes to range uninterruptedly in fields of the richeft paftures. She poffeffed a good fortune; and though, during her life-time, was not known to apply any part of it to charitable ufes, get her will proved, that at her

nife fhe was not totally unmind

ful of the poor in her neighbour hood; to whom the bequeathed a confiderable fum to be diftributed in bread, and included other poor objects in the number of her legatees. The moft fingular of her bequefts is 151. per annum, to her cats and dogs, for their maintenance. The directions of her will, with refpect to her interment, were, that her body should not be remov ed from her chamber until a month after her death; that, to prevent her becoming offenfive, it fhould every night be bathed with fpirits 3 and that her remains should be buried in four coffins, the outer one to be of marble, and fixed in the vault; which directions were duly obferved at her burial on the 13th of Auguft.

AUGUST.

Ift. The king, queen, and princeffes Augufta and Elizabeth, accompanied by the countefs of Harrington, fet off in two carriages, at half past five o'clock, from Kew Palace, for lord Romney's feat in the Moat Park, Maidstone. The royal party ftopped to breakfast at earl Camden's feat at Riverhead, where they were met by the prince of Wales, duke of Cumberland, and numbers of the nobility, and the king's equerries in waiting. The royal family reached the ground at twelve o'clock, on which above 5000 of the volunteers of the county of Kent were drawn up, under the command of their different of ficers, and his royal highnefs the duke of York. Earl Camden gave the word of command to his own corps of cavalry, and lord Romney to the infantry corps. The regiments

went

went through their exercife in a manner highly fatisfactory to his inajefty, who expreffed the great pleasure he experienced in viewing fo fine a body of men. After the review, marquees were erected on the lawn for their majefties and the nobility to dine, and tables in view of the royal tents were laid out for the volunteers. The entertainment, to which 6,500 perfons fat down, confifted of every delicacy of the feafon. It was not till fix o'clock that their majefties and the princefles took leave of their noble hoft, on their return to Kew. The town of Maidstone was brilliantly illuminated in the evening, and a grand ball was given at the town-hall. The ftrength of the different associations of the county of Kent at the late royal inspection, according to a return, amounted to 5,721. To give an idea of the dinner provided for the companies of volunteers, there

were

3 fcore lambs, in quarters. 200 difhes of roafted beef. 700 fowls, three in a dish. 220 meat pies. 300 hams.

300 tongues. 220 fruit pies.

220 difhes of boiled beef. 220 joints of roasted veal. Seven pipes of Port were bottled off, and fixteen butts of ale, and as much fmall beer, was alfo placed in large veifels, to fupply the company.

17th. The female fervant of Mr. Goldfinch, in Lombard-ftreet, was difcovered hanging in the kitchen, quite dead, and burnt in a moft dreadful manner, occafioned, as it is fuppofed, by a candle that the had placed near her when the tied herfelf up. This day the co

1

roner's jury held their inqueft on the body; and, it being proved that the had appeared in a difponding way for fome days before, they returned a verdict of lunacy.

The late rains have been more general and more fevere than perhaps was ever experienced in this country. Letters from all quarters are replete with the moft diftreffing accounts of their effects.

The mail which fhould have reached Birmingham at two o'clock in the morning of Wednesday, did not arrive there till feven in the evening. The paffengers, &c. were forwarded over the flooded places in boats, the coach being necefiarily left behind.

The devaftation in Lancafhire has been extensive and confiderable; almost all the bridges on the Merfey, the Tame, the Wedlock, the Irk, the Irwell, &c. have been deftroyed, as well as numerous mills on their banks; the aqueducts and banks of fome of the canals have given way, and all the adjoining country has been laid under water. Some dye-houses on the Irwell, &C. have been demolished, and immenfe quantities of cloth carried away; one houfe is ftated to have loft 800 pieces.

In Worcestershire the inundations, occafioned by the overflow of the Severn, Team, and in fact all the fireams and rivulets in the county, have been greatly deftructive to the farmers of hay, corn, fheep, &c The rain here has prevailed three weeks almoft without intermiffion, and travelling during the last week was nearly fufpended. The head of a mill-pond on the Ludlow road fome days fince gave way, owing to the unufual preflure of the water. Five horfes in a coal team, fome dif

tance