PRINCIPAL OCCURRENCES In the Year 1810. 31. DECEMBER, 1809. M RS. Vanryne was burnt to death at her house in Princes'-court, Duke-street, St. James's. An inquest was held on Monday, at the Bunch of Grapes in Duke-street. It appeared in evidence, that the deceased was near 80 years of age. She had lived in the house upwards of 40 years, and for several years past was unable to go about without assistance, and was attended by her daughter, who used frequently, at the desire of the deceased, to lock her into the parlour while she had occasion to be absent; and on Sunday evening the daughter went out and left her mother in the parlour as usual, with a book and candle. There was no other person in the house. Some time afterwards a smell of fire being very powerful alarmed a man that was passing; he went into the house, and broke open the parlourdoor, when he behelda most distressing spectacle: at some distance from the fire-place the floor was burned in the shape of a coffin, and of the unfortunate old lady only one leg, with a stocking on, remained in the parlour, the rest of the body having fallen into the lower apartment in a complete mass of cinders; the back-bone alone remained unconsumed. The jury returned a verdict of Accidental death. 1 A JANUARY, 1810. 1. About eleven o'clock on Monday night, a dreadful fire happened at the wharf of Messrs. Pocock and Buckley, Whitefriars Dock. The fire commenced at the dwellinghouse of Mr. Pocock, coal-merchant, at the bottom of the wharf, and about twelve o'clock the flames illumined the horizon many miles round London. Several piles of deals which stood near the house caught the flames with astonishing rapidity, and the spectacle was awful, grand, and terrific. In Fleetstreet and the Strand the light was almost as vivid as in the day-time. The timber-yard being close to the Thames, the light was thrown along the river, and presented a full view of the houses along the opposite bank. The drums beat, and the bugle sounded to summon the volunteers, who attended with alacrity to render assistance. The streets were crowded with people, with whose clamour, and the rattling of the engines coming to the spot from every quarter of the town, all was noise, bustle, and confusion. The bridges were covered with spectators, and the coal craft on the river also displayed a multitude. The wind being south, it was gene rally expected that the houses at the entrance of the yard would have been down, and the efforts of the (A2) fire. firemen were chiefly directed to prevent the fronts of the buildings exposed to the heat from taking fire. Fortunately the wind shifted, and blew the flames another way, and all the houses escaped, with the exception of Mr. Pocock's house and a stable. During the confusion it was difficult to remove many valuable horses. There were nine. teen in the stable, and nine of them were burnt. The carcases of these animals remained half-burnt on the ruins. About six o'clock the fire was greatly reduced; and hours after the deals, coals, and timber, which had produced the blaze of light, were burnt level with the ground, some apprehensions were entertained for the Grand Junction Canal store-house; and even in the Inner Temple several engines were brought down to the bottom of King's Bench Walk, under an idea that the fire might possibly extend to that quarter. Since the barning of Drury-lane theatre, there has been no fire in the metropolis of such terrific appearance. Nearly 30,000/. of timber, 7,000. of which had only been landed a few days before, and was not insured, was burnt. Two or three empty barges caught fire and were damaged; the dwelling-house and all the premises were reduced to ashes. It does not appear that any persons were lost. 1. About nine o'clock a most daring robbery was attempted to be committed at a gentleman's house not far from Bedford-row. The family being out, and no one in the house but a footman and a little female child, which it is supposed the villains had proper intelligence of, four fellows went to the door, and knocked in an authoritative manner: the footman, imagining it to be the family who had returned, opened it, when the villains im mediately rushed in, and bound him with cords which they had provided themselves with for that purpose; they then found out the plate, and employed themselves in putting it up in proper bundles. In the mean time the little girl, who, through fright from the first transaction, had hid herself, as soon as she found them gone into other parts of the house, made to the street-door, got out, and alarmed some of the neighbours, who, procuring proper assistance, went to the house, but the villains upon the alarm it is imagined made their escape. 3. At the mansion-house a Jew, of the name of De Younge, was charged by the solicitor of the mint, under an act of queen Elizabeth, with the offence of selling the current coin of the realm called guineas, at a higher rate than the current value. By the statute in question it is declared, that any person who shall extort, demand, er receive, for any of the current coin of the realm, more than the legal current value thereof, shall be esteemed guilty of felony. It ap peared that the prisoner had sold fifty-six guineas for a sum amounting to about 22s. 6d. or 1s. 6d. for each guinea more than the legal price and current value. Evidence being adduced to prove this case, the prisoner was fully committed to take his trial for the offence. The marquis of Waterford's house, in George-street, Hanoversquare, was entered by three men. The porter, an elderly man, who had left the house for only half an hour, returned, and found the men in the second hall; they seized hold of him, and ordered him to show them where there was any property. There being no other servant in the house to assist him, he told them he was an infirm old man, and hoped they they would not hurt him; and as- THEATRICAL RECONCILIATION 4. At five o'clock the doors of -the great room being opened, the tables were in less than five minutes inaccessible; and many of the company, which in number exceeded three hundred, were unable to obtain seats. Soon after five o'clock Mr. Clifford took the chair, Mr. Kemble and Mr. Harris jun. being seated on his right hand.. The first toast, after the removal of the cloth, was The king. After which followed The voice of the people. very kind manner in which I have been treated. Gentlemen, there is a circumstance collateral with that of the recent dispute, to which, I trust, I may advert without offence to any person present. It was my lot to be the plaintiff in an action at law, of the trial of which all my information is derived from the re ports in the newspapers, not having been myself present on that occa sion. In those reports it is stated, that during the course of the trial, or after it was over, I do not know which, it was publicly said that I was the leader of an infuriated mob, meeting to injure private property, to destroy the government, to subvert the constitution, and to overthrow the monarchy. Such, gentlemen, is what is stated in the re ports of that trial in the newspapers to have been said. Gentlemen, I recollect full well, that when colonel Wardle introduced the charges against the duke of York into the house of commons, Mr. Canning made use of this very true, but cer The trial by jury, with three tainly very dangerous expression times three. The stage. The ancient and unalienable judicature of the pit. Mr. Clifford then entreated particular attention to the toast which he was about to propose, feeling confident that no toast could be more appropriate to the object of the meeting: May this happy reconciliation be of equal advantage to the public in amusement and the proprietors in emolument!. The health of Mr. Clifford being given, he rose, and addressed the company to the following effect :"Gentlemen,-I return you most sincerely my thanks for the honour you have conferred on me, by placing me in this situation, and for the That when the characters of others are attacked, infamy must attach somewhere-it must fall either on the accused or on the accuser.' Now, gentlemen, I have the honour of your authority-I have even the authority of the proprietors and ma nagers of the theatre-and, what is still more, I have the authority of the public voice, from the Orkneys to the Land's End-to justify me in believing, that infamy does not attach on my conduct in these transactions. Gentlemen, I have the same authority of the public voice for asserting, that infamy does not attach on you. But infamy must attach somewhere. Let it attach, then, where it will best fit: and let it shine not as a brilliant and luminous planet, but as a dim and pale (A 3) halo, halo, around the hoary head of him who dared to utter such a calumny. Gentlemen, I first had the honour of meeting you in this room at a period of disturbance and of great dissention between the public and the proprietors of the theatre. That such a dispute was not sooner terminated I, in common with every other person, sincerely deplored. For myself, I certainly was in some measure brought forward unwillingly, and was induced reluctantly to take the lead; but being placed in that situation, I did nothing that could tend to widen the breach, or to excite disturbance: so far from having appeared in such a character, I, on the contrary, have the pleasure of believing, that my humble efforts have contributed to restore peace and harmony between the public and the proprietors of the theatre at Covent-garden. Gentlemen, I thank you sincerely, from the bottom of my heart, for the attention with which you have honoured me, and beg leave to have the honour of drinking all your healths. MR. BRANDON. This gentleman published the following apology, and was admitted to his usual employment: "To the public:-Now that the late unfortunate disputes relative to Covent-garden theatre are happily at an end, I trust that I shall not be accused of presumption in thus coming forward in my own behalf, and indulging the hope that I alone shall not be excluded from the general amnesty. I have been 39 years in the box-office of that theatre, and 1 humbly appeal to its visitors, whether, during that long period, I have not served them with the utmost fidelity, zeal, and impartiality, It was with the deepest regret, independently of all personal consi derations, that, in my anxiety to discharge what I conceived to be my duty, I found I had given offence to any individual. I presume to hope, that the feelings which urged my dismission from a situation which I had so long held, have subsided, and that the public at large will accept of my hearty contrition as an atonement for every thing that has been deemed improper in my conduct. If, then, the characteristic generosity and clemency of Englishmen will accept this sincere expression of regret, and permit me to resume my sta tion, it shall be my constant endea vour, by every exertion, to evince my gratitude for their kindness. "I have the honour to subscribe myself, their most devoted and very humble servant. "JAMES BRANDON." 18. The twelfth report of the commissioners of military inquiry upon the ordnance office has been printed. It is wholly occupied in detecting the peculations of the late treasurer, Mr. Hunt. The time during which he acted in this department is divided into two periods; the former extending from his appointment in 1803 till 1805, wherein the mode of conducting the pecuniary concerns of the office was only prescribed by an act of Charles II. This act, it appears, was however violated, as Mr. Hunt in his examination states, with the privity of the master-general: upon which the commissioners remark: "It might be observed also, that although the master-general and board of ordnance did not, as it is said, sanction Mr. Hunt in making use of the ordnance money to his private emolument, yet that their knowledge implied an approbation of a practice which put the public money in hazard, might at |