, BURNING OF THE ENGLISH OPER A.-HOUSE. ■A little before two
OR Tuesday morning, the English Opera-house, in which the French company had performed On Monday night, was discovered to be in flames. Before daybreak, the theatre, and fifteen adjoining houses in Exeter Street, were consumed. No lives were lust. The following particulars are from the Chronicle of Tuesday ;—" The fire, we understand, is supposed to have first commenced underneath a portion of the stage, where some gits-pipes had been laid down yesterday, and from which the stench of an escape of gas had been sensibly felt during the evening. From whatever cause, however, it proceeded, or the precise spot whence it first appeared, is mere matter of conjecture; for, when discovered, the flames had assumed an appalling power, and were bursting forth from the roof of the theatre. Su rapid was its progress, that in the space of about fifteen or twenty minutes from its first discovery, the whole body of the theatre was on fire. The flames ascended in a vast volume, thirty or forty feet above its roof, and spread with a violence which threatened destruction to the whole of the mass of buildings which is confined by Exeter Street on the cue side, by Catherine Street on the other, and by the Strand in front. Looking down Exeter Street at one time, the flames were seen passing from house Dr house with almost as much rapidity as a fire kindled among stubble. At about two o'clock the roof of the theatre fell inwards, and in some degree smothered the flames, so as to prevent their extending to tire Courier newspaper and other houses in the Strand, which seemed every instant before to be devoted to destruction. The wall, however, of the theatre, which runs behind the houses, being of great thickness, and not per. foratecl with any of the usual openings for doors or windows, formed a complete protection to the houses which were immediately connected with its Happily no lives were lost, but the loss of property must be very great, as, from the inflammable nature of the materials in the theatre, and the wind setting nearly north, about a dozen houses were thoroughly on fire, and burning furiously, before any engine could be brought to play upon them. Some of the houses consumed were said to be of a reputation which will not excite much regret for their destruction, if we can separate from it our cone. passionn for their proprietor, Mr. Arnold, who, we fear, must be a loser to a very melancholy extent. Not a single article of scenery, dresses, decorations, or properties, has been saved in the theatre, and little if anything of the
property of individuals. In many cases so sound was the sleep of the in- mates, that their doors and windows were almost battered out before they could be aroused to a sense of their situations ; and when they did appear, the wildness of their looks and the incoherency of their expressions would under any other circumstances have excited feelings of merriment ; but,
to the credit of all who were present at the first alarm, every compassionate assistance was rendered to the sufferers, and every door in the vicinity was willingly thrown open to receive them." Another account says—" We regret exceedingly to state, from an au- thentic source, that the theatre was uninsured. The loss to Mr. Arnold
will be at least from 30,0001. to 40,000/. The fire is supposed to have origi.
nated from a stove behind the boxes, which was used to warm the theatre, and the fire from which had not been properly raked out. The houses were partly insured. All Mr. Arnold's books and papers were saved, but the whole of the theatrical wardrobe was construed. Mr. Arnold was on the spot early, and passed the remainder of the night at the house of Mr. Hawes, on the Adelphi Terrace. Mr. Peake, the treasurer of the theatre, was also on the spot very early, and remained on the premises, exerting himself. It is supposed that the total loss of property by this fire, to all who have suf- fered by it, will be nearly 80,000/. There was a watchman on the premises at the time the fire broke out, but it had spread considerably before alarm was given."
The Managers of the French company have sustained some heavy losses by the fire. AI. Cloup's wardrobe, valued at 1600/., has been totally consumed. Three thousand pounds had been laid out in fitting up the theatre for the season. The company will he transferred to the small theatre at the Italian Opera-house. Mr. Arnold's company will, it is generally supposed, open in the Adelphi. It has been matter of surprise that the theatre should have been uninsured. The reason assigned is, the very high premium demanded fur buildings of that description. Neither Covent Garden nor Drury Lane are insured.
It has been rumoured that the English Opera-house will be rebuilt by the 1st of July : but we hope the present opportunity of forming the street that has been so often proposed, between Waterloo Bridge and the Totten- ham Court Road, will not be permitted to escape.
On Thursday, an old woman named Stacey, residing in the Borough, set fire to her clothes while lighting the fire. Her husband, an old man of 80, tried to extinguish the flames, by wrapping her in blankets : he would have failed in his attempt, but for the arrival of the neighbours. The poor woman's life is despaired of.
A fire broke out at one o'clock on Thursday morning, in the premises of Mr. Robinson, cabinet maker, in Shepherd's Market. The premises were completely destroyed, and the thieves were busy all the while. Two houses in Chester Place, Kennington Cross, were burnt on Saturday last. On Sunday, a fire broke out in the premises of Mr. Levey, the furni- ture broker, in the New Cut, near the Coburg Theatre; a great quantity of furniture was consumed.
On Monday night, a student of law, named Baker, threw himself out of the window of his lodgings in Duke Street, St. James's, and was killed on the spot.
The patrol of StiSepulchre's parish, in passing through West Street, Smith- field, about eleven o'clock on Sunday, found a young woman seated on the steps of a door, apparently asleep. He raised her : she complained of cold and hunger; she was carried to St. Bartholomew's Hospital, and died during the night.
Five cases of serious inflammation in the eyes, and one of entire loss of sight, have occurred in Bury St. Edmund's, in consequence of the long con- tinuance of the snow upon the ground.
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