Diteaortil. Figs.—A dreadful fire broke out Tues day in ,, n ,;aa at live o'c.ock, in the house of NI r. Kerr, • 0. • •ik• nnrilier tal Norfolk -street, 000 t and shoemaker, at ...s. the lower Strand. The flames were first discoverea: part *tithe house by the watchman and some passenger.', and an alarm was immediately given. By this means 1 ,...4: family were providentially saved from an untimely d eat h. Sir. Kerr escaped with scarce an article of dress opou him. 116 daughter was nearly enveloped in flames, but was conveyed in a blanket to the house of an opposite worthy and respectable neighbour, Mr. renwick Boller, who afforded the family every accom modation in their distressed situation. Of all ti e va luable property on the refuses a few of Nlr. Kerr's account Looks only were saved. The flames advance& with an mem - helloing rapidity, and in a few mi nutes the house was cot eloped in one awful blase. —Engines from every Fire-office in Londoo soon arrived on the spot, but nearly half an hour elapsed before water was procured. fife exertions of the firemen were then directed towarila checking the progress of mischief to the adjoining houses. In this prudent effort they were successful in Norfolk street. but in the Strand they were not equally lor innate. The de% out nog elcuieta soon caught the dwelling of !sir. Cary, the chart-seller, and in a short time that building added to the melancholy grandeur of the spectacle. Soon afterwards the rout and from (ef Mr. Kerr's house fell with a tremendous crash. The most praiseworthy activity was now devoted to stem the flames in Mr. Cary's premises, but they were irresistible, and soon advanced to the adjoining house of his brother, Mr. Cary, the optician, which was also destroyed. At hall-past ten the fronts of these houses were precipitated into the Strand, but happily no injury was sustained by the crowd which was col lected. This tiecasimied a complete stoppage in that part of die Strand,..toff all the can i ,gas and foot passen gers were obliged to puss through Holywell-street or up AVych-street. In the hack of these buildings still greater mischief is sustained, but as yet we hate been unable to ascertain the precise amount of clan; tar. Tut' amount of property destroyed is i tttt liellbe. Mr. Kerr is hot insured. We have not heard how the n u e originated. Business was quite at a stand the whole of yesterday, between St. Clement's Church-yard and Surrey -street, tradesmen the not hating optind their shops. While the flame. were ;aging in the Strand, half past ellanen o'clock, a IsIeSII alum was given on the premises or Messrs. Brookes and Sim, axle-tree-makers, on Waterloo-wharf. The immediate I icinity of water, however, and the prompt assistance of the firemen, led to us extinction slier doing some slight damage. The adjoining premises being those of a timber. merchant, the most serious alarm was al one time felt. NIURDER POisow.—WC can scarce find words in wnd' to pourtray our horror at the dreadful circuit stances which we are fated to relate. ()11 Sunday last a young man, named Collins, by trade a brogue maker, and a Corporal on the St aff of the Royal Calmly Li merick Militia, paid a wis h to a young Colopy,.datighter to a weaver residing, at Hubei buoy, to whom he had for wow time been paying his addresses, and was cotisalered in the light of her future husband ; they were to be united on the billowing day. A number of the young woman's friends had assembled, and punch was introduce I, of which the young couple were forced to drink plentifully, and smut after because totally insen sible; they were then placed on a loft together, and were found the next tttttt mug in a at de of total absorp tion. in which they lay omit about two o'clock, when the vital spark became entirely extinct ill both. Thus they were united, if not in the hoods of wedlock, at least in the cold embraces of death! An inquest is now holding on them by the Mart', as COroller. The bodies have been opened by the plty.icians, and it is ascertained they were destroyed by some deleterious drug, which had been atlibMistertil to them. Seven per,ons were apprehended out suspicion, lan as Cte cxanlii.ations weir not emu:holed, we must stop here. It aplwars the young woman was entitled, iii her own right, to boil., which, it is probable, %Vat. the stimulus to this must horrid di ed.— Limo ick pow. Mr. Actaiiii, tile celebrated Chemist, has published a most Mien:aim; paim•hlet, exposing the deleterious compositions which are mixed with various articles of food, which must sap the human constitution, and have no doubt produced many complaints titiknown t•efore chemistry was so well understood as it is at prt sent. The ex posare of these aionninaole adulterations is not only curious but Irt:fitlul, and therefore as poison is thus notorionsl3, lehiltd in disguise, why is bin some thing done to remedy the et ? As the existing laws are not sufficiently se% eie to ptill.•11 or detect such base and unprincipled offenders, a Cummitici: of the [louse of Commons should Sil uadhe subj. ei itimemately after Parliament meets, that somethina may be done to pro. , tect the community limn wicked and sordid I:navil. It would be worth% tile attention of th e (;olle•, : e of Fliesi clans to Wake a report tin the adult. raitun of malty or titles which are nuts vended for the 1 . f10.1 oh wan, and give their opititon of tile elt:eterious artit.es, as to their affect on the Imolan constittitian, which probably account in some in: abaft! ter the great ihereose o h Li, years of sudden. deaths. 'We hate tin it r o w Iwo cull sietioms of penults Mr mixine car:it at oh flute, auJ this, with the andition of •illaiii acid otilei material+, 11.1141 sorely elrpreil.ite on the allel pia duce the utost destructive complaints. Dortnatin iii,elit at Mt. i)tocritiher, three bri and. broke nun lile house 01 a clertt uian 11.1!:le:i fervid, at louitipcs, tit Manic, and hat 1114 ith Ole.f way Imo ins eltJuilwr, deatiAliclett the answer toe req.,vet.AtAt.: 4141 Stating that lie cool(' 1.4 a s..iisty mem, huit 11l 111!4 tha, aid hilted some strew under ills Icet itatixt extreme torture Os ercolaw by curse s ari the rolthars his keys, and they,hindered hint of ti,otat francs and many valuables.—Justice is in pursuit of ~.. _ _ c THE NATIONAL REGISTER. A Correspondent desires s* to pout.... singular species of fraud :—Familtes residing in lilt %irons of London are cautioned atoinst the abrooinable pracdces 01 a set of miscreants, whose object to extult money is of minor esti, compared with tile mean' they use to carry into effect their villainous schemes. These swindling wretches watch the heads of families lion* their homes in the morning,follow theft to their others, by which they obtain their names, then return and in form the wile that her husband wet with an accident, by a coach running over him near Ills office, and was taken with Inuits broken into all adjoining house, and toe bearer was despatched by a surgeon to procure the inedlcal advice of some eminent practitioner, then in the nei t hbutultood in attendance upon wine faintly. A accompanies the message, as from the surgeon. requesting Ulat the bearer nitwit be given cleat) Clothes, anti a couple of guineas; the latter to ensure the Mime• diate attendance of tt:e noted practitioner. A large family to N.ite Elms-lane, Vauxhall, was on Thursday thrown into tile greatest temporary distress of 1111 l such a diabolical scheme. the I.(illowin, A paper of Friday, complains that Mr. NI. A. Tay lor's act did not provide for cleatisiog the footway, at this season of the ytar Our attention has been dliityli to the 63,1 sectial of the act, by the Ilan. Member hinisel, which runs as follows:--.• Footwa)s during the COIIIIIIUJIICC of frost, or after, or dining snow, to Le swept by the occupier of the house, once every day, ex• ceps Sunday, all along the front, side, or back walls— Penalty oil neglect len siiillings cacti day." lit the 114 I'ollo, men welt employed fur this purpt•se by th .tgt-arates, and desired to elfsrge each Ivaise one pe • iiv, which being refused, the housekeepers were but-- lilt/lied, and lined Lell 611111111 p cacti. SHOCKING ATTAMPT AT SVICIDE.—AbOut one o'Jitick nit TilllfSlldy 11101nitig, the crew of the 11,-e, a Scots trading smack, lying 41 Downe-'s Wharf, in the Thames, were alarmed lay the repor. of a pistol flied tit the cabin ; some of them went to tile door, whith tieing fastened on the tibiae, dild rtreiving no answer, they „ioroetl it open, soil diseotered Mr. Ci.uti,tite owner anti Captain, lying.on Ule fluor, WI:hit:1'111g 111 his Mood; au tiiirti razor was I) lug near lima, also covered wild' blood, and the shattered remains of a l/lblol, aIIpCJIVII 1%1 ire just discharged, at a snort Instance front hint. Alt. Grim was gate speechless ; his right hand was shat tered, and his breast dreadfully lacerated front tne burst ing of the pistol, and itierc were two large incisions across hit throat, which appea)ed to he cooe witd tile razor. NI r. Price of Lower East Smithfield, was !oldie. - dl4lely stmt tor, ivllll, :Met dicasiat4 his %%numb, nail boat re •ed to Cite Cock clad Lon, Laver Last Sunni ' field, where he was 111.1 to bed. Ye►terday the insforto tiate gentleman under went ain puts (ion of his r. gm itainl ; the wound w the breast does not appear to he mortal, and the arteries of the neck are not cut, but the windpipe is partly cut across, mud there is but little nope of his- actis try. Last week a woman with her infant child was found dead in a field, neer Rushton, Snropshire. It is coojec hired that the unfortunate mintier, in getting over the title, near which she was found, tell day is and fractured her leg. itsilig.iitsable In mose, and without assistance, the set eriq 01 the weather froze her and her infant to death ! - - FlRE.—Thursday night, a fire broke broke out in the sugar-house of Mr. Gerkins, Ikll lane, W hue chapel, which, we regret to say, totally consumed the house, but without doing any further damage. Owing to the very active exertions of the firemen, an adjoining malt store-house of Messrs. Hatibury and Co.was ti rtunately provented from catchingfire. arrkenmell Sessons .—A measure was adopted on Monday last, at the proclamation for the discharge of those prisoners against whom no prosecutor ap peared or the bills had been thrown out by the Grand Jury, wind' is not only calculated to miti gate uistress, but to produce moral benefit to the community. The Keeper of the New Prison stated, that he had an order to give to those prisoners who would accept it, a shilling each, that, tiir want ut means to procure food or nightly shelter, they might have no temptation Or excuse for conunitting fresh deprentions, on the plea of immediate distress. The thankfulness with which the prisoners received this donation, proves its benclicial tendency. Many of them declared, that without such relief; they might have been tempted to resort to a new crime, merely to return the same day to the prison fur nightly shelter, but that this pecuniary assistance would induce them to look immediately around for honest emp.opncut. We have beard that the wor thy chairman suggested the propriety of rendering this temporary aid an established custom on similar oceesions. Robbery.—Yesterady morning the house of Mr Bourne, boot and shoemaker, New Kent Road, tuns broke open, and robbed of boots and shots, and other property. Mr. Bourne is a constable of the district, and has been very active amongst the thieves, who ,hreatened to " serve hint oat." Several of tite daily papers having stated, that " the tantily from the West Indies, who lug ;ell in Mr.Keres house, have recovered the trunk coat:lin ing the diamonds and other valuable property sup posed to have been destroyed in toe lire ; clear ing away the talus, the trunk was tbund in the rubbish, scorched on the outside, but the con tents were nut minted," We have authority fur saying, that Mr. TULL, the gentleman mluitcd to, has nut regained any part ut his property, excepting an old writ tog desk, which only contained family 'letters, of nu value whatever. A kw days ago, at Lewisham, while a baker,- ' whose horse and cart, containing bread, was at a door, and the baker was being paid his !rentlernati... bili in the, h etlic , a t ,...Ff took the opportunity to mount upon the box or the cart, is. d drive off with' . it Upon the baker discovering his loss, Jo= pro cured a horse, and rode after the thief, and he was apprehended ut Deptford gate ; he was iunnediatt•ly taken before Mr. Mason, the magistrate, and fully committed to take his trial for the felony. It has been correctly ascertainetl; that there are in lacemuking counties upwards of tloo,ooo pour women and children entirely dependent fur support on making pillow lace; which is now so reduced in price through the introduction of cotton lace, manufactured by machinery, that their car::l7 44 , will not on an average amount to (id. per day, and thousands of them arc at this moment in a state of starvation. They trust that the benevolent dispo sitions of the ladies will prompt them to introduce, as much as possible, the use of pillow lace in their various art.cles, which will be the means of rescuing. thou•ands from the deplorable state oftlistretis an& 'misery to which they are now reduced. Mimi!, JAN. 19.—Either owing to a barge striking against it, or to the sudden breaking up of the frost, or perhaps to both, one of the iron ribs of Harlan's-bridge, leadin ,, to Totterdown, gave way this mornimg about eight, and carried with it the foot pavement, iron-railing, gas pipes, &e. on the eastern side. The crash was tremendous; a matt and woman were passing at the time ; both escaped without injury, but of course extremely frightened. The morning coaches from Bath to Londo.i were obstructed in their passage, and obliged to turn through a new and unfinished road which leads over Bedminster Bridge ; here Fromont's Express coital), outwards, from the unevenness of the read, and the obstinacy of a waggon-driver, upset on the river side, and two outside passengers and the coach man were thrown down oat the step-bank, and would probably have perished in the river, which was retuning with increased velocity from the thaw, if a sack of oats, also thrown from the top of the coach, and which was impeded in its progress by a stone, had not providentially formed an obstruction within two feet of the water. No material injury was, however, done ; the crowds that were looking at the bridge immediately run to their assistance, and the coach was raised and proceeded on its. journey. On Saturday the 15th inst., and Sun*, a novel sight drew additional thousands. A large West India vessel, the Stedflist, belonging to Al derman Daniel, was released from her confinement` by cutting a canal in the ice; the process was per pertbrined by making sections of 16sor 1a teat. square, cad drawing them underneath the main, body, which was done by men standing on tilt's. detached piece, and by the help of-levers forcing it it below the level of the surrounding ice. The - Jane and Barbara, another %Vest India vessel, was also cut out, and taken through Bathurst Basin; but the passage for the Stedtltst was cut all the way to the Dock at the Hotwells. "Itis an ill-wind that blows no one good," and by the above contri. vance a number of men were employed who other wise would have had no means of obtaining Ly labour their requisite food. ATTACK ON TUE MAIL.—Cork, Jail. 15.-I'he co e n !ruin Didditi to this city was attaelicd last night by a number of a:nied men, at a place called Five Milt idge, I,etween 12 and I o'clock. A barrier of cars ILO been placed acro s s the road for the purpose of stop. ,ping the coach, and on its arrival at this impediment, a fire commenced front heitnid the ditches Egaitist t a wail. Otte of the goartti named Mg.:x(lwatt, shot ire the sun in the act of raising his blunderliiiss, to disz charge it, but the other maintained a rapid Lire mn :ha robin.' 6, end iii the Illeatl flint, the cuacluuan, P Ilf kit %.% ith great dexterity and resolution, avitipired nn the I:44rses ; .and by the iiiipettis of the coach, au,led by the slippery nature ()I' tile roads, socceciiitd it bursiiii6. tittougli ;he ea'', and d:ove oil' with ,iit fartli,r gentleman ol the name ol Nip,v•iit is, h o wever, 1101 ... Sul t ; lie wars all inside p.uswngt , but been ial , err• ill at New ..111e-stolie, about Iriar nnitcs Irmo the vlace of attack, suit aild us the enitimeneement nf . the lir •hg, jusioveti oil' the coach, and Tres tot been bend of. Toe giia:d was left at ~c (oilers':tad Its arm iiiti , t he The pace where the attack liap,:iied Was .n . e antis • to the sihnit of Colonel , and the ‘'ate' ford eo..icit nail bet it attack, kl • near ilis same spot, a fox hours betoe, hitt eseard injury. We hate not heard whether any tits aS•al. ants were A poor woman outside pas.enger on one of the witches front London to Exeter, dieil oa . 1".:urs41:111 morning, front the ineleiiielicy of the weather, to which she hid bevit exposed diiriag the On the coachintin perceiving th.tt sit.: was nlh iL ht by the on the of Cite stage below Salishary, he Ltd her ciiiivyycil Miors, and taken rare of; but assistance wds too late to prolong her exii.teme more than has ail. hour, Two chillien precee..itig on Thurs.lay wear front I:mg-port to 13risiol, oil a baggage tt'•t for were fount!, on its aim i.t ian on the ;.)