The house of Major Watson, at the Citadel, Plymouth, was
de- stroyed by fire on the night of the 11th instant; and the Major him- self, a fine old soldier, with two of his daughters, one twenty-two and the other sixteen years of age, were burnt to death. The following details have been collected-
" The first alarm was given by the maid. servant, who had escaped from the burning house about five in the morning, and was standing outside the house calling to her master to follow her. The fire must have been sntouldering. in the lower part of the house three or four hours ; for on the front-door being opened, the wind, which was blowing tempestuously, sent such a blast into the premises that they appeared to ignite throughout instantaneously : and al- though no outward evidence was visible before, the house was now enveloped in flames, as if it had been fired in twenty places at the same moment. The building was of light materials. The eldest son, Mr. John Watson (who is blind), and Mr. Henry, escaped by dropping from their bedroom-windows. Mr. Pude (a friend of the family) assisted Miss Watson to escape in the same way, and then followed himself. It is supposed that on hearing the alarm, the Major went to the stairs, which he must have discovered in flames, and that on returning to his bedroom he found that in the same state. The two daughters
who were burnt slept in a bedroom on the second floor. • *
" The servant had put some wood to dry on the hobs of the parlour grate before she went to bed ; this wood is supposed to have been blown on the re- maining fire by a sudden gust of wind coining down the chimney, and to have been afterwards carried into the room by the same means. The house is pro- minently situated in the south-west corner of the Citadel, from which quarter the wind blew furiously last night. The wind also prevented the report of a musket from being heard, although fired three times by one of the sentinels. The gunner was the first to assist. He heatd the shrieks of the maid-servant, dropped his portfire, and roused the soldiers in CI neigbouring range." Last week, Francis Frith, a stone-mason at Egham in Derbyshire, cut his wife's !throat, and then his on n in a fit of insanity. The bodies of both were found in bed, and in their night-clothes.
The Lady Jane, of Shields, another of the missing whalers, has reached Stronmess -in a most distressed condition. On the 20th of December last, she had on board 52 of her own crew and 12 from the Mary and Francis ; since which 22 have died, and when the ship came in, only 12 out of the whole could be on deck : the rest are suffering under most aggravated symptoms of scurvy, and dysentery, and debility.
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