destruction of life, also, numbering some seventy victims, including Hon. George W. Smith, governor of the state, the burning of the theater in Richmond, Va., December 24, 1811, will forever be remembered.

At nine o'clock, on the night of Wednesday, December sixteenth, smoke and flames were seen to issue from a five-story building in Merchant street, formerly Hanover street, in the vicinity of the Merchants' Exchange, and in precisely that locality of the metropolis which was crowded with the most costly treasures of foreign and domestic production. The weather had. been unusually severe for several days; but on the night in question, the cold had increased to an intensity almost without precedent, the thermometer standing below zero, with fierce north winds, amounting nearly to a gale. It was an awful night for New York and the country.

The flames soon leaped forth in fury through every aperture, and seized on the adjoining buildings for their immediate prey, and, spreading from this point, the raging element in a short time obtained a tremendous advantage in the most compactly and loftily built portion of the city, filled with silks, cloths, liquors, oils, chemicals, and other combustibles, and intersected only by narrow streets which could interpose no barrier to the progress of the flames.

Owing to the unparalleled severity of the weather, and to the fact that there had been so many alarms within the week, requiring so large an amount of harassing service of the fire department, the latter did not rally with its accustomed alacrity. It was soon found, too, that the effort put forth to check the power of the conflagration in that quarter to which the wind was so vehemently urging it, was utterly unavailing. The water so plenteously thrown upon it by hydrants and engines, was blown back in the faces, and fell congealed at the feet of the brave firemen, or seemed only to add to the fury and force of the destroyer, which rapidly embraced the great range of houses on the opposite

side, until the whole triangular block, formed by Wall, William, and Pearl streets, became one lofty altar of waving fires. From this point, taking the direction of Wall street below Pearl, on the one hand, and Pearl street below Wall, on the other, the flames rolled on, mocking all human endeavors to restrain them.

Advancing thus in two grand divisions, the conflagration, as contrasted with the red masses of buildings which they alternately illuminated with glaring brightness and wrapped in huge volumes of smoke, conveyed to the beholder the idea of some fabulous monster of destruction, waving its wings over its helpless and devoted prey.

The extraordinary strength of the Wall street buildings-many of them resisting firmly the assaults of the destroyer, and none of the walls crumbling and falling into the street, as is so generally the case

did more for the security of those north of the street, than anything within the power of human effort. Onward, however, still onward, continued the resistless sweep of destruction, involving some of the most massive blocks of warehouses in the world, crammed with the costliest of goods from every section and clime.

After consuming the Phoenix buildings on Wall street, the fire pursued its way to Water street, Front street, and at length, as the the morning dawned,

to South South street, adjoining the East river. But progressing at the same time, through Pearl street, on both sides, towards Hanover square, it crossed and speedily devoured Governeur lane, Jones's lane, and the whole of Front and Water streets that lay between Wall street and Franklin market. In the meantime, it was furiously extending through Exchange street and Exchange place to William street, and to all the buildings in the rear of the Merchants' Exchange.

This magnificent and beautiful edifice, which, for the elegant grandeur of its architecture, was the pride not only of New York but of the whole country, it was hoped would continue to rear its dome

in the sky, though all around it should become a scene of desolation-for, there being no flames between it and the course of the wind, it seemed fortunately secure. from any imminent danger. And so much confidence was reposed in this presumption, that the building was selected as the grand depot for the most precious kinds of merchandise that could be rescued from the adjacent streets, and with which its great hall was completely piled. Every precaution, too, was taken to preserve it, by conveying hose to its roof, and by spreading wet blankets along those parts of the windows and cornices most exposed to the heat. But all proved vain! At about one o'clock in the morning the splendid edifice took fire, and although the flames preyed upon it but slowly for some time, they at length burst forth from its roof and dome, and weaved a pall of ruin over its vast and beautiful form. For full half an hour, the flames arose in pyramidal columns, from its dome, up to an immense height in the troubled sky, and rendered it a most sublime though fearful object. But before

the unhappy persons who had made it a refuge for their property from the terrible enemy that was abroad, could again rescue scarcely an article, the dome fell in with a portentous crash, burying beneath its ruined arches the new and beautiful statue of the illustrious Hamilton. A gallant effort was made to save this statue, by a young officer from the navy yard, with a party of four or five sailors; they had actually succeeded in removing it from the pedestal, when the danger from the approaching fall of the roof,-watched with breathless anxiety by the terror-stricken multitudecompelled them to seek safety in flight.

At this time, the fire on Pearl street had reached Hanover square, which large space of ground was covered with goods. A desperate struggle was made to save them, but so rapidly did the fire spread on both sides of the square, that, in a short time, everything was reduced to cinders. Of the South Dutch church, which had also. been stored with valuables, nothing was left but the bare walls. The post-office shared the same desolation.

To check the augmenting avalanche of fire, when water could not be thrown upon it or seemed of no avail if it was, gunpowder was at last resorted to; but none; in sufficient quantities was to be procured in the city, it not being allowed as an article of merchandise. An application at the fort on Governor's Island was unsuccessful; but a supply was ultimately procured, after daylight, from the Brooklyn navy yard, with a corps of marines, and the demolition of some prominent buildings by this means, contributed materially to the subjugation of the flames, which was finally effected at Coenties slip, about noon of Thursday, after an awful and uninterrupted devastation of sixteen hours.

Thus, seventeen of the most valuable 'blocks' in the money and business part of the city were totally destroyed, and three others nearly so. The total loss, as given in the New American Cyclopædia, was more than eighteen million dollars! Six hundred and seventy buildings were burnt, principally occupied as importing and wholesale warehouses, the seat, indeed, of the greatest monetary and commercial transactions on the American continent. It is not likely that the destruction of any given section of any other city in the world, of equal extent, would have involved a greater loss of capital, or ruined the fortunes of a larger number of men. The south side of Wall street was half destroyed. William, Pearl, Water, Front and South streets, from Wall street to Coenties slip, were in ruins. Exchange place, Hanover street, Merchant street, and Hanover square, were entirely destroyed; Stone street, from Pearl to Broad street, nearly so. Some of the buildings on Broad street suffered; but throughout the night this noble avenue was universally regarded as the only efficient barrier against the entire destruction of the first ward, involving results almost incalculable, to property of every description.

Before the gunpowder was used in blowing up the buildings, there were constantly heard loud reports caused by explosions of casks of spirits, chemicals, and other

substances. During the entire night, the scene was one of awful terror and indescribable grandeur. The drought of the season had contributed to the combustibility of the materials, and the rapidity with which house after house, range after range of buildings, was wrapped in flames, was frightful to the beholder. The gale being strong, large flakes of fire were borne whirling aloft, through the dark vault of heaven, with fearful splendor.

Among the noticeable matters of curiosity, observed during the progress of the conflagration, was the resistance offered so long and staunchly to the flames, by the South Dutch church, Rev. Dr. Matthews's, but which finally yielded to the all-conquering foe. The bright gold ball and star surmounting the structurecrowning the highest point of the spiregleamed brilliantly; and thus, while the two were shining, in the deep blue concave, with an intensity of brightness which attracted general remark, they suddenly gave one surge, and fell, in all their glory, into the chaotic heap beneath. Similar was the fate of the Hamilton statue, which, towering brightly amidst the sea of flames that dashed against its crackling base, cast a mournful glance on the terrific scene, and then fell with stately motion, perishing under the crush of the edifice of which it had been, as it were,

the tutelary genius. A fine old syca

more, near the corner of Beaver and William streets, on the premises formerly occupied by Cadwallader D. Colden, vigorously resisted the foe, standing unharmed amid the ruins.

At the head of one of the slips, a novel spectacle occurred. A large quantity of turpentine, piled up in barrels, caught the flames and burnt with great fury, on account of its peculiarly inflammable character. It ran down in a stream, like burning lava, into the dock, upon the surface. of the water, and, being lighter than the latter, spread out until it had covered a vast extent, giving the river the appearance of one rolling mass of liquid fire, startling but beautiful to behold.