L30/15/54/96

From 2nd Baron Grantham, Escurial to Fritz (Frederick):

17 Nov 1778

From: 1778 To: 1778

Received a letter from Nanny and others by messenger. Will write more fully by this means wherever he returns. He is a Yorkshireman and comes from near Northerallerton, he said the new road from Topcliffe [Yorks.] is the finest he ever saw and that from Coruña the worst. Dined at Morino's, but kept Diet. Masserano's and Kaunitz dined with Grantham next day. Took them to the Great Ponds afterwards. Update on his health. Expecting to be at Madrid the beginning of next week. Mr. Heslop says Shadwell's was a terrible fall, fractured his skull, was trepanned, [operated on with a trepan, crown saw- O.E.D.], expected to recover. Heslop saw Draper before he left Town, embarked at Plymouth etc.. Perico has returned, the horses arrived well, Almegro will turn out very fine he says. Widow Brodeires/Brodeirs freights a ship with them which will cost. Waddilove to bear the charges of the freight of his horse although Grantham allowing his expenses by land. Don Rodrigo was there one day, didn't see him, coming back with Menerses from Madrid to be presented. He is decorated with the Order of Christo. Monkey be brought for Kaunitz is very small, Portugal has given it to the King. Pachco's steel things sent and money received by Messenger. Fatal misfortune at Saragossa, the Theatre illuminated on the Prince's day is burnt down and above a hundred [people] burnt or missing. Some principal People there, relations of the Arragonese Families in great consternation at Madrid. Letter enclosed providing details of the fire, [text in Spanish]: Translated - ZARAGOZA - THE FIRE Dear Sir, I write to inform you of the tragic events which occurred last Thursday in the Theatre at half past six in the afternoon during a performance of the opera entitled The Royal House of Arterxes, when during a change of scenery where there were many lights a candle fell and a piece of the staging caught fire whereupon the public took fright but the means to put out the fire being applied in the wings these appeared to have been successful and the audience was calmed down. However shortly after all the staging started to burn and with it the whole building. As the blaze was so unexpected there was no time for the people to get out and when they tried to do so they were trampled, one on top of the other, so that few were able to escape from the fatal ruins. Of the women in the gallery only a few were able to save themselves. From the boxes, those in the front row and some in the second were able to flee. No one knows the number of dead but it is thought to be considerable and because it was the day of the civic festival the principal citizens of Zaragoza were present: the General and the General’s wife and daughter are in intensive care, the Mayor and Governor are both badly injured and some individual women are dead. The lightening of this disaster also struck the teacher where I worked since he was one of the many that died. One cannot describe the lamentations of the city because some had lost their wives, others their children and others their parents so that only one who has been a witness can realise the tragedy. The fire spread to within a block of the hospital and the more able patients fled while those who could not were carried in their beds to the Hospice of San Francisco. Members of my family, thank God, escaped this fatal end because none were attending the function except Berges who, when the fire started had gone out for a drink and escaped. I am your obedient servant. P.S. It has been definitely established that the number of dead in the Theatre, according to calculations made by the Mayors of the principal districts, reached 262 between men and women, without counting those who died from fright , of which there are already two. The day after the fire there were two convicts due to be hanged but the gentlemen of the court suspended sentence as not further to alarm the town; they also ordered that the dead be buried in the Church of San Francisco and for the notables who families wished to take the bodies home, they are to be buried without toll of bells. Of the 262 estimated dead not half have been found and it is presumed the fire consumed them. -------- Great honours and distinctions shown to the Alvas at Cadiz etc... Treatise upon Pine Apples by Mr. Bastard. Seen in a list of books in a magazine. An Italian Gardener is to read Lectures on Agriculture, Gardening etc. In the Retiro, Waddilove will not attend as he says he knows as much as the man does. Waddilove thanks Fritz for his letter, will answer soon. Love to Nanny and the Parkers.

item

Morino,
Masserano,
Kaunitz,
Heslop,
Shadwell,
Draper,
Brodeirs,
Waddilove,
Rodrigo,
Bastard

theatres, Spain, FIRE, Saragossa, DEATH