. Lamb's friend the census-taker; life and letters of John Rickman . great tragedy of his closing years, which had a very markedeffect upon bis spirits and his intellectual powers. Rickmanvery truly sympathised, though he was incapable of ex-pressing his feelings. Yet when he found that Telfordhad left Southey a legacy of £500, he offered to advance atonce any sum up to £450 if from recent event (or otherwise)desirable. On October 16 occurred the disastrous fire in which thegreater part of the Houses of Parliament were burnt is well known, it was caused by the too rapid burning ofold E
. Lamb's friend the census-taker; life and letters of John Rickman . great tragedy of his closing years, which had a very markedeffect upon bis spirits and his intellectual powers. Rickmanvery truly sympathised, though he was incapable of ex-pressing his feelings. Yet when he found that Telfordhad left Southey a legacy of £500, he offered to advance atonce any sum up to £450 if from recent event (or otherwise)desirable. On October 16 occurred the disastrous fire in which thegreater part of the Houses of Parliament were burnt is well known, it was caused by the too rapid burning ofold Exchequer tallies of wood in a stove. It began in theHouse of Lords and rapidly spread. The Rickmans werein Palace Yard at the time, except Ann Rickman, who wasin the country with her uncle. It is to this fact that we owethe graphic account written on the very night by FrancesRickman, afterwards Mrs. Hone, to her sister. By MissLefroys courtesy, I am enabled to reproduce it. 1 Palace Yard, 17th Oct. J fast 3 Thank God, my dearest Anne, after near eight hours. LIFE AND LETTERS OF JOHN RICKMAN 309 dreadful doubt, we seem all safe, though I am still partlylighted by the still blazing House of Commons ! I fear youwill hear of the awful fire before this reaches you. ... Iwill give you as collected an account as I can, for my legsache and I could not sleep, so I may as well write. Afterdinner, at § past six this evening, Papa and Mamma takinga nap, in came Ellis, I think, Miss, there s a small firebroke out at the House of Lords. I said Come withme to the leads to see it, and there, even then, a volumeof flame was blowing towards the Wildes. Papa at firstthought it could be got under, but soon it fearfully grew,and we had little doubt the Hall would catch. The Houseof Lords we could not see, but some heard that it and and the Library were destroyed : then the flamesburst from the House of Commons windows, and sooner thanI could believe the interior of that was destroye
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