Sir, having been advised by several very respectable aldermen and gentlemen of the Common Council of London, to petition that august body on behalf of the unfortunate sufferers by a late dreadful fire at Minehead [electronic resource] : The committee appointed to conduct an application to the public, take the liberty of requesting the favor, that whenever the question is brought before the court, you would be kind enough to use your charitable and humane endeavours for the relief of a number of unfortunate families, who have lost nearly the whole of what they possessed in the world, and would have been driven to the greatest distress, had it not been for the timely assistance of generous public; who, to the credit of this nation, have in many affecting instances, like the present, nobly stood forward, to rescue their fellow-creatures from impending misery and ruin, however unknown to or unconnected with them, by any outward ties. ...