The Press.
London, England, 1853-11-26 00:00:00

2lttibtnts nnb Offtncts.

Tut: WIND AND STLANI Frova Mtn. belonging to
Mr. Itawsthurn, Liverrool, were eon.
sumed on Wednesday night. The estimated loss on
the buildings is from 4,000/. to 5,000 t, and ou the
stoek atom 4,11410/. The origin 41 the tire is mat.
known. The premises had jie.t been fitted with MA,
chiuory at a cont of 1,04/4 No lives wore lost,
though I/110 of the lirenien Was much 'mitred.
NIB. 114H.Krii, met with it serious accident on
Wednesday in last week. ile was walking throng,'
his works at renlyreli, in Herefordshire, when lin
unfortunately struck his foot against a piece of iron
and was thrown violently to the ground, thereby
causing a fracture of the small bone of his right
arm.

Dritthie A Il6a4se: Foci on Monday night several
persons tell into the Niue Locks and htourbridgo
Canal, at Mierley hill, in Staffordshire, and six of
them were drowned. Two were named Reece; the
names of three others were ltidley, tintless and
Male. The other was a boat-buy front IVolvethatup
ton, whose moor is So'lllll other per
sons were, fortunately emoted from the canal in
time, or they would have met with a similar fate.
A Fou, of greater density than has been ',moot for
very many years, enveloped London during the
greater part of Tuesday and Wednesday last. At,
night the obscurity waft such that all the 'minibuses
reamed running, and indeed no vehicle could proceed
without extreme ilitliculty, and at a it 'dhow pace.
Pedestrians were also much inconvenienced, and
many of them were fore's' to grope their way with
litikhoyi in advance, as it was often literally teapot-
bible to see objects at the distriire of three or tour
feet. lummierable accidents of a minor description
occurred, but there was but one fatal casualty re•
ported, a woman having fallen under the wheel of a
railway-van IA Searle street, Lincoln's-inn-fields, and
been killed instantaneously. On the river the stop.
page of intik was complete. Leetlft, Cambridge, and
other towns have also been visited by fogs, though of
less duration and severity.
Two 1101.111 if AN ii(ii.,Tmlinit-sraEirr, Purism:en,
fell down on Thursday eveiung, and caused the death
of several persons. The premises, which were veir
old, haul been bought by the lltuktrovemuut Commis-
siouers, fur the purpose of widening the street. The
purchaser of the otatesials sold the (loots, windows,
and moveable portions tu lots to various persons, whet
removed them forthwith. The place was tints thrown
open, and became the resort of a number of lade.
who were playing about, when, with the exception of
the two walls, the whole suddenly fell in. Many
escaped with slight bruises, but six of the lads were
dug out lifeless.
'IIIX WM:OYMa Ur A BARS/MIMS Mtausu, COVI •
niitted at noonday, was made near Wellinghain, rn
West Norfolk, on the lhth. The victim is a nitwit
of Baden Baden, named Lortatzu Ischia, who kept a
milverstitith's in Norwich, but Wien travelled
round the neiglibuuriaimal with watches and jewellery
on sale. His tasty was found in a copse mar tb,
road, the head having been rut with a hatchet,
which was left on the spot. Thom/mit, a labouring
lad, aged Pi, has been apprehended, under circum-
stances of strong suspicion, on the charge of bull's
evamaimed the warder.

708

THE FOG IN DOWNIN G-STREET.
E FROM OUK OWN PENNY A-LINER]

NEVER in the memory of the oldest female inhabitant of a political
locality—we need hardly say that we allude to the Right Honourable
the Earl of ARERDEEN—bas there occurred such a series of casualties,
accidents, and mishaps, as were occasioned not a hundred miles from
Downing-street by the fog of Tuesday last. During the whole of its
endurance the various noblemen and gentlemen to whom the interests
Of this great stud commercial country are entrusted were exposed to
the must painful inconvenienee and misconstruction in consequence
of the dense state of the atmosphere. We have taken great pains to
collect authentic information upon the subject, but it is but justice to
ourselves to state that Lord Atmanrcs, carrying out the tactics for
which he has been so remarkable in another place, issued orders that
no questions were to be answered ; and therefore, although our
accounts are correct., so far as they go, we must share the condition
of the rest of the nation, and wait until time shall disclose the full
1111101111 It of Ministerial blundering. We are enabled to state, however,
that the Noble Earl sit the head of her Majesty's Government, who
left the Treatowy, intending to return to his residence (Argyll-house),
was so bewildered by the fog that he actually entered No. 14,
Chesham-place South (the Russian Embassy), and declared that ho
felt quite glad to find himself sit home. Somewhat later in the day,
Viscount l'Atarativost, who had designed to visit the Home-office,
walked into the Foreign-office in a mistake, occasioned by the same
cause, mid, curiously enough, from the infrequency of his visits to
the office to which his colleagues have, for the present, contrived to
remtntin Lis activity, was obliged to ask a subordinate to direct him to
the department he desired to discover. The Foreign Secretary, de
facto, we may mention evinced a remarkable trait of kindness
towards those in his employ, and, in consequence of the unwhole-
some atmosphere and its deleterious influence upon the lungs,
removed the restriction by which he lists hitherto limited the
senior clerks to eighteen and the juniors to twelve cigars during the
hours of public business, adding that he should not think of counting
cigarettes. The consequence, unluckily, was, that Mr. BRAIDWOOD,
IleeeiVed by the volumes of smoke which issued from the office, brought
down the engines several times during the day. The First Commis-
sioner of Works made a singular mistake, for, deluded by the fog, he
kept walking on until he was lost, and then, retracing his earlier steps,
found himself at a door on which was a brass plate inscribed " House-
hold Suffrage Association," to which, it appeared, the baronet had
formerly belonged. Ile, however, made his escape with some precipi-
tancy. Mr. BERNAL ()mom:, on his way from Charles-street to the
Admiralty, contrived to turn into Albemarle-street, and, fairly be-
wildered, went into a house to ask his road. The house happened to
be that of Mr. Mummy, the celebrated publisher, where Mr. Osammr,
witwithstanding his professed polities, received every attention. and,
as In' facetiously remarked, JOHN Mummy- assisted his progress
snaleriadly, whereas LINDLEY, of that ilk, was always in his way. He
arrived at the Admiralty just in time to rut against his ehol, Sir JAMES
ilamsmit, whose nwanderings had been no less remarkable, for he
had first walked into the Post-office, and, to the exceeding astound-
ment of the clerks, demanded that all that day's letters should be
brought to him to open, and then, excusing himself with his usual
blunders, proeceded westward again, and, taking another wrong
turn, found himself joining a meeting of a Radical Reform Club,
which was just then discussing his own pledge. solemnly given at
Carlisle, that the suffrage should be lowered. Finally, he had turned
into the Hum se Guards, where he got into talk with some of the men.
and, but for being recognised by an officer, would have been turned out
tOr broaching the question whether British troops would have
mutinied had not Parliament repealed Ilse Corn Laws. An accident,
which might have been serious, occurred to the Duke of Anovs.t. who,
on being cautioned against proceeding at his usual bold and deter-
mined pace, ridiculed the advice, and rushed forward until 1w ran his
head against a door on the north side of St. .Tames's-square ; but, his
Graee's head being softer than he imagined, lw was simply prostrated,
and escaped amid the laughter of the bystanders. A singular mis-
chance befel the Solicitor-Genend, who so completely mistook his
direction that 1w was found in the Conservative Club. Mr. HENRI.
Frrzßov, who hail breakfasted with some of his old friends at the
Canton, succeeded in making his way to Brookes's, where he dined.
The only Minister who proved a complete exception to the rule was
the CHANcri.toti of the Exestrorra, who proeceded throughout the day
with perfect calmness, remarking that a fog was no bail thing after
all, for it mystified figures, made any number of courses apparently
equally desirable, and was like a Coalition, for it induced individuals
to find links who had never before thought thereof. Several of the
Ministers met at the festive board in the evening, and Mr. BrasAi.
OsacaNi: was exceedingly brilliant during dinner with two new jokes
founded on the incident of the day. We are unable to give theta with
precision, but we believe one was to the effect that foggy air was
ut)thinfli as that bare (pointing to it) had not been mist. ; and the
other was a conundrum, inquiring why such a fog was unlike a
friVandaill ? Answer . JJ .11
eCAUI3O you ffityht cut it with a knife."

SATURDAY,

ST. SOPHIA AND ST. PAUL'S.
SCENE.—An Apartment iK the Sultan's OWN` Kiosk ai Constantinopk.
L 7 ke SULTAN 14 awe,kimy. REPNCRID PACHA Marrs.
The PACHA ( saluting): May the magnificent rays of your High-
ness's relation, the Sun, perpetually shine upon your Highness.
The SULTAN : I have no objection, Puebla, if I have au umbrella to
keep my relative off; and so the same to you and all that; and now
what is your news ?
The PACHA At the moment, your Highness, none. But the
shadow of good fortune is assuredly advancing upon the dial of
futurity, and I shall shortly be honoured in laying at your feet tidings
that the bear's skin has been again torn by your faithful hunters.
The SULTAN: I wish we had those wires the Austrians tell their
lies with. lam told that if you seratelt one end, and whisper your
message, it fulls down a thousand miles off, at the other end, in a
beautiful manuscript, illuminated with gold and colours.
The DACHA : I would not venture to remind your Highness of a
verse in the Koran, which says, " Be not over-hasty to know the new
" thing, for surely the old is better," because that, like most other
holy sayings, means just what the interpreter likes ; but I would sug-
gest that good news is always welcome, and ill news always travels
fast enough.
The SULTAN (laughing) I believe you are no better than an ac-
cursed infidel, and an abominable son of Sheitan, Pacha—so shut
the door, and then come here.

[The SI'LTAN pulls out a loog•nerked bottle frum under the (linen, and he and
his Minister refresh thrmselres.

The SULTAN : Wallah bad ! What do you call that, you old
humbug?

The Nem: An infidel would call it wine, Highness.
The SULTAN : He would. And the Koran tells us to believe th a
the infidels speak lies, and to prove our faith by our works. There-
fore, in token that I discredit the infidel wine-merchant, I drink what
Allah forbid I should touch if I believed it to be what he calls it.
Eh, Pacha?
The Mem: Your Highness's practical theology is unequalled,
and so is that wine, except at the British Embassy, and thus your
Highness's wisdom naturally brings me to the subject on which I
approach the presence. What will your Highness do for these poor
English?
The SU►.TAN : Their condition is growing more and more
pitiable, eh?
The New( : The compassion, which is the duty of every Moslem,
is pmfoundly affected by their helplessness. The jaws of the bear are
opening for them.
The SULTAN : They opened for us, I think, Paella.
The Newt : It is true, Highness ; and they shut upon our
bayonet, not much to their comfort. But the case of these English is
different. They cannot resist Russia. We are a nation of gentlemen
and soldiers; they are shopkeepers and cowards. We believe in duty;
they care fur nothing but money. The fervour of loyalty and devotion
which rolled our troops in myriads to the banks of the Danube they
sneer at as fituaticism ; and men of authority among them, if they cal-
culated that an invader would buy more yards of their cotton than are
at present sold, would open their gates to him. They will be the
bear's victims, and some of them his willing victims.
The SULTAN : Really, then, they seem a shy lot. Are they worth
helping, Paelm ?
The Neils: First, Highness, there is our religious duty, on which
I will not insist (They drink); and secondly, weak and effete as they
are, it would be advantageous to Turkey to proteot the integrity
.of
England. I could give your Highness reasons fur this, but am disin-
clined to bore you. If we let Russia conquer England in Europe we
shall ruin friends who, though humble and weak, have good intentions
towards us and, unless we save England in Asia from being overrun,
the religion of the Prophet, which England tolerates in India, will be
exposed to Greek persecution.
The SULTAN: 60A, 80 far; but do they see their danger? Are
they making no struggles against the enemy.
The l'AcuA : On the contrary, Highness, their chief statesman is
an old and well-known tool of Russia, and the newspaper they most
read is his organ, so long; as he is in power. They are, therefore, at
once blinded and misled, and those who tell them the truth are reviled
for interfering with trade. Yet it WBB but a few dap since that one of
their Ministers called Clarendon was obliged to caution their merchants
who trade with Russia not to risk any money, at this juncture, in
fulfilling contracts with Petersburg.
The SULTAN : And are the Russians menacing England in Asia?
The I'AcHA : They have already debauched the princes on the
frontier, and are combining with old enemies of England to advance
upon the north-western provinces, Highness.
The SULTAN : It is well : opportunity serves. We are strong, and
must help the weak. England shall be saved. Not, by the beard of
my !Miler, as she sought to save us. We will write no foolish des-
patches surrendering her rights, nor will we exhort her to overlook
insults and outrages, while the enemy settles in her provinces. We
will teach these Russian sons of burnt fathers a lesson.

The IPACHA : I foresaw that such would be your Highness s
decree.

The SrI.TAN: YOU will bend oil to-day a letter to the Queen
England, with my love, and my particular request that she immediately
give her Primo Minister the sack.