The Press.
London, England, 1854-03-11 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

IN the evening of Saturday last the house of Mr.
Joseph Harvey, of 11, Carter-street, Walworth, was
entered by thieves, when 1,6311. in gold and 1501. in
notes were stolen.
A SINGULAR ROBBERY OF BANK-NOTES, amounting
to 1,6751., was perpetrated on Monday in the City.
A gentleman, residing in Christopher-street, Finsbury-
square, left his residence between three and five
o'clock in the afternoon, and proceeded to Hatton-
garden, and back again, when on his retura be dis-
covered that a pocket-book had been abstracted from
his pocket by some member of the light fingered
fraternity. The pocket-book contained one 1,0001.
Bank of England note, one of 5001., three for 501.,
one 201., and one 51. note. A reward of 1001. has
been oftred for the recovery of the property or
apprehension of the thief.
AN ALARMING FIRE broke out on Thursday night
at Messrs. Bielefeld's papier-miche warehouse, a
lofty pile of buildings at the corner of Wellington-
street North and Exeter-street, Strand. When first
discovered the fire was raging in the upper floor,
and speedily the flames burst through the roof.
Engines arrived in rapid succession, and, a plentiful
supply of water being obtained, the hose was carried
to the roofs of the adjoining houses, from whence
torrents of water were poured on the flames, but,
from the combustible nature of the stock, it was
some time before the firemen obtained the mastery.
The upper part of Mr. Bielefeld's premises was
destroyed, and the adjoining houses considerably

damaged.
THE inqtllry into the cause of the late colliery
accident at Wigan, which resulted in the deaths of
eighty-nine persons, terminated on Thursday. The
jury give it as their opinion that the general manage-
ment and ventilation of the mine in question have
been satisfactory, and the system of working, under
the peculiar circumstances of the pit, uncensurable.
Under the clrcumstances of these awful explosions,
however, they strongly recommend to the managers
that, as far as possible, the use of gunpowder in the
working-places within the mine should be wholly
discontinued.
Mn. J. HAYWOOD, teacher of chemistry at the
Wesleyan College, Sheffield, died on Thursday from
the efiects of a melancholy accident. A large bottle
containing sulphuric acid (oil of vitriol) broke in
his hands, and, besides occasioning some severe
burns, the acid fumes that issued produced so much
injury to his lungs before he could escape out of
their reach as to terminate in his death a few hours
afterwards.
THE Edinburgh steamer, Captain Phillips, with
six chief and ten fore cabin passengers on board,
struck upon the Barkumriff, on the coast of East
Friesland, about three o'clock on the morning of
Monday, the 27th ult., during a gale from the north-
west, and remained in a most dangerous position
with her head towards the lighthouse of Barkum
Island. The catastrophe involved the loss of twelve
persons—viz., four stokers, three seamen, two ap
prentices, and three passengers.
A MOST DESTRUCTIVE FIRE broke out on Thursday
morning on the premises of Mr. J. Cooper, news-
agent, in Old Road, Stepney. The police first raised
the alarm, when the inmates had barely time to
make their escape before the building was in one
sheet of fire. The premises and contents were
entirely destroyed, but the fire was confined to the
house in which it originated.
AN EXTENSIVE SEIZURE OF CONTRABAND TOBACCO
has been effected by Mr. Gowland, commander of
the revenue cruiser Vigilant, under rather extra-
ordinary circumstances. The Vigilant was on her
cruising-ground off the Northland Head, when the
commander, having observed some suspicious ap-
pearances in a cutter-rigged vessel at some distance,
gave chase for nearly five hours, at the expira-
tion of which the vessel—which proved to be the
Charlotte, of Gravesend, Beale master—was boarded.
After Beaching her, as nothing contraband was found,
the officers were about to let her go, when some
stops (small pieces of line), which had been recently
cut, and evidently used for tricing up bales or tubs,
were observed around the gunwale, and told plainly
that in the chase the goods had been cut away and
sunk. Accordingly, measures were adopted for
creaping and sweeping the ground they had passed
over, and meantime the Charlotte was detained.
Mr. Gowland's crew after a short time succeeded
in hauling up a string of forty.two hales of un-
manufactured tobacco, firmly compressed in water.
tight packages, and weighing nearly three tons. The
vessel was taken to Rochester, where the crew, con
sisting of three men, were examined before a magis-
trate and remanded.

THERE are 35,000 fugitive slaves in Canada, who are re-
presented as in a very flourishing condition just now, owing
to the high prices paid for labour on the lines of railway
building in the provinces. In the town of Chatham alone
there are 730 fugitives, who are rapidly acquiring property
in land. In the new abolition town of Buxton there are
130 families of coloured people—escaped slaves—who own
a tract of 9,000 acres of land. The whole amount of land
in Canada West owned by the fugitives is stated to be
'45,000 acres.