The Press.
London, England, 1857-06-13 00:00:00

Volittral.

A CABINET COT7NCIL was held on Saturday after-
noon at the official residence of the First Lord of the
Treasury in Downing-street. It was attended by all
the Ministers with the exception of the Duke of
Argyll. On Wednesday a Cabinet Council was again
held, at which all the Ministers were present.

THE RIGHT HON. SIR LAWRENCE PEEL VMS sworn
in a director of the East India Cumpany, and took
his seat at the board accordingly at a court of direc-
tors held on Wednesday. Lieutenant-General Sir
James Outram, K.C.8., was also appointed a provi-
sional member of the council of Inaia.
A DEPUTATION OF MEMBERS OF THE MEDICAL
PROFESSION waited upon Lord Palmerston at
Cambridge•house on Tuesday on the subject of
the medical bills now before the House of Com-
mons. Mr. Headlam, M.P., introduced the depu-
tation, several of whom expressed their approba-
tion of the bill which Mr. Headlam has introduced
as very preferable to Lord Elcho's bill. Lord Pal-
merston replied that the Government would be
guided in the course they should adopt with regard
to these two bills by the discussion on their merits.

THE COMING REFORM BILL was alluded to last
week at the Liberal banquet at Northampton by Mr.
Vernon Smith as "not a sham Reform Bill":

If it did not go so far as some might wish it, Lord Pal-
merston would be prepared to give his reasons for what he
proposed; and he would certainly introduce nothing with
a notion of deceiving or deluding any portion of mankind.
Lord Althorp thought that " great changes were
required in electioneering," and that " the educated
classes in counties should receive a vote." Lord
Henley, the chairman, in eulogising the conduct of
the electors in returning Lord Althorp for the county,
observed that " there was no natural tie between
farmers and Toryism. It was entirely artificial, was
now severed, and the counties, taking pattern by the
towns, were advocating liberal measures, and bring-
ing forward liberal men to represent them."
NCB. IV. AND V. OF THE ESTIMATES FOR THE CIVIL
SERVICE are issued. No. IV. refers to education,
science, and art, the total amount required for which
in the current financial year is 1,000,3221., being en
increase, compared with last year, of 123,3851. No. V.
refers to colonial, consular, and other foreign ser-
vices, the total amount required therefore being
382,2151. against 320,205/. in 1850.
LORD PALMERSTON, in reply to an anti-slavery
deputation this week, said he doubted whether
emigration treaties for substituting the free African
for the slave could be entered into yet with any
country. The noble lord admitted the probable
success of a squadron off Cuba, and promised the
deputation, beaded by Lord Shaftesbury and
ad-
vancing these proposals, to give their suggestions
I the fullest consideration,

JUNE 13, 1857.

THE GENERAL COMMITTEE OF ELECTIONS have
fixed Monday, the 29th of June, for the trial of the
Maidstone and Sunderland petitions, and Tuesday,
the 30th of June, for the trial of the Oxford, Tewkes•
bury, and Bury petitions. The petition against the
return of Mr. Ennis for Athlone is thrown out.

Rlttrogolitan.

A MOST DESTRUCTIVE FIRE, such as happily is
not often seen in the metropolis, occurred last Tuesday
night, and totally destroyed Messrs. Pickford's vast
warehouses at Camden town, a series of buildings
covering upwards of five acres of ground and storing an
enormous amount of goods for railway transit. It is
impossible to state with any degree of certainty the
origin of the fire, though it is more than probable
that a single spark from a pipe or a lucifer•match in
a very short time destroyed this property, worth a quer
ter of a million of money. The fire broke out about
twenty minutes past ten o'clock. The gas was
burning brilliantly in every part of the immense area,
while the numerous clerks and other officials were
busily engaged in their respective offices preparing
the invoices and in other necessary occupations for
the transit of the merchandise. On a sudden a more
than ordinary blaze of light was discovered in the
northern portion of the building, in that part known
as the hayloft and corn•stores, where the fodder for
the horses was kept; a dense and suffocating smoke
immediately succeeded, and a cry rang through the
building that the premises were on fire. In a few
minutes the flames shot up through the roof, and
the whole neighbourhood became enveloped in a
dense cloud of smoke. There was no time to save
property ; books, ledgers, papers, cash-boxes were
snatched up as they lay, or left to their fate. The
first thought of the carmen was for their horses;
360 were stabled below the sheds. The flames were
now surging madly round the building, and, bursting
through the roof, shot up into the air to an enormous
height. There was not a moment to lose. The car-
men rushed into the stables below, let loose the
terrified horses, and out they rushed at their
utmost speed, to the imminent peril of those
who were not fortunate enough to get out of their
way, while the shouts of the people, the furious
raging of the fire, the cracking of the ignited timber,
and the continuous explosion of combustibles within
the building maddened them in their fright. The
brigade and other engines were now quickly on the
spot, but the fire had gained such an ascendancy
that little could be done beyond confining it to its
own limits. The entire body of the building was
one mass of flames, the great gates were gone, and
in the centre could be seen waggon after waggon and
truckload upon truckload of goods dropping down with
a loud crash as the fire gained the mastery over them.
In the interior of the burning warehouses beam upon
beam and roof after roof came crashing down, and
explosion after explosion added to the scene of devas-
tation, which was not a little heightened when, at
about half-past eleven o'clock, the roofs of the
stabling, upon which the solid paving of the sheds
was laid, and which were all supported upon arches
to the extent of about two acres, gave way, carrying
with them the whole of the burning mass beneath.
Shortly after, the great northern wall fell with a tre-
mendous crash upon two large barges laden with
corn, which were lying in the cut of the Regent's
Canal immediately beneath. With the fall of the
buildings the fury of the fire became to some extent
subdued, and in a few hours it sunk into a vast
smouldering heap. Thousands of people from all
parts of London were present, and many remained
till daylight. The magnificent sight the fire pre-
sented about eleven o'clock has not been surpassed
by any fire of recent date. The destruction of pro.
perty is enormous, but with characteristic energy
Messrs. Pickford have set up temporary sheds and
conduct their business as usual. They were insured
to a large extent.
THE BISHOP OF LONDON held his second ordina-
tion at St. Paul's Cathedral last Saturday. There
were lofty candidates for priests and deacons' orders.
The Very Rev. Henry Alford, M.A., Dean of Canter-
bury, preached upon the occasion. His lordship
was assisted by the Very Rev. the Dean of St. Paul's
and the Venerable the Archdeacon of London and
other clergymen, and was attended by the Rev.
Edward Parry, M.A., his domestic chaplain ; the
Rev. W. Knight, M.A., another of his chaplains; by
Mr. John B. Lee, his secretary; and bf Mr. J. Has-
sard. The service commenced at a quarter before
ten o'clock, and was not over until almost three
o'clock.
THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A REFORMATORY FOR
LONDON has not yet been decided on by the authori-
ties. A report of the Gaol Committee read before
the Court of Aldermen on Tuesday proposed sending
a limited number of boys for the present to the
Reigate school. The question was postponed.
AT A MEETING OF THE PROPRIETORS OF UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE, on Wednesday, for the purpose of consider-
ing what steps should be taken with reference. to
Certain appreheeded olterstioo it; the constitution