The Express.
London, England, 1846-11-10 00:00:00

BEDFoiw UIBE.

EXPLOSION AND Loam OP LIFE BT FIREWORKS.—
On Wednesday last an explosion took place at Bedford,
in the shop of a chemist named Prior. The window
shuttcrs were forced into the street, andon the police forcing
open the door, the brother of the occupier of the shop was
found with his clothes in flames. A child was thrown out
of the window into the ems of some one in the street, find
sustained no injury. Mr. Fowler Prior also made hit escape
from the window, and was assisted down into the street with
safety. The people commenced throwing water upon the
flames in the shop and back room, and removing com-
bustible and the must valuable articles. Mr. Sweatman,
keeper of a beer-house, daringly removed a barrel
of gunpowd( r and a box of fireworks to his own house.
Soon alter an entry was made into the shoo, Mr. Apthorpe,
grocer, perceived something like a log of wood lying
us the back room, and on endeavouring to remove it his
hand slipped, but taking hold of another part he was able to
drag it out of the ruins, when it proved to be a human body,
quits dead, and it was ascertained that the hand of Mr.
Apthorpe had slipped down the leg on his first hold, from
the flesh being almost burnt to a cinder. The body, found
to be that of a youth named Smith, was removed to
the cage, and presented a moat shocking appearance,
not a feature being distinguishable, the limbs contracted,
and the trunk one black mass. The circumstances
which led to this catastrophe are as follows: A
person named Fowler Prior, the occupier of the pre-
mises, retired to rest on Wednesday night leaving his
brother, William Prior, and William Smith, the deceased, a
young man, about 21 years of age, son of William Smith,
tailor, it. Grey Friarlewalk, employed in manufacturing fire-
works. They were sitting together at work at a bench m the
back room, when, by the account given that night by Wm.
Prior, a spark flew from the fire or fell from the candle
amongst the combustible materials around them, and before
they could extinguish it or reach either of the doors, the ex-
plosion took place. This, is the second accident that has oc-
curred at Prior's, though not on the same premixes. A
coroner's inquest was holden on Thursday, and the jury re-
turned a verdict of " Accidental Death." Prior having
been before admenished, the coroner informed him that he
should enter a prosecution against hint for two penalties of
51. each, for manufacturing And letting off fireworks, to
which the jury expressed their anent.

The PROJECT for /6111AIILI;HTNO a LITEFLART INeTITt'•
TION at SOUTHAMPTON is eery warmly taken up by many
inhabitants of the town. The subscription set afoot for the
purpose hes reached 1,4001.

SEISM
DRURY-LANP. TiIEATRE. Mr. Lavenu's opera
" Loretta," was produced at this theatre last evening, and had
the success which now-a-days uniformly attends a tint repre-
sentation, be the merits of the piece what they may. Success
has become a matter of theatrical organization; not as yet
conducted, perhaps, in such a regular and business-like way
as in Paris, where there are regular bureaus established for
insuring ka auceis drainatiques, and in a very efficient
style. Last night every thing west on selon les
rigks. The applause began from the overture, and was in-
dustriously continued during the piece, an encore or two
were carried in spite of violent opposition, and the usual
.4 .monstratione—ealls for performers and compot er, bouquets,
&a—followed the fall of the curtain. Much of this, how-
ever, sounded hollow, and, we 'suspect, will turn oat to be
so ; for we caenot believe that a genuine audience could
receive with great favour a work of such mediocre
merit as this joint production of Messrs. Bunn
and , Laren% The libretto is about the worst (and
that is saying a great deal) that we have met with. The
story is of a kind which one feels at a loss bow to tell. A
Zgfestival in Spain is interrupted by the intrusion of 'MO
en young noblemen, who kick up a row, are rude to
the paiwnt girls, and bully their relatives. One of these
hidaos, Don Carlos, carries off the prettiest of the damsels,
Loretta, whom he imprisons in his own apartment in the
house of an old gentleman to whose daughter he is affi-
anced. This piece of drunken brutality, of coarse, is remark-
ably in keeping with the character of a high-born Spanish
cavalier, the most free from intemperance of any elan of
people in the world. But this is nothing. This hero, having
the poor girl wholly in his power (though how she could be
so in such a house it is difficult to understand), subjects her to
the utmost extremity of violence ; and then comes upon the
stage talking maudlin sentiment, and singing some trash
about fearing, " When we fondly love, that we are not lor'd
rgain!" While he is pledging his faith, in the midst of
festivity, to the daughter of his host, Loretta, shut
up in her remote apartment, contrives to escape by the
window, and disappears. Don Carlos goes to the army,
and is to marry his betrothed on hie return. Some years
elapse, and Loretta is living in her village, with a young
child. In the midst of another cite (the opera is made of
rhea and shows of different kinds), Don Carlos, who has be
come a general, appears with a band of soldiers, the captain
being l'hilippa, Loretta's brother,- a young peasant who
had risen to that rank by his merit. The Lothario sees
Loretta, whom he does not recognise, but he is smitten
with her charms, and offers her marriage (l) which she
refuses, pointing to her child, by way of a reason.
Her brother is furious at finding her in such more than
suspicious circumstances; and, while Carlos and Loretta,
apropos of nothing that we could comprehend, are singing a
most sentimental duet together, flies at her violently. He is
prevented from getting at her ; and the second act ends
with a general row between the villagers and the soldiers.
In the third act, Don Carlos is once mora iu the house of
the father of his betrothed, to whom he is about to be mar-
ried. Loretta and ker brother (we don't knots why)
come to pay him a visit. Loretta recognises
the apartment in which she had been imprisened and
'abused, and, in Corks, ebe Jebel& her betrayer, which
surely she might hare done in the previous scene: lier
agitation discloses the affair to her brother, who, in his fury,
strikes his sister's seducer. He is instantly &nested, tried by
a court-martial, and condemned to death. In the last scene
he is at the place of execution. As the order is about to
be given to tire, Loretta rushes between the soldiers