The Express.
London, England, 1851-01-23 00:00:00

SOUTLIWARK.

IMPUDENT RODDLItY.—J. Italtantine, a well knows
thief, was charged with stealing a till, containing seven
shillings, from the ship of lairs. LAMS, a tobacconist, Usuon•
street, Southwark.
Prosecutraz stated that two days ago, ►kaut seven o'clock
in the evening, she was sitting to her back parlour, when
ills saw the prieoner rush into the .hop, and jump over the
counter, and b,fors she could reach the Vacs tie sueseeded
in withdrawing the till, and loaning away with it and Ps
contents. She went in pursuit et him, bet he made
his escape. She then gave the police a description of him,
end he was, apprehended. She was quite certain that the
pria••ner was the man who committed we rubbery, as she had
a lull view of hie features.
The prisoner wall committed for trial.

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE IN LITTLE BRITALN•

Yesterday morning, at a few minntra before seven
o'clock, a tire, which consumed • vast amount of property,
occurred on the spacious premises beloogiug to Mr. lt..bent
Whitaker, playing card and paststriard manufacturer,
situate in UOOl Britain, City. The property was five Brom
in height, including the basement, the hoot forming two of
the large houses in the pub.io thoroughfare, whilst the
manufactory was a building nu arly as capacious. Although
the front building. were detached :Ann the back premises,
the space which separced the two was not probably more
than 40 feet, which proved of very little service in cutting
off the ravages of the dunes.

The discovery was mate by one of the apprentices tamed
William Simmonda. This young in n slept in the second
foot of toe front premises, aid his attention was suddenly
attracted by a load noise as if occasioned from the snapping
of burniug wood. He immediately proceeded to one of the
heck windows, when he saw that the ground Moe and ant
story of the factory were in flame.. This budding contained pro-
perty of considerable value, for, besides the immense stock of
manufactur.d goods therein, the principal machinery used in
the business was worked in the different !loon. Toe two
lower compartments were used as the pasting dep6-• The
second floor wee occupied as the rolling rooms and
drying houses, whilst the story under was used as
the cutting and finishing roiras. Tie upper story was
termed the enamelling compartments. The whole of the
floors were lighted with gas, and the heat was furnished by
metes of German and register stoves. In less than five
minutes after the alarm, two of the E. Society's fire.
wars attended, but fortunately the emotes bad succeeded
in previously making their escape. The engines belonging
to St. Butte.lonsew a and Christ's Hospitals with several of
the London Brigade and West of Befriend Insurance Coin.
pany were remarkably early in arriving, but before sufficient
time had elapsed to set them fairlT to work, the flames had
communicated with every floor in the factory, and they
were rusting forth from the 26 windows in front, cos
plettly extending across the open yard, and rolling into
the 1)...ek windier, of the two front houses numbered
13 and 14 in Little Britain. At the same time hundreds of
sheets of c.rd board and paper in a state of combustion were
blown through the top of the premises, where the roof gave
way, and were carried a long distance over the surrounding
houses, threatening devastation to the entire neighbourhood.
The firemen now saw that not the least chance remained
of saving any portion of the factory, they therefore directed
their exertions towards outing ofi the further extension of
the flames in the front warehouses and dwellings. The work
of destruction, however, continued, and very speedily the
two to floors of No. 14 were in a complete blaze, and the
fire had also pens rated through the remaining back windows
of that hems, and also of No. 13, so that every room et the
back was on fire. The energies of the firemen now became
concentrated to one point, and under the directions of
Mr. BralJwood, the superintendent, and Mr. Colt, the
foreman of the London establishment, the men worked
most admirably by mounting the staircases and scattering
immense streams of water into every room on fire, so as to
prevent the flames from reaching the other portions of the
property. Eventually the brigade succeeded in a ring
the further extension of the flames ; but many hours elapsed
before they were wholly extinquished. Even as late as five
o'clock lest evening a great body of fire remained amidst
the ruins, and the firemen were obliged to keep pouring
torrents of water upon the same to prevent it from breaking
out again.

For • time the whole of the workpeople employed on the
preiniaes, numbering upwards of 40, will be thrown cut of
work. Mr. Whitaker. wu insured in the Union and Phmoix
der offices. Not the least idea can be formed as to the cause
of the misfortune. Mr. Whitaker, jun., in ormed the re-
puler that when he examined the premises after the men had
left off work, he did not perceive the least appearanee of fire
in any part of the buildings.
Independent of the loss sustained by Mr. Whitaker, the
following premises bay* also been damaged No. 11, Little Britain.—Mr. A. 8. Kill, wholsule druggist.
Stock la trade, &a., seriously injured by water. Insured in
the Phenix and Globe fire.office s.
No. 12, Little Britain.—Mr. Sedum, filter maker. Pre.
OLIN seriously damaged by fire and water, and stock in
trade by hasty removal. Island, building in the Guardian,
and contents to the Albano', offiric
No. 17 and Nei. 15, Little Britain, belonging to Mr. Steel,
a haunt/ter, have sustained trifling injury, by hasty removal
and water.

No. 2, Little Montague.courh—Mr. Rayner, a cabinet-
maker. Premises much damaged by tire and water. Insured
in the San fire otos.