The Express.
London, England, 1865-12-20 00:00:00

EXPLOSION OP CHINESE PIM, AND LOSS OA
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An explosion and fire produced by thepl ignition of s
n oon llit of Meto "Misses Fire" took um retarder
on the Fernier is the occupation of Mrs. Simmons.
in Marecourt, Mitre-gmare, Aldgate, by which three per-
sons lost their lives. It appears that the upper part of the
in question was let by Mn. laminate to lodgers.kfirbrok room on the first floor was Jaime for an odic»
about a month ago by two parties of the MUDS of Loess
and Chan., who described themselves as cigarette makers.
Mrs. Simmons on Saturday last saw brought into the
house by them a box filled with small packages known as
"Moor's Mephisto Chimes Fire" (a magical light); this was
placed in their MOO, and yesterday cousin one ot them told
hew they expected &customer would call to ouches, some of
the firs, and wished she would open the door when there
was • knock. A few minutes before 12, hearing • knock.
she went foe that purpose, but the door was enured by
Chose, who conducted the customer up-stairs, and they
had not been to the room long before • loud expkoion
took place, end the house became filled with flames, so that
she bad to run into the street. Al this momeot & sweep,
who was sagged in the next house, saw a man lying in the
back yard of- Mrs. Simmons's house wish his clothes on fire,
end flames VIM issuing forth from the window of the
first floor back room. He got over the well
to the
unfortunate mau'a assistance, and put out the fire
about his clothes. He was however dreadfully burst
about the face and body, and wee insensible. The
poor fellow was conveyed to the London Hoepital„
The fire engine. which speedily arrived, having stopped the
ravages of the fire, the bodies of the other two unfortunate
men were found in the rules of the back room. In 01141
comer one was in • sitting posture, with the flesh burnt
off his head, facie, and ink The other was stretched on the
flew, and was also shockingly burnt and disfigured. The
former, by means of a pocket-book which the fireman foiled
iu his coat, proved to be Mr. Heyman, of No. 36, Herbert.
street, New North-road, Islington. who had offices at No. 4.
Berwickeourt, St. Mary-axe. This was the customer an
represented to Mrs. Simmons. The other body was that
of Mr. Chose. Both bodies were subsequently deposited
in shells, and taken to the dead-house of the parish is
await • coroner's inquest. The sufferer who was takes to
the London Hospital proved to be the partner Luse'. He
is reported to have died shortly after his admission to the
hospital. He is described to be about 60 years of age. Mr.
Heyman was 37 years of age, and Mr. Choirs about 40.
The police, from the Sirloinea they have instituted, have
every mama to believe that the room was taken by the un-
fortunate deceased for the
,purpose of trathcing in the new
invention, "Chases fire,' which is now in great demand,
and that their representation that they were cigarette cigar
makers was merely • ruse on their part to get possession of
the place. This 'motion is somewhat strengthened by
the fact that a considerable number of large cards bearing
en advertisement of " Mephisto Chinese fire" was
found. Some reams of thin white paper that
were seen there, and supposed to be for the manu-
facture of cigarettes, exactly correspond with the material
used (
bard the manufacture of the lights. The great fire ia
Lom-street, when the large establishment of Messrs.
Price and Goma, the perfecters, in Three King-court,
was burnt to the ground, was caused bye box of these new
lights exploding in the process of pecifieg.

Tan HEALTH or LONDOS.—It appears from the
return issued by authority of the Begistrar•Genersl
that in the week that ended on Saturday, December
16, the births registered in London and ten
other large towns of the United Kingdom were 4,130 ; the
deaths. registered 3,090. The annual rate of mortality wee
28 per 1,000 persons living. f u London the births of 1,0%
boys and 1,002 girls, in all 2,091 children, were registered
in the week. In the corresponding week of tee years.
1855-64, the average number, corrected for increase of
population, wee 2,026. The deatbs registered in London
during the week were 1,440. It was the fiftieth week of
the year ; and the average number of deaths for that week
is, with a correction foe increase of population, 1,450. The
deaths in the present return are a little under the esti-
mated amount. No case of cholera wasregistered in the
week. 27 deaths occurred from diarrhoea. Typhus wail
fatal in 94 cases ; five deaths from typhus occurred is the
sub-district of itile-end New Town. 49 deaths were canoed
by measles, 48 by scarlatina, 13 by diphtheria, 52
pcwhoopiiepaough, and 15 by small-pox. Small-
: is reported se raging in the subdistrict of Spitalfields ;
3 deaths from it were registeredn the sub-district. A.
bootmaker. aged 48 years, died on the 7th December at
Guy's Hospital from hydrophobia. The daughter of •
shoemaker, aged 11 years. died on the 11th December at St.
George's Hospital from hydrophobia (3 der). The wife of
a woodcutter, aged 40 years, died on the 11th December at
27, Clareodoe•street, Southwark, from suffocation caused
by an escape of gas from the ands of the Phoenix Company.
Tbe daughter of a clerk in holy orders, aged TS years. died
oo the Ilth
amDeceber of broken heart from acute mental
distress; she lost .ter five weeks preeious to her death.
The following fatal carriage accidents were registered
in the week :—A labourer, aged 18 years, fell front
a van ; died on`with November at the Poplar Hospital.
A shopmae, aged 63 years, was run over by
a cart ; died on 3rd December at Middlesex HospitaL
A =also, aged 19yeals, was rue over it. Oxford4theet ;
died on 10th December at Middlesex Hospital. A coal
potter, aged 60 years, was struck against an arch whilst
riding on a vas ; died on 9th December at R, Bondatreet.
Lambeth. A spinster, seed 17 years, was rue over ; died
on Bth December at the London Hospital. A sailor, aged 47
year*, was run over ; died on the 13th December at the
London Hospital. Since the beginuirg of the prompt year
=l:persone of various ages have been killed by horse
conveyances in the streets of London. The manna rate of
mortality last week was 25 per LOOO in London, 26 in
Ediotargli, and 31 in Dublin ; 43 in Liverpool, 31 in
Manchester, 45 io Salford, 28 in Birmingham, 9.9 in Leeds,
26 in Bristol, 34 in Hall, and 27 In Glasgow. The rate in
Vienna was 25 pet 1,000 during the week ending the 9th
thst., when the temperature wan 8.6 deg. Fahrenheit lower
than in the same week is Louden, where the rate wee 25
per 1,000.