The Express.
London, England, 1856-03-06 00:00:00

LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, MARCH 6, 1856.

THE DESTRUCTION

COVENT-GARDEN THEATRE.

FURTHER DETAILS.

Sim, yesterday evening a variety of additiseal
details rsapeetiog the shove oust have buoys, knows;
thus we aubjoia in the fore of a seeced narrative.
The eassios of the theatre jut previously a Christmas
to Mr. Anderson, the so-celled Wizard of Um North, foe a
hw week*, by the than lessees, has been very generally
undimmed es derogatory to a stage which, during the
London NUM, for ',event years pest, has enjoyed an
amount of Royal and distinguished patronage hitherto
unezampled in the history of the drum. It was unmade i
that even the inducement offered by the lugs sus of 2,0001.
se rent, for only a short period, oagbt not to have had
weight, when the probable lajary the reputation of the
theatre might metals was etesaldered. The luaus tboogbt
otherwise. It was always intended to renmhellishA

the Leerier before the spore mama of 1866, sad they bad
enormously heavy expose.. to provide for. In an evil
lament the hams was let to Mr. Anderson for the per-
forms...B of legerdemain sad pantomime, and &fur • some-
what dreary moos of et: weeks' duration, the Wistrd,
with a view to relisharee some of the looses be bed in-
carved, oed • " taraival benefit," as he termed it,
to extend over two depa, slur a prevalent fashion I. Ame-
rica, terminating with • bad meagre as Tuesday night.
Mr. Myr, whoa personal superintendence of the theatre has
always been laudably salloss, was in Pert when this ea-

aesnoranat etpsared ; bat the sanest be became ac-
quainted with the fast be pit his veto spoa it, aid forbid"
Mr. diadems to opts the theatre for a asescserads. Aa
eeriest appeal was made to Mr. Oye to retemddes his did•
sios oa this point; sad It is aadentrod, chiefly on witowat
of she reverses *undies; Mr. Anderson's trealatioa, he
'assisted te do so. Is an anfortaaate aeoatent be gave
as sawilling perwiesion for the 1111K1141 to tam plea*, sad
while this revel wee preeeediag the eeleanty seemed
which has robbed the assicel wield of its brightat shrine,
and Lewin et one of Its meet anigaidosat architeetaral
osaaments.

The premien'. adopted against fins is this theatre wen
necessarily of the Most striagest astir.; for subsquestly
to its re-erstioa sitar bang burnt down la 1808, no n-
anoce oaks would inns a peaky apes it. To mason the
public easiest the alma thou nested, the architect took
palms to erect a utak es the roof of the theatre, calculated
to had la to.. of water' shish, by news of double mate
ea every finer, scald be throws upon any past of the build-
ing st a mount'. medal. Four Aroma were sppoiatesd to
watch and gaud the theatre whist Ant. It was their duty
to go over every part of the baildlag, sad to on tbat the
fire-maias were Limp asensible sad always charged.
This ansmionsat has ociatiaud up to the pretest time,
red of the hat men ea duty lest might, one of
then had been Washed to the theatre far surly Ur*
yew. With all these precsokas, it may astursily be
asked why auk a calamity was permitted to take place.
The sawn is plat. Instead of Tiding nay part of the
the at.. as was their duty, the Lames on this osession
find 'bowel's@ to the non guild atmosphere of the
rage ; rad it is • fast that the Litt iikersery of • fire la the
not was wade by on of their body, Jaw. Culls, while
engaged Is sowersatics with anther Meal of the thesise
apes the stage.

At twisty minutia is an o'elosk the sampeny bai
dwindled dews to the Ise* Ans. Net menthes 200 person
wen mennbied i• treat ef the temperer, (retinas, whkk
is this oceans we throws Ma to the esteems sada the
stage. The net urge we sompleted, sad Nr. Ladino.,
amnia' the Awing spirits of his pests, pm the e*.gesl
to hi. master of the assassin to doe the seven with the
anal Rade of " God lan the Geese."

At this neciateat the wan who was togged is esaverea-
don with Castles, the dramas*, happened to fork upwards,
aad observed a bright light Alain shrank the Oinks sad
crevices at the I sesta/ is a wrest, re shop high sew-
head. Oa rolling Oodles' atteatlea to this, tn. latter la-
' steady replied, in a low voice, " Why, poi God I the holm
is oft " Is ea hollast both faiths star, sod Mewed
tap towards Ow pellet of ireger. Neither *eh degertass
are their mead hal bees Awned, sad the weed below
thee still kept up their lases awl giddy cheese be taw
cogs of the Naitsoal Aathsea.

It sluald here be stated that the coop liters' Map i• this
ebonies extended, with the angle estept!o• of m campus
tinly smell apses denoted to the emetveitters, frost is.
sad of the bnilding to the other, sad lay between the seas
meant Whoa sad the rod of the theatre. Throes% as
open spate is tle doer of this Maim the antral
e►eadelier was lighted, sad the vises itself wee paw
tally filled with materials of the lightest sad most
eowbestild• character. When the twa ems Mend
this plows, they were nearly eaffineted by hose black smoke
Was they bad proceeded assay yards. Castles throw him-
self ea his heads sad lases, sad eadenoared to crawl
towards a smesiderlag keep whisk be observed aratr the
*sane of the weskshop. The smoke was, benne% tee
meek ter him, sad he was emapellead to make a speedy
retreat, wiliest having bone able to eyes the Are melee as
this lose. Dmesading to the seat "!lies," be setwareded
is tsraLsg ea the mains, hat before las mold Ihr the bees
the desseadieg firs from the worksbop above overtook him,
sad drays him to the seat " The imminest peril was
sew evillest to Wm list saw t►at the In bad obnlaed a
=eatery which could sot be sontrelled, sad his sent step was
to ambit& sad est sway thous puts of the serway mat likely
to be affected by the isnesang tbs. The orchestra had
not eared playing the Malted Asthma whoa the enddis
demist upon the stage of one of the beams round whisk
these manses were railed pre the first latiesatioa of
thaw to the motley sesomblege below. Immediate alma
wee takes by the whole hose—sad that slum was balm-
tomessly increased by the young dorm of a sheerer of
@perks spin the stage. '• The koala is es Ara!" remanded
from Asdenos's stes!orias lenge, mad "Flee, fin!" wee
repeated by s hundred nine. The toner sad tumult oces
nosed by this *stay may easily be 'angina. The f.w N.
melting mosque's rushed predpltstely to the amiss,
entreaty% of which the polies, with reedy prunes eluded,
took Immediate poseseelos, sad wag then gambled to rescue
frost the Man alarm of sway of the stream tea the mi-
ng and stair nog hems of ask immune:lokm psnsen•
Several wows wen trampled m, sad some were canted
est la a fatalist state, bat semi were 'grimily
isjered. Then was something hideous la this saddest
Asap from mad Insley to shady Mr. Alreedy
the rusk of air towards the roof hid honed the
Are into brighter life sad Inner awry. Wreathe of
white smoke, with ben sad there a lambent dam% losses
to earl hale sada, Me proemial= into the Way of the
theatre. The mu ieleas leapt from their mete sad fled, I■
=say men without eves savng their nerined hems.
nests.

The Istria of the Verve wee almost Immediately
reared et the visitor. The radar were la terra, and
totally at a loes what to do. Than was no time for thought
or plea. The dear rubor forward, sad whirr, mead
the braise side it at ore their owe. The balet girls
sad Wow ebereeters of the masque ears Aria from their
dreads( none lea the purrs of the therm, wad were
is at asy iwisaces with rarity led oat ire safety by the
polisaorbe, it is only right to say, Waived with the
grater release sad rerege. A body of aliens sake the
dine roe of Sepriateadest Darkla ink rely pervasion
of the sures deers sad risers, sad by prising @arts
prerstal the rafted essititode from toning their way
redly tae the bossing bow.
The meads of the sight, whisk lay is the imagery,
w reseed arty fray Jaeger. Mr. Lederer ties
gesersely dented Waal( to seeistiog Mr. Padre, trea-
surer of the theatre sad private star try to Mr. rye, la
earn aerie valeeble dosesethts sad papers Ire. Mr.
aye'. pries'e ram, a labour is whisk Mr. I T. 8.111,
lessee of Drury-lase Theatre, or theerred retrain the
most erred. aid.
It wee sow her Ily Are Veto* sad yet le the far
safaris whisk had Glared the door a this err temple
of the Meese had been sealed. The dares had bar
Onset the roof, thrinriag bigiv op thee the air so'gras of

wbkh threw into bright nitration every tower and
pire within tee circuit of the metropolis, illudsatlsg St.
Paul's as if gilded with Mansholt gold, and tit:win •
Said of light stress Waterloo-bridge, which set oat is bad
relief the dark maitre of the Surrey hills in the dletnates•
This glare was a speedy mosmagor to fetch up the
engines, which mow arrived from every quarter of Leaden
at a tearing gallop. There was no wait of water, but kail II
the Thames hem bused In at this moment it would not
have saved the pommy. The theatre, blaneg within its
four hollow walk, ww Ilk, a well of Sr., or rather a glass
femme. Au intense hest nob as this seas bent up every
timber on the walla, sad at half-pest five *Week the roof
fell is with a tremendous erent. Showers of any oaks
sad busing charcoal were throws up and poured down
upon the streets, which were now crowded with mewed of
people harrying from all points.
The imminent danger of the houses suer mailing and
facing the theatre attracted the earliest efforts of Mr.
Bindweed. Is Bow-street, the Royal Italian Opera Hotel
sad the aejolniag house were almost on Ste several times,
and it required the sonetast application of large Totems of
water to coal their blistered floats.

Is Bertstmet, a narrow theronghfare bounding the
theatre on the north, great danger was apprehended, and
aa isseleast vigilance applied. At the math Me of the
t►eatre, is Bow-street, the bask of the poliee-ofike had at
one time ignited. The Pisan, Tavistofk, and Bedford
Hotels wore all more or less injured by the Bre ; sad bad
the wind set from the eastward, nothing could have saved
that ode of the market

Fortunately, the well-directed efforts of the Firs Brigade,
sided by the police, were soteesefal in preserving the adjs-
sent property. Ot the theatre, ea stated above, nothing
remains bat the skeleton sad mined waits.

Tits destruction is complete. All the scesery—ths exqui-
site productions of Grieve and Teibin—the spleadid pro•
parties of the theatre—the wardrobes—the zasuatings—ths
dramatic librup—the valuable operatic 103“1, soma of
which ;ea to replaced, as the Eliva tretestwe of
Doaisetti sad the Oberon of Wsber—all are goas—srumb/ed
up is one andistiscuishabls miss.

Ia Prisee's-placi, the court-yud by which bar Majesty
entered the house, one attempt at salvage was esasessful.
The kaiak-bucks appertalaing to the Wisard's tricks
were is ea apartsest very near to the stage door, and
these were la pest pert saved. A small qsaatity of
furniture, inelndirg his private piano, belong's( to Hr.
Costa, was also rescued. Whilst ugaged is this duty the
plus were surprised at the unezyastied appearasee of a
man at one of the wisdom overlooking the eosin-yard.
He bad bees asleep, sad net even the raging of the fire la
his clam vicislry, nor the shouts of the people, had walked
to awake his, until the mom became fell of smoke, sad
breathing dilloult. A ladder was brought, sad he was
rescued from the panes' ;saltiest is which he mast have
Isis for as hoar whim the dame broke into the manumit.

Is this particalisly trying nese sum al penes. exhibited
i enacts of great enrage sad saolnws. Mr. Penton
especially prear•ed his meson of Wad, mad oily denoted
from attemptiag farther mime whoa prenatal by the
I aterferesee of the superior °Moan of the Fire Brigade. It is
due to Mr. Anilines any that he esergetleally endeavoured
to reader soy genies is his power. Kr. Francis, the printer
to the theatre, sad Mr. Ninon, wire also especially pro
slant in their essislatet. But the crown of merit es this
measles bil-ngs to a humble individne I named Burgess,
the hillstieker to the esta►lishaat, who, at the Imminent
risk of his We, pushed his way into tke busing banding
sad brought inn with him ..versa valuable books and
papas. Mr. Masons, semetary to Mr. Anderson, exerted
himself ma, folly, sad, ming other wilafcr WM, lost a
valuable gold grata, whin he had estranged to the keeping
of sane Ones beim entering s nom, Ines the Wee was
la a state of partial eastbsetin.

It was sa affsetiag insides* to mos poor Ilr. llwtos, the
mule librarioa, a weUduowa lover of his art, moved eves
to bars at whammies the low of r o missy oblate whose
precious vales he was se well able to estimate. The maser
library of the 88721 Itslisa Opera conrabsed Ow scare of ao
kW rhea IS operas, many of than was by the compeers
theersless. •

The value or tis properties destroyed is esmethiag Me-
lees. As approximate utilise may be formed bath this
hot that ia stoustiag the several operas coataised in the
nperbirs of the theses whoa wader the sthasposisat of
Mr. Delaield so hit thee 60,0001. was impeded, of whisk
dm fear opens of the " Prophits," the " liagthaote,"
" Lund* Bonk," sad " La Doane del Lego" cost 28,0001.
The rideable thematic Weary holm* to the *metro—
aaitpe of its kiwi—is pose is the penal wreck. The
Piped 1108. of this " School for Scoadal," tie " Milli r
sad hie Moo," the cpira of the "Slave," end letadrode of
other mess works were there piens&

The arthenry, eastaWing we thee one hundred nits,
sad occupying a series of rams, is wholly destroyed.
Poor original platens by Hogatth, representing the
&uses, which bon up3n the walls of Yr. Bye's prints
roost, with(• only • few passe of the hot-othee, amid not
be saved, so tepid ens the progress of the gre.
As to the coign of the Onatity means is lesson at pre
net. That the fin belt. eat la the earposten' shop there
sea be little dosbt from whet has been already stated, but
bow, or by what wows, there is too nub ream to has
wi:l noel* a mystery. It wee the duty of ate of
the Armen to scoompsay the pewee when he w-
ended i..to the oupeatere shop to light the Mini
eltwatielnr, sad this seen on Tuesday eight fell
spin Castles. The latter says he weal with ass
of the gasmen la the service of Yr. Payne (who has the
dinetion of the lighting of the theatre), sad that after eons-
pletthg the dsty they tostad the safety of their lig►tiag-rod
by pouring ever the wool at the end of the rad • small
quaatity of spirits of aapbthe. The rod wee then left sae.
pendia over the basin of the asedelicsand Castigated the
gamin returned dower entre by the light of • gime leatern.
This wag shortly before sent o'clock is the evening, at
w►icb hoer both these nee declare all wee whin', safe.
At 4 o'clock in the wining one of the " 'peen" had insi-
gne to eaes•d to the wend " dies," end seen then be
detected no smell of emote or ladiesties of danger of say
kiln. It is deer, however, inn the rapidity with which
the gams Raised heed that the fin must bath been annul.
ds rag for 114111111 seasideralsle period. Is what a 5...., it
orlgioned, whether hail earelassaese, or any ether sere, it
swag lapeesible to say.

It seems pserelly ;dratted that for some tine pelt thm
hu bets as wood ono of gas is the house. Mr.
diesses, wbe has for UMW pros held the eMes of sessidelat
sad arrester at this theatre, hes bees se tamely impormed
with as duper mislay therefrom that be had setsally
welted spas tae or three of Out proprietor, Yr. Boma
aid Mr. Hold's= moss ethers, sad moseested to then
that if romethisi wee act doe he feared Use theatre would
sou day be Oust dews. Mr. Massa bee el* called the
&Motion of the fifillUi to the eau elrouostasme, bet
betide' toms to have bees dose. Whether die die
eelgiewed Don a les Maher or sot is of ensue sseirtais,
but is the abuses of setiefeetory iskeisstiom as do poise
It say be globule to stets NM the facto.

Then la meths, remarkable circumstance lo commies
with dm supply of itel to this theatre. It is a bet that so
Mss thou tbno oompaalee bare main laid Ile to this how
—the Imperial, the Equitable, sad the Loudon. When
Mr. Andersen sweated the Isaiah p to at coos Awed
from the Imperial to the leaden Comptay, sad these wen
not math% yesterday promo of empanel *lsmael who
pteartseed this to be a dangerous pretties la say theatre.
Had the estartrophe conned la say whet part of tin
house it is probable he origin might have bora attributed to
another hew, tamanels es duelsg the hal this, wen at
as podod as sup at s eagle of lesdnd person Hoskin
*an ia ivory put of the Oasts..
At sI cergook, wk.. all hi p. of unlit any portion of the
handl* or its Gaeta. was at aa mid, Mr. Patnaa felt it
flight to trtesraph the fart to Mr. 0) r, Ia Paris, whisk ho
did la ► few inertial,' words. Mr. Gip is s ass of extra-
adieu), atm aad theitioa, but the Jawing's., meet haws
ben eas of the severest blows that could have befall.. ►is.
W. art ...bled to state th.t all his sagesenesta for the
forthaemiag sines were sompltted—aad that he hal
bras& tolethes a employ of ettifill ettosodiai Ia atOsi•
time thew al may pavlova unpin, with whom ho had
wawa.* spa the open ea the Mk last.