The Express.
London, England, 1866-01-03 00:00:00

THE GREAT FIRES AT ST. KATHARINE
DOCKS.

The outbreak of two other serious fires on Mon-
day eight in St. Katharine Docks, after the firemen had
unneeded in mastering the ow which destroyed the upper
parts of two of the warehouses in the I) division of the
docks in the afternoon of that day, is an event that hen
excited the greatest alarm throughout our metropolitan
desks, it being now believed in assay quarters that the
whole of the three fires were the work of incendiaries.
The fire on Monday afternoon It will be remembered
broke Mt on the top floor of the warehouse lettered H;
whack, with two floors, was gutted, and through one
of the iron doors being open on the fifth floor of the
next warehouse, F, the fire got into that building, and
burnt the same cumber of floors, with the roof. The
superficial vertu, of these floors we. very large, and on
account of the very heavy stock of goods warehoused in
them, chiefly boles of jute, hemp, flax, and coif fibre, the
mass of fire was enormous. However, by the energetic
measures adopted by the Fire Brigade, in hauling the hose
of nearly all the steam engines up into the upper floors and
on the roofs of the remaining clump of warehouses the
flames were kept within the area of the buildings H and
F, while by banking up the doors of the lower floors with
clay was the means of flooding them to the extent of two
feet in depth, and thus prevented the fire descending.
By three o'cloak the dock officials and Captain Shaw
were convinced that all danger wee overcome, and
during the remainder of the afternoon they mead
through and through the various other warehouses, rope.
daily I and K, and all were perfectly cafe. Captain Shaw
bad the 00-operation of all his superintendents at the fire,
viz.: Messrs. Swanton, Tevotodale, Gatehouse, and Bridges.
They were stationed at various pointeolthe warehouses, and
their statements confirm that of their chief in respect to the
perfect security of the I and K buildings up to seven o'clock
at night, though before that time many incidents had oc-
curred to excite their apprehension that some foul play had
been going on. There was a thick party-wall separating I
warehouse from H warehouse, with no oommunication what-
ever between them, as in the other buildings, which added
to its general security. It was at this time that Captain
Shaw quitted the spot to return to Watling-street station,
and shortly alter Mr. Sweeten left, reporting to his
chief u he passed the station that all was safe, though
from the extent of the fire still in the ruins the engines
would have to work probably the whole night. In less than
half an hour afterwards intelligence reached the station
that the I and K warehouses were both on fire, and on
Captain Shaw reaching the dock with a relay of firemen he
found the very floor through which he had passed so many
times a few hours previously blazing from end to sad, and
the extreme end warehouse also partly in flames. They
were more extensive than the other warehouses on that
aide of the quay, and contained more valuable property.
There were several hundred, casks of tallow, cocoa-nut and
palm oil, logwood, flex, jute, and other commodities. It was
at once men it would be impossible to oppose the fire spread-
ing throughout the whole of thou very large warehouses,
foe the tallow and oils had already ignited, and the [lamas
were rolling forth into the upper floors with tremendous
effect. The fire raged the whole night and yesterday morn-

lag, the eagimessever ceasing. even up to 9 o'clock last night,
when there was still a large mass of fire in the ruins of the
gutted warehouses. Besides the steam floating engine of
the brigade, which was hauled up alongside of the quay,
there were eight brigade steam engines, four new steamers
(built for Amsterdam and Bermuda, and bent over to the fire
by the manufacturers, Meagre. Shand and Mason), and two
others belonging to volunteers, halides a host of manual
engines and the hydraulic power of the dock company's
hydrants. A more powerful farce of steam en-
gines and water power was never brought to
bear upon any London fire, yet it appeared per-
fectly inadequate to contend against the immense
area of flames within the walla of the warehouses.
Up to a very late hour last night every exertion was being
made to prevent the fire in the warehouses extending,
while the dock company adopted watch patrols throughout
the whole of the warehouses in the dock to guard against
outbreaks elsewhere. The greatest destruction of property
was in the two warehouses I and K, double that which
occurred in the warehouses F and fl. Various speculations
are afloat as to the probable amount, avenging from
150,0301. to 200,0001.

ANTHROPOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONLON.—The
annual meeting of the members of this society was held
yesterday afternoon, at the offices, 4, St. Mann's-place ;
Dr. James Hunt, F.S.A. (President), in the chair. The
auditor's report showed that the receipts of the year had
amounted to upwards of 1,7001., while the expenditure bed
been 1,6001. The secretary read the report of the cowbell,
which stated that the society had increased in success,
The council bad elected 210 members within the past year.
Liberal donations towards the support of the society bad
been reoeived, and the foundation of a useful library and
museum had been completed. A motion in favour of the
adoption of the report having been put and carried unani-
mously, a vote of thanks was passed to the president and
officers of the society for their services. The president, on
delivering his address, paid a tribute to deceased members,
includieg the late John Carel], alluding to whom he remarked
that his oounexion with the society was good proof of its use-
fulness. The opposition offered to the efforts of antbropm
logista showed that crude botions existed with regard to the
science of man ; and it was to be regretted that the claims
of the society had not been understood even by the mem-
bers of the British Association for the Promotion of Science.
ROYAL HORTILULTURAL SOCIETY. —The Japanese
Commissioner, with his attendants, visited the gardens at
Sonth Kensington dories yesterday afternoon. He was
conducted over the gardens by Coloriel Scott, one of the
council, and Captain Cockerel', the meditate secretary. The
commisaimier appeared to take a lively interest io what he
saw, recognising many of the planta as natives of Japan.
The orchid house, however, appeared to give him the
greatest satisfaction.
CURIOUS INFRACTION Jr THE EXCISE LAWS.
At the Lewis Town-hall, on Saturday, before the Mayor
Henry. B. Oxley), Mr. .1. D. Lnecock and Mr. T. Tennant.
H Borstal], Thom Horstali, and Geo. Bates Moreton,
:30, Vicar-lane, Leeds, appeared before the bench in answer
to an information laid by the Excise, chargiog them with
having, on the &dot August, not being rectifiers or distillers,
or other persons authorised or licensed to mix or make
methylated spirit, sold to John Haman such spirit
contrary to the statute. The penalty for the first
offence was 501., and for the second 1001. Mr. Hood,
solicitor to the Island Revenue Department, Leeds,
appeared to proeeente ; Mr. Ferns defended. Evidence of
purchase having been given, Mr. Wm. Harkness, analy-
tical chemist, of Somerset-house laboratory, produced a
bottle of "wiskee," bought at the defendants shop, which
he had Analysed, and found to contain 67 per cent. of
methylated spirit, the remainder of the iegredi. eta
being sugar d water. Similar evideoce was also given '
with regardan to the connate of the bottle labelled
" Indian Breads')." "The meowed wiskee " label appeared
to have been used also as a hand-bill ; for in the
latter the " wiskee " was said to be " tood for coughs,
colds, asthma, kc. ; whereas when pasted ou the bottle
the words settles forth its medicinal properties were cut
en end the two piecesjoined closely together, so that
the purchaser should not be led to tbiak he was
" taking physic." Mr. Fens, io defence, called a
witness awned Flinders, who had compounded the mixture;
he said it was made of three ingredients (spirits of nitre,
caloric ether, he,), sad as far as he knew did not contain
the forbidden spirit. These ingredients were purchased, he
said, from Dunn, Hestkfield, sod Co., London, sad other
eminent houses, a guarantee of their purity. Mr. Ferns also
said far an adjournment for a fortnight, in order to refer
the question of analysis to as isdepsadeot chemist, along
. with Mr. Harkness. Mr. Bond objected, observing that the
defendants bad bad tan daye mane already. The beach
mid in that ore they most go upon the 'visional ; they
ware of opiates the °frescos charged had been committed,
and the pesalty would be 124 10e. on the first and 251. os
an• susead.—Leedo Mercury.