The Express.
London, England, 1866-01-06 00:00:00

THE FIRE AT CREWE•HALL

There have been some inaccuracies in the accounta
that have been given of the conflagration of this !Astoria
mention. Lord Crewe WAS the first to perceive the presence
of smoke at about 1 SAL an Wednesday morning. The
hot air apparatus was examined and found in perfect order
and already extinguished. For some time nothing serious
was apprehended, but the valet, going up the hack staircase
encountered a thick body of smoke in the passage above the
gallery where the female servants slept. Before they could
escape in their night clothes the ceiling broke through, and
it was seen that the roof was is flames. It is supposed
that the joists of the old beams had come is contact
with the tires in the flues of the gallery chimneys, not-
withstanding all the care that was taken in the restoration
of the old house. It was some hours before any effectual
check could be put to the program of the flames from the
great height of the building and the facility given to the
tire to sweep through the long sad open roofs.
Nothing could oxtail the seal and activity of the whole
establishment, by means of which a large portion of the
family memorials, including the chefs•d'reurres of Sir domino
Reynolds, were placed in security. Nevertheless, the lose
has been very great. The fine cabinets and other costly
furniture of the gallery, the whole of the library, including
many rideable and rare works, the curious decorations of
the carved parlours, and the whole of the property in Lord
Crewe's private apartments, have perished. The great hall
has suffered lees, the large oak screen being only partially
injured, and the quaint mantelpiece not at all. The resto-
ration of this room, and even of the beautiful staircase,
can easily be accomplished by the resources of modern art.
The main walls of the house remain in apparently safe
contrition, with the exception of use end of the gallery.
The mansion was fir Weed by Sir Randal Crewe early in the
reign of King James L, bat it bad fallen foto much decay
by the of time, and was completely and skilfully
rest by its present owner, under the superintendence
of Mr. Blocs. After this present disaster it is still to to
hoped that Lord Crewe may be able to effect a second ree
iteration.

MYSTIRIOre DEATH FROM Dxow:ciNo.—Last
evening Dr. Lsnkester held an inquiry at tl.e Elephant and
Castle, King's road, St. Pancras, tie the body of George
Swain, who, after having been mimed for three weeks, was
found dead in the Regent's-canal. Mary Swain, wife of
deceased, said she lived at 18, Sidmouthdnews. Her hos.
baud, wbo was a cabman, was 44 years of age. On
Saturday, the 9th of December, he left home with his cab at
&Wilt half-past three in therd ternoon, and she never saw him
again alive. The cab and horse were brought home by the
police. She was sure deceased bad not committed suicide.
He was not the sort of man to do that. He had riot bees
quarrelling nor drinking before he left home. He had sot
any valuable property with him. Pulice-constable 53 8
gave evidence which still left the case in mysterr:;eoets
said that on Saturday evening, the 9th of
ber, the cab of deceased was found standing
near the Primromehill canal-bridge. The sow
log was on the horse and a cloth was across its loins. De-
ceased was searched for but could not be found, and the
canal was twice dragged without success. On Wednesday
bust, at about twelve o'clock at noon, witness was stantEng
on the Gloucester (canal) bridge when a steamer passed, and
he thought he observed something appear on the top of the
water near the steamer. He wentdown to the side of the
canal, and there found deceased siatdieg perfectly upright
in the water against a garden alt
which sloped into the
canal. The feet of the corpse were muck in the mud. Wit-
ness pulled the corpse out, and found the ovvrceet which it
had on buttoned up to the chin. The usual driver's badge
wan In its proper p lace. Ohl twopenc,halfpenny and a
knife were foetid in his pockets. There did not appear to
have been any struggle, as the clothes were not disarranged
in the least. The bridge under which deceased was found
was twat the one near which the cab was found. Mr. Butts,
resident surgeon at the St. Pancras Workhouse, said be bad
made a post-mortem examination of deceased, and found
three ribs fractured cc the left side, but that injury might
have been caused after death. He believed that death
reaulted from suffocation by drowning. An open verdict of
" Found drowned" was returned.
'rife Blurt AT GUILDFORD. —The four prisoners,
John Stevens, alias Jumbo Stevens, John Pearson,
William Nugent, and Thomas Reeves, charged with
having taken part in the riot and the assault on Police-
coostaible Stens on the evening of Tneeday, the 26th Decem-
ber, were is ought up yesterday before the mthistrates at
Guildford. on remand, from llorsemouger.lase Gaol. They
ware all committed far trial.
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A sorrowful affair (gays the Western Morning
.Yew.) has oecurrecl at Fairlight, Torquay, the maiden*, el
the Rev. Julian Young. The rev. gentleman had • party
at which • number of the resident gentry were present,
and &month= the seafood daughter of Certain Mill.
Potts, granddaughter to the venerable Btahop of the dioemm
In the con eine the evening the young lady was called open
to sing. She bad not been long engaged thus when she
suddenly faltered and fainted. She was immediately
removed to another aparMsent, but died shortly alter
wards, to the ireaxpresAN• Fief of her friends