The Express.
London, England, 1866-06-04 00:00:00

THE COMPTON-HOUSE WEE AT LIVERPOOL.

On the night of the let December last Compton-
house, the largest drapery establishment in Liverpool,
was utterly destroyed by fire, and damage done to the
amount of 200,0001. The circumstances of the firs were
such as to beget suspicion in the minds of several persons,
but up to very recently Messrs. Jeffery, the proprietors,
bad no grounds upon which to fix their suspicions.
Of late, however, their attention was directed to the
irregular conduct of one of their apprentices, Thomas
Henry Sweating, aged 20, the son of very respectable
parents. They had good cause to suspect that he was
robbing theta. They placed the matter in the hands of
Detective Oousena, of the local police, and that officer
succeeded in tracing some 70f. worth of Mama Jeffcry's
property, including valuable books, to his possession. On
Saturday morning he was placed under private examina-
tion, and he then centered to having caused the fire.
His statement was to the effect that, on the night of the
fire, be was in charge of the door leading out of the *bop,
by Mr. Watt's (the manager's) counting-house, and at
10 o'clock, whilst • fellow apprentke named Webber,
went upstairs to the upholstery room, he went below into
the packing room to turn the gas-lights out. He put out
the lights, and then streak a wax taper, threw it down,
without looking where it fell, and went up stairs to primer.
Having had his supper, he opened the door, and found a
large quantity of smoke in the passage. He heard a cry
of " The places an lire ! Save your lives ;" and he repeated
the cry to those inside. He then runup stairs, got some
clothes, and left the building. While among the crowd
outside he was agonised at hearing • rumour that two per.
sons had lost their lives, and let drop some expreestons
which attracted attention. He states that he was, not
actuated by any feelings of animosity towards Mesas.
Jeffery, who bad always treated him with the
kindness ; and that he had no idea what mischief:rag
I would do. He further admitted that he was in the habit
, of getting up in the night and leaving the house since the
, fire, not for unmoral purposes, but simply because he could
not sleep. Its believed that he was not guilty of any
' improper conduct previous to the fire, and he has failed to
define any motive for his disastrous act.—Liocrpool

WEATHER REPORT.-(THIS DAY.)

MONDAY. Joai 4, 8 AAL

B. T. W. ITO Zzirr---14. W. X It;
12 F. D. 9.
Nabs '29.0 666 W. 1 1 N. 16. m 1
Abadan OO.Ol 62 13.6.6. 1 1 N.N. n 2
Lain 29.99 50 1 3 Z. m 1
A:drown. 1b.91 47 6 6 X oe 0.18 4
1 Greaucann 1 N. 1 4 Z.N.I. ma 0.61 ,1
Vanutn. 29.37 B.i. t 3 N. re 0.64 1
CLpe Clan
tiverpool 29.91 RAIL 2 4 Z. Cr 14 2
, Holyhead 29.6461 Z.N.S. 1 2 E.N.E. er 0. 1
' Peasemea 29.771 SAIL 6 B 8.11.1. 6
Brest .. 29.88 B.W. 6 2 NAL ro 0.56 8
Lenart 29.861 5.6.. W. 4 7 IL 00. 4
Lochefort 30.00' W. 4 4 B.lt. 9 , 0.20 S
Plymouth 29.116' 8.8.2. 7 3 8.8. E. cb 0.12 4
W•yrnuelk 29.89', 6. 2 6 SAL e :0.01 2
Portsmouth 29.69' B.W. 3 6 8.8. er 10.06 2
Loudon 9128 E. 1 5 2.8.1. arc 0.10 -
Yarmouth 19.91 N.N.W. 6 2 EX.". c 1
Scarborough. 29.97 5 N.N.E. 1 1 N.E. t— 2
Shields 30.02 24.3. 2 2 .N.E. a. 2
Helder — - - - ' -

BEILASJCP.
Very variable southerly winds prevail this morning on the
south waste of England and Ireland, but elsewhere they are
chiefly northerly and easterly. Heavy rain has fallen since
Saturday at Valenti*, on the north-west coast of France, and in
the neighbourhood of London. Barometers this morning are
falling a little in the north and rising in the south and west.

ROYAL INSTITUTION.—OH Friday evening last
Professor Rowaie made known at the Royal Institution
some facts he has recently discovered on the chemical in-
tensity of direct sunlight, and the diffused light from
other parts of the sky. It has been found that the
chemical action of the direct rays of the sun is as a rule
far leas powerful than the action of the diffused rays. By
suspending finely divided sulphur in water, Professor
Roscoe showed that the direct rays from a source of light
were transmitted of a red colour, whilst the reflected rays
were blue. The lecture was illustrated by brilliant expe-
riments, strongly supporting the views of the speaker, and
was listened to by an attentive audience, among whom
were Professor Faraday and Tyndall.
THE BISHOP OF LONDON'S FVND.—Yesterday
in all the churches and chapels throughout the London
diocese a letter from the Bishop of London was read by
the officiating minister. The communication was an
earnest appeal for contributions to what is called the
Bishop of London's Fund, in order " to give permanence
to our existing machinery by bringing it into such a state
sa will render it self-supporting or give it • claim on the
public funds of the church." The Bishop states that the
fundne its commencement to the resent date, has
provid'iedc stipends for about 110 additionpal clergy and 611
additional lay agents, and has expended about 86,0001. on
buildings and sites for churches, mission chapels, and
schools. " Thus," writes the Bishop, "on • very mode-
rate calculation, 220,000 persons have been brought by
us under spiritual supervision during these two years."
It must not, however, be supposed that these stipends
have been provided permanently. The whole sum as yet
paid and promised, applicable to all the purposes of
building, stipends, fcc., amounts to only 254,000/. The
stipends which have been undertaken net above 18,000/.
a year, and all that could be done was to secure their
payment for a time, urging and assisting all necessary
stele whereby missions shall be speedily changed into
parishes, and permanent endowments thus secured from
the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. With this view, con-
tributions from the fund have been made towards tie
erection of forty-five new churches, and ten church sites
have been provided in addition. If the existing new
clergy are to be permanent, a great effort still remains to
be made ; otherwise what has already been gained may
after all be lost.
THE NORWEGIAN MACKEREL FISHERIES.—These
fisheries, the season for working which h just com-
menced, promise to be unusually productivea.s For the
past fortnight the two steamers plying between Hull and
Christiansand have brought over very large consignments.
The fish are brought in square boxes, packed in ice, and
when opened out at Hull they have the appearance of
having been only recently caught. About 20 fishing
smacks have also been sent to the Norwegian fisheries,
and the first of these, the Kate, returned on Friday
night, having on board 237 boxes of mackerel, each cif
which contained 100 fish. Sometimes six scores of fish
are put into one box ; but those brought by the Kate
were so large that, in addition to the ice required for their
packing, there was not room for more than five soon:
Some off the fish weighed as much as two pounds each.
As the mackerel are sold retail at Hull for bd. each, the
importance of the trade in this time of dear meat cannot
be over-estimated.
LAUNCH or THE CALL AO FLOATING Docx.—This
magnificent etructure, 300 feet long, 100 braid, composed
of nearly 3,000 tons of iron, including 1,100,000 rivets, and
cepable of taking in a ship of 6,000 tons, was lately Lunched
on the 24th April, and towed to her moorings. The
enterprise was promoted by the Pacific Steam Navigaticn
Company of Liverpool, was contracted for by Messrs.
Randolph, Elder, and Co., of Glasgow, whence the Moms
were shipped in four vessels to Callao, and has been
carried to its present sumessful issue, under the able
superintendence of Mr. Omega Petrie, the general manager
of the said oompany on the coast. From the absence of
any such accommodation along the entire seaboard be-
tween Pawning's:ad Panama, there are good grounds for
oosoiderable commercialprosperity far the under-
nsTdg:The various steps in e construction, so far,
have attended with unmried good fortune, and its
present almost complete swoops has caused great excite-
. went ia Callao. The dock was christened the " St.
Georv," and strata on the ways at the first effort :
omMring velocity es it preeeeded, it slid into the sea amid
the cheering of a great many spectators, and was imme-
diately removed to a place of safety from all danger.—
, Liverpool Albion.'