The Express.
London, England, 1850-05-02 00:00:00

SCOTLAND.

Pftl2 llf 11111881t8. CAIID AND Co.'s PIZIIIBIIII,
Onninom. The engineering establishment of Messrs.
Card and Co., Cutsdyine, Gremseek, he. hem destroyed by
dm. On flamiay morning, the we:shaman employed on the
premises observed smoke rising from the door and windows
of the store immediately above the engine room, and ran to
discover the same, but on attempting an entrance, he was
met by a mime of Imam and he at once rang the bell for
amiataase. This called ther a number of workmen, sad
theplieZes form sad fire Migade, with three engines, were
en the spot. By this time, however, the flames had
conemnsieated from the store to the pattern loft immediately
above. Thies patterns being mainly of wood, sad the
large apartment packed fall of them, no moth fit fuel could
possibly have been meet with. The flames tea along the
large apartmeat, which is about 100 feet long, nearly as
quickly as if It had been filled with gunpowder, and, of
course, all attempts to save that home became superfluous.
Ere long the roof fell is, and the burning timbers falling
down, tae two lower flats of the building wen also con•
pistol, destroyed. In the ground fiat were fitted up the
evosediegly valuable pianist" mid Inning smeltiamy, while
on the floor above was the flashing shop. Long ere these
were burned, the fin from the upper flat, which had risen
in one tremendous sheet of flame, presenting a sight of it.
mashie grandeur, had been driven in one maw upon the
roof of the fitting-shop, wtish runs along Arthuustreet,
and nothing could resist its Wee. Commencing with • small
jib erected outside to lift machinery, the whole place, be-
ginning with the pattern and drawing .lofts, was very Taal,
gutted. While this, again, was going on, the fire further
communicated with a thud tenement, in the upper fiats of
which were situated the pattern-making shops, also filled
with highly combustible materials; and here, too, the work
of destruction was quickly completed, the fife descending
upon and destroying the brass-shop, when a large quantity
of valuable material was stored, and to tee ground
floor, where the cylinder boring machines were placed.
Means were adopted, by tearing down a paling and re-
moving combustible property, to prevent the progress of the
flames westward upon the houses in the Sinners, which, for
a time, seemed in much danger from the violence of the east
wind then blowing, and the Inmates removed mast of their
effects. These efforts were happily successful. By the ac-
tivity of Messrs. Ca'rd's workmen, of the firemen, and
ahem*, regress of the flames eastward upon a large
potties if the premises—the 'smithy, minting-rooms, and
boiler sbede—was also stopped by the engines. The total
unmet sop pregarty destroyed it would be difficult, indeed
lesperibleZatenelinate accurately; but the buildings which
have bets opal/ sot be replaced, with their valusb:e
washlassy, psalms, sawlsis, sad drawings, under 35,0001.
inesissee effiteted es the part of the works destroyed
does not =out to half that sosa.

MUSIC.
THE BEETHOVEN QUARTET SOCIETY.

This society had its second meeting of the season
last evening, at the new Beethoven Booms, Qneen Anne-
street, which were so filled with Noway that every teat
was occupied, and many persons had only standing room.
The society hes never Wore bees so flourishing as it is this
seams, aor kayo the beautiful weasel the great master ever
before bees so finely performed. Is engaging Ernst as the
permanent first violin, sad having always the same ref-
farmers for the other parts, M. Eoweelot has greatly im-
proved the plan of the materts. No one ma form an
idea of Ernst's powers who has sot heard him play Quartets ;
his refinement, purity of tone, passionate expreacon, and
endless variety, give an badiscribable charm to his perfor.
mance. The quartets of last evening were Beethoven's
thirds Is D major, his eighth in E minor, and his twelfth in
flek His grand somata is fi minor, for the piano sad
violtsseello, was also played by Mr. Scarsdale Bennett and
Y. Rousselot. By the way, it is a mistake to include Bee-
thoven's twelfth quartet among his posthumous quartets,
though this is generally does. We ourselves were possessed
of a copy of the original German edition of it in the year
1826, twelve months before the time of Beethoven's death.

DRAMA.
DRURY-LANE.

Mir Vandenhoffiaci her benefit hot night, aid
selestedlibr performance Sophcco's " Antigone as adapted
to the MIMM mace, with the Moral music of Meodebeatn.
This pay was Ilme pertsemod is lagland at Covent-garden
five peon opt wises Mir iresdishoff anstained the part of
distspow. rice bee father Mot of Cram. Its novelty of form,
the malleat snug of Mr. ma Mir Vandenhoff, and Ken-
delmehn's saibiag abornosso (though Indigereatly per
made • ameldmable imposed= es the public.
lost sight Kim Vamiesheff's very beaaylal
= im-
pi=i of the Graeae princess, her Bas elsosioal
and the ponies she threw late seem
of Me male, together with Mr. Vas-
&Ad% regnematedie• *Me Malmo tyraat, main
made imam impression, but is other resposta the
ease was aft effective. Thu play would revoke play
metal mmeradon, and cannot be got up as ea esemional
peressmaaso ea • benefit night : end, moreover, mast be
peribemedi except in a regular maim' the Mes, Mesta&
esboes mule bung quite loped the moat resenress of
Denry-lase. The greed, simple ohornmo—diMalt from
their very simplicity-demand great ammo of male voice
trained to lag together with the ammo medal= and to
declaim the poetry with the distinctness of a single Judie'.
dal. Lest night the singers were few imperfectly &s-
-omatic' with the mimic, and so unsteady that the con-
ductor could hardly, by vigorous thumps of his 6a140, keep
them together. This was not at all sorprieing ; and, in-
deed, Jo • nonmusical theatre it could not have been other-
wise ; bat it was • mistake to choose a pion for which the
resooress of the theatre were inadequate.