Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-07-15 00:00:00

TIIE. NORTHERN„ TMES FRIDAY, JULY l& 4859,

GREAT .FI_RE AT THE SIIAD TH4 MRS
PLOU.R- MILLS, LOHDOIV:

The most extensive conflagration that has occurred on the
Surrey side of the river for many years, commenced on
Wednesday afternoon, and, on Thursday night, was far
from being , extinguished, The premises in which the
disaster originated belonged to Messrs. J. B. and T. H: Pecks,
the proprietors of the flour mills, situate at Shad Themes,
Bermondsey. The byildings occupied a portion of both
sides of the carriage. road on the land side, whilst the back
ran to the edge of St. Saviour's Dock, and on the opposite
side of the river towered high into the air the biscuit works
belonging-to Messrs. Peck, Freeks, and Co., the patentees- of
the aerated bread and biscuit factory, and notwithstanding
the 'breadth of the. Creek running between the two ranges of
buildings, the latter must have been consumed had it not been
for the exertions of nearly 200 men employed in the bakery.
To add tathe danger of the fire extending to a considerably
greater 'distance,. adjoining the last named house stood
Scott's wharf filed with resin and oil, and next to those
warehouses were Messrs. l3randran Brothers oil and tur-,
pentine stores. With such a vast accumulation of combus-
tible matter at hand, and the fire raging so fiercely in a
building not less than six floors high, the most lively
apprehensions prevailed for the safety of the 'whole of the
surrounding. property. The discovery was made by one of
the Workniem employed on the fourth floor, and although
there were thirty men on the premises, who tried every
expedient to subdue the flames, but without the:least success,
the conflagration extended itself with the rapidity of.light-
ning, and in the course of less than half an hour tile whole
ofthe entire warehouse presented a regular sheet of flame.

The police on' duty' ow the different bridges,' •on seeing
the flames rising so high; sent off messengers to the
different engine houses, And in a very brief -period' the
two. powerful
.steam floating-engines from Southwark-
bridge aud-Rotherhithe attended, as well. as the land
engines from Bermondsey vestry and those of, the brigade
from Southwark-bridge road, Waterloo-road, Tooley-
strret, Watling-street, Chandos-street, and the most dis-
tant depots, the main being under the command of Mr.
Braidwood, the ,superintendent, and Mr. Henderson, the
chief officer of the D. section. Before this powerful force

arrived a. large supply of water was flowing from every
fire plug in 'the. immediate vicinity, from'which the land
engines were called into full operation ; but notwithstand-
ing the.work of devastation continued, and floor after floor
continued. to fall, until and at length the flames burst
through the roof, and ignited the adjoining warehouse,.a
building even larger than the first named. The heat then
became so intense that the: wharves on the opposite side of
the Creek were smoking and cracking, and were expected
momentarily .to
.be engulphed in flames. Under the
direction of Mr. Molyon, the chief manager of the Aerated
Bread and. Biscuit works, men were employed in throwing
water upon many of the surrounding factories,
which had the desired effect only to a limited extent;
but Mr. Quick, jun., of the Southwark Company,
coming. up, he had the mains charged fully at
Cie.:tank, by which several other land engines could
be set. in operation ; but . hours passed away
before the least impression could be made- upon the
violence, of the destroying element. The two steam-floats
were kept at work as
.long as the tide would admit, and
when that receded the only -remedy was that furnished by
the land engines., The latter were then worked with amazing
rapidity, and although the firemen had succeeded, by half-
past nine o'clock at night, in getting something like con-
trol over the flames, so as to prevent them from reaching
the other wharves and warehouses, yet • they were even
,then not entirely extinguished, and there seemed no
• chance of .auch being accOmplishad' until late next
morning. The mill belonging- .to.. Messrs. Pecks ,is
entirely destroyed, including the 'costly. machinery
and many thousand quarters of '. wheat, • flour, &c. To
give anything like an approximate idea of the damage
done at present would be impossible,' as, independent
of the destruction of the first-named mill, the adjoin-
ing one is severely damaged, the root' being burnt off,
and serious damage done by water. The premises on the
other side of the creek are likewise injured by fire, water,
&e The misfortune commenced in the following manner :
—A number of the men were employed in the dressing-
room on the fourth floor when a wire of a machine broke
and the same was required to be instantly repaired, when a
man took a light into the place to see to put on another
wire, but the moment he entered the husk from the wheat
came in contact with the light, and it was with difficulty
that any person could manage to reach the street in safety.
The losses will fall principally upon the Sun, Norwich,
Union, Atlas, West of England, and the Royal insurance
companies.

THE "REVIVALS" IN IRELAND;

Tuesday was the anniversary of Anghrim—a day
formerly celebrated by the Protestants of Ulster with
all the outward display the law allowed, and some-
times the demonstration exceeded the legal limits to
such an extent as to bring the•parties engaged into
serious trouble. According to the northern journals
of the- past few days there• was not the slightest
deviation from the paths of lace and order—indeed,
the whole Protestant population of Ulster seem to be
under the- influence of strong religious feeling: The
progress of what is called the• " ReligiOus revival "
is rapid and overwhelming. All—young, and old
—are affected by it. A writer describing the scenes
in Belfast on Sunday last exclaims, "What a
place this is just now ! Young and old, male
and female, flock to the places of worship
—there appears no lightness —no- giddiness." A vast
crowd collected to hear Mr. Guinness, the popular
Presbyterian minister, and the writer.above quoted
goes on to say—" Ere the preacher arrived a group

of lads collected in one spot, and an

thoughtful boy, taking off his cap, cried out in ear-
nest prayer, his small hand trembling upwards to-
wards the open heavens above them." Another
letter describes the effect of an exciting sermon upon

a crowded congregati

lowing extract from the report of a sermon delivered
by the Very Rev, the Dean of Down, in reference to
this movement. It was delivered Q 4 Sunday last in

the cathedral at Downpatrick. The text was from
the parable of the Prodigal. Son.. After some preli,
minary observations the dean proceeded :

" You have

repentance and return to God-7a story of such surpassing
lovelinessthat we are at a loss whether most to admire the

human na

ivine p

the engaging aspect of GA's character, or the exquisite
beauty of the narrative in which this heavenly teaching is
conveyed. I ask you, then, to look upon this picture and
ou that. The prodigal was convinced of sin; he was
awakened to a sense of his guilt and danger, and he re-,

pented ; he arose and went to h
rational; sober-minded; there 'is nothing to of the most
fastidious taste or collide with the coolest judgment. Ther(

Ml is calm,

are no frenzied cries befitting in'naties or demoniaes

rather than penitants

,ting at Jesus's feet

-no paroxysms

of hysterical excitement—no gp33111,).

physieal prostration—no bodily exercise, which profiteth
nothing. And all is as deeply hatOlo as it is calm and
quiet. 4 I will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against
HeaVol and against thee, and am no more worthy to be
called thy son.' There is here no presumptuous boasting—
no blasphemous claim to inspiration. This convert iialone
with God ; he- does not at once start up into a preacher or
perambulate his penitence through the surrounding district
like a common showman or a strolling player. I will arise
and go unto my father, and say unto him, father, I have

those secret things of the heart which should belong to God
alone —no disclosure of those inner experiences which should
enter no ears but the ears Of a Father in Heaven, and whose

indelicacy

fessional

less of such fanatical and fant

lstic absurdity as must

revolt every mind of common

enemies too good an occasion to blaspheme and sneer
agaiist our Protestant faith. I speak to wise . men :
judge ye what I say. I speak to men who can read
and understand their Bibles. I ask 'you not to be guided

year, being 500/. a year as the bishop's allowance as
colonial chaplain, and 4001. a year from the Colonial

Bishoprics' fiind

TIIE ITONG KONG OFFICIALS. - The Mayor of Newcaitle-
on-Tyne has received the following communication from
the Secretary of State :—" Whitehall, July 2, 1859. Sir,
—I am directed by Secretary Sir George Lewis to inform
von that he has had the honour to lay before the Queen

the petition adopted at a meetin of the inhabitants
of.Newcastle-upon-Tyne, which accompanied your.letter
of the 27th ultimo, praying that Daniel Richard Caldwell