The Sun.
London, England, 1864-08-24 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, AUGUST 24, 1804.

Tremendous Conflagration at lloxton.

This (Wednesday) morning, about 3 o'clock, the inhabi-
tants of Hoxton-square were aroused from their slumbers
by a loud cry of fire and the springing of policemen's
rattles. In the course of a few minutes it was aseertaineel
that the extensive range of premises. belonging to Mr J.
Austin, patent line manufacturer, forming 1 and 2, George'e
Buildings, and 14, Hoxton-square, were in flames. The
Royal Society's escapes and the engines of the parish, with
those of the London Brigade and three of Shand and
Mason's land steamers, were quickly in attendence ; but the
flames had previously obtained too firm a hold to be easily
extinguished, and in less than half an hour from the time
the discovery was made, two warehouses in George's-
buildings, and one in Hoxton-square, three storeys
high, 90 feet long, and 42 feet wire, presented a
general mass of flame. Great fears were then apprehended
for the safety of the premises belonging to Mr G. Simp-
son, fancy box maker, No. 15, Hoxton-square, as well as
those of G. Morris, No.lo, Royal Oak-walk, Pitfield-street,
the sides and windows being already on fire. Under the
direction of Mr Bridges, the foreman of the A district, and
a powerful body of officers and firemen, the engines were
set to work from anabundanee of the New River Company's
water:; but in spite of the three land steamers throwing
each from 200 to 250 gallons of water per minute, at a
working pressure of 80 to 100 lbs. on the equate inch, the
fire at one time threatened to annihilate every building near.
The next and important thing sought to be accomplished
by the brigade was to prevent the flames from consuming
the surrounding property, and for that purpose the
hose from the land steamers were so stretched out
that the flames could be attacked at the four points,
and that expedient was happily crowned with sue-
cese, but the main body of flame in the three spacious
warehouses continued to rise high into the air, and, although
daybreak, the reflection could be seen from the Metropolitan-
bridge, whilst showers of sparks and large pieces of burn-
ing materials were drifted by the high wind over the entire
district. By strenuous exertions on the part of the firemen
the flames began to succumb and palpably diminish, and
after the lapse of three hours they were extinguished. The
total damage must be considerable for the three warehouses
before attended to were all but destroyed, and the ground
floor of another one in the rear, but all communicating were
consumed. The premises of Mr Simpson and Mr Morris
are also damaged by fire and water. The origin of the fire,
or whether the property was insured or not, could not be
ascertained,

THE ►SYDNEY UNIVERSITY LIBRARY.—The Uni-
versity Library, Sydney, has been enriched by a
present from the Queen. The Governor received by the mail
a copy of the collected speeches of the Prince Consort, with
an autograph from the Queen dedicating it to the Univer-
sity. His Excellency delivered this precious gift in person
on the Ist of June, The Senate resolved, "That an address
to her Majesty, expressive of their gratitude, should be pre-
pared by the Vice-Chancellor." The volume is bound in
white vellum and gold, and stamped with the crest, motto,
and name of the Prince Consort. In the first page are the
following words written in the Queen's own hand :—" Pre-
sented to the Sydney University Library, in memory of her
great and good husband, by his broken-hearted widow.
Victoria R. 1864."• The book is to be preserved as a Royal
gift, in a bcx of oak and lined with purple velvet.
CRYSTAL PALACE. FORESTERS' FETE. The
capabilities of the Crystal Palace were never more
severely tested than yesterday. The great day of the
Foresters usually attracts from 60,000 to 80,000 persons. As
may be supposed, the exceedingly unfavourable weather
yesterday (it rained heavily from daylight till nearly 4 p.m.)
deterred many thousand persons from being present. Not-
withstanding this drawback, however, upwards of 46,000
persons visited the Palace, and as nearly the whole of those
were congregated within the building it may be imagined
that it required occasionally careful management to contro
such a mass of persons. The weather was far too stormy

to permit Mr Coxwell making his promised balloon ascent.
To accommodate the many thousands Of visitors who had
purchased tickets beforehand, and were unable to make use
of them yesterday, the directors of the Crystal Palace and
the Crystal Palace Committee of the London United Dis-
trict of th 3 Ancient Order of Foresters, and the Brighton
Railway Company, have concurred in allowing Foresters'
tickets for yesterday being available on Monday next, the
29th
August, on which day the Mc of the London Gym-
nastic Society, the French excursion, Mr Coxwell's balloon
ascent, and other entertainments will also take place.
MR. JUSTICE WILLIAMS.—WO hear that Mr.
Justice Williams still continues seriously ill at Exeter.
AGGRAVATED ASSAULTS ON WOMEN.—Accord•
ing to an official document lately printed, there were last
vcar 13,147 ap3sults on women committed in Engla.nd am:
Wales, for which the parties were charged before the magis-
trates. .