The Sun.
London, England, 1852-08-02 00:00:00

number of his treasures by other specimen& purchased
fr,:a well-known collectors, or conferred upon him as
gifts.

SERIOUS FIRES AND LOSS OF LIFE.

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Yesterday morning, abonc fire o'clock, a destructive
fire broke out on the premises of Mr. F. Llwrenee, bock
and tool d3aler, No. 75, New-cut, Lambeth. Owing to
the inflammable nature of the stock the fire soon had a
fast hold on the lower portion of the premises, which,
however, was soon extinguished after the arrival cf the
engines belonging to the various stations of the metro-
polis, and fortunately the fire was prevented from reach-
ing the upner part of the premises, and th" wijoinlng
houses. The parties were insured in the County and
Liverpool offices. Whilst the fire was at its height, a
melancholy accident bezel Policeman Ireland, 119 L.
at which time he was endeavouring to wive the lives of
the inmates of the burning betties. To effect his praise-
worthy object, he had mounted ou the woodwork built
out from the shop, to enable him to reach the first-floor
window, bat the smoke was so thick that, not seeing his
way clearly, he fell through a skylight into the street
below. He was picked up, and was found to have sus-
tained a severe fracture of the leg, besides being inter-
nally injured and much bruised. He was at once taken
to Guy's Hospital, where he now lies in a precarious
condition.

About the same time two other fires occurred, which
were attended with considerable destruction of property,
and one, unfortunately, with a loss of human life. One
fire happened in the premises belonging to Mr. Thomas
Drew, a cheesemonger, can; ing on business at No. 55,
3rundy-Areet, Poplar. The discovery was made by a
police-officer of the K division, who, on passing the pre-
mises, perceived dense bodies of smoke pouring through
the crevices of the front window shutters. He imme-
diately sounded an alarm in the usual way, and atter
considerable trouble he succeeded in awaking the in-
mates, who fortunately managed to reacts the street in
safety. The draught, however, occasioned by the par-
ties opening the house to effect their escape caused the
fire to spread with unusuil swiftness, and in a compara-
tively brief period the flames took possession of every
portion of the premises. The eneines of the parish
quickly attended, followed by Mr. Fogo, the foreman of
the A section, wish several engines of the London Bri-
gade. An abundant supply of water was procured from
the East. London Company's works; and the engines
having been called into operation the fire was eventually
extinguished, but not until the premises and all they con-
tained were destroyed. Nothing more than the bare
outer walls are left standing: The cause of the disaster
is unknown. Fortunately the contents were insured in
the Norwich Union, and the building in the Hand-in-
Hand offices.

The second fire took place in the premises belonging
to Mr. G. Tilbury, green grocer and fruiterer, situate at
No. 11, James-street, Kensington. It commenced on the
ground floor, used es a geeersl store for baskets and fruit.
It appears, from the inquiries instituted, that a boy
named George Ilardirnau, thirteen years of age, was
employed by Mr. Tilbury to assist him in his business,
and that he occasionally slept. iu the basket-room. It
is presumed that on Sunday morning he went to sleep
in the same place, taking with him a lighted candle;
for of a sudden a cry was raised of "Fire and help." In
a very few seconds some of the neighbours hastened to
the spot, when they found flames Lsuimg from the front
windows, and a considerable body of fire on the ground
floor. .At that time the unfortunate boy Hardiman was
in the middle of the flames, and all attempts to get at
him proved futile. The iuhabitants and inmates, with
the aid of buckets of water. managed to beat down the
fire sufficiently to allow some of the persons to enter,
when they found the poor boy burn'd almost as black
as a coal. Uvii pulling him out, lire was found to be
quite extinct. The engines of the parish and too of the
London brigade were soon on the spot, and owing to the
assistance of all present the flames were confiusd to the
ground floor. The body of the deceased remains for a
coroner's inquest, when no doubt the precise cause of
the melancholy event will be fully ascertained. Mr.
Tilbury was uninsured.