The Sun.
London, England, 1852-02-16 00:00:00

SUN,

THE

from the Cape, 276 from Sydney, 49 from Havre, and
540 from I.3,Anbay.

I'AILLOV7'.

The increasing arrivals, added t 3 the heavy stock i❑
warehouse, cause the trade to rule exceedingly inactive,
'end prices have further declined, since our last report,
64- to 9d. per cwt. To-day P.Y.C. on the spot is selling
at 35s to 353 3d par cwt, Town Tallow 35s 6d per cwt.
net cash; rough iAt, 2s per 81133. For forward delivery,
nothing doing.

. 1848. 1849. 1850. 1851. t 1852.
----- ---- -
Stack this day ...... 1
53s "d 40s 0(1 37s 3d 37s 6d to 2.5 i 1,373 13,495 41,735 43,491 I 54,262
Price of Y. C. .... I 0,1
s
to Os Od to Os (Id to ns 6d Os ( d 1t055 31
Delivery last week .. 1,130 2,4•2 1,742 2,151 2'5" Ditto from June 1.... 80,811 76,716 ' 71,095 72,# 04 80,133
Arrivals last week • 709 875 613 115 1,854
Ditto from Jtine 1 ... 84,0'3
103,108 87,359 90,581 98,161
Price of Town ••• • • . 51s 6.(1 43s Od 32a 6d
393 63 3Bs ed

DESTRU G7ION OF THE PECENIX
PAPER-MILLS.
DA RTF0111), SIUNDAY.—This town has been thrown
Into the greatest contusion in consequence of the out-
break of one of the most extensive fires that has occurred
in this locality, for many years, and which, although
nearly twenty-'our hours have elspsed since it was first
discovered, is not entirely extinguished at the present
hour. The premises in which this disaster occurred
were termed the Pecenix and were tenanted
by Mr. J.. 11. Saunders, the paper manufacturer, and oc-
cupied a frontage of nearly 200 feet along DArtford-
crotk, while they extended backwards a considerable
distance, and were adjoined on the north extremity by
the spseious Oil Crushing-mills belonging to Messrs.
Savriders and Harrison.
The first discovery was made at a few minutes before
seven o'clock on Saturday evening; some persons stand-
ing on the railway platform had their attention directed
to an• unusual glare of light in the second floor of the
mill. At first, it was imagined that the men were at
work in that portion of the building, and no alarm was
therefore given. In the course of A few minutes, how-
ever, the fire told its own tale by rising in an immense
body and shooting through the windows. Every at-
tempt was then made to get the flames confined to that
portion of the premises, but unfortunately it was stored
with rags, which caused the fire to travel with extra-
ordinary-rapidity. At one period there 'seemed not the
least hope of saving the.adjoining oil-mills.
The engine belonging to the Royal Exchange Fire-
offica having reached the spot, and having been taken to
the brink of the creek, was set to work, but the water
thrown upon the flames made not the least impression.
The engine belonging to the Kent Fire-office was the
next to arrive, followed by another front the Norwich
Union-office. These three engines were worked with
full 'vigour, but, in spite of the exertions' of the firemen,
the-flames continued to extend, and at length they as-
sumed so fearful an aspect that it was deemed prudent to
send an electric telegraph message to London for the aid
Of the brigade engines.
As soon as the news arrived in town two brigade en-
gines were taken, under the direction of Mr. Henderson,

To the London-bridge station, and a special train having
been ordered, were speedily conveyed to their destina-
tion. Mr. Connorton also started to the scene of con-
flagration with the West ot:England engine and a power-
ful body of firemen. Previous to the arrival of the Lo❑-
don firemen, the entire mill was on fire from the base to
the roof. Owing to the high wind, large flakes of
blazing timber and showers of sparks wore drifted over
the town to a considerable distance, so as to cause great
alarm.

The three engines from London were immediately
placed alongside of the three that had previously arrived,
and the whole were called into operatior. They had
not, however, been long at work when the roof of the
mill gave way, and the centre falling upon the floors
below forced them down with a fearful crash. The fire-
ho a ever, by great perseverance, succeeded in saving
the engine-house, and thereby were enabled to cut off
the further spread of the flames in that direction, but
they still continued to rage furiously in the mill in which
they commenced, and hour after hour passed away before
they could be got under; and, although all danger of any
further extension of mischief was over by 4 o'clock in
the morning, a considerable body of fire remained in the
ruins at 6 o'clock last evening, and there seemed no
chance of getting it out for some hours.
.We regret to state that Mr. Saunders will not be the
only person who will suffer by the misfortune, for the
whole of his workpeople, male and female ,must for a
considerable period be thrown out of employment.
The following is a copy of Mr. Superintendent Braid-
wood's official report:—
" Saturday, Feb. 14, 1852, at seven o'clock, ram, a
fire broke out in the premises occupied by Mr. J.
Saunders, paper maker, known as the Phenix Paper-
mills Dartford, Kent. The cause of fire unknown. The
building belongs to Messrs. Thompson and Co., of
&idlers -hall. Contents insured, in the Sun, Pbcenix,
Kent, and Union offices, The building insured in the
Imperial and other offices. The fire was extinguished
by strangers and firemen, with one engine of the Royal
Exchange, one of the Kent, one of the Norwich Union,
two of the London Brigade, and one of the West of
England Fire-office, and 56 hired auxiliaries. The mills
are burned down, 'and engine-house saved.
" Messrs. Harrison and Co., oil-mill proprietors.—
The building and contents slightly damaged by fire, but
considerably by water, and roof by breakage. Insured
in the Phcenix; Kent, Scottish Union, Norwich Union,
and West of England Firc-;-)fficeA."

LONDON, BRIGHTON, AND SOUTH-COAST
RAILWAY.

Traffic—Week ending Feb. 14,1852 ... £7,040 4 6
Traffic—Week ending Feb. 15, 1851 ... 7,516 11 0
Total of the half-year, to this date, 1852 ... 53,663 10 10
Total of the half-year, to this date, 1851 ... 55,340 2 4
Total number of Passengers—Week ending
Feb. 14, 1812 ... 40,303
Passengers ... ....£'‘,oBB 16 10
Goods ... ... 1,951 7 8

Total ... £7,040 4 6
Total miles open, 1852, 1734; ditto, 1851, 17114.
London Terminus, Feb. 16, 1852.

CABINET COUNCIL.—A Cabinet Council Was held
on Saturday afternoon at the Foreign-office. The Ministers
present were Lord John Russell, the Lord Chancellor, the
Marquis of Lansdowne, the Earl of Minto, Sik George Grey
Earl Granville, Earl Grey, the Chancellor of the Excheqeer,
Sir Francis Baring, the Right Hon. Fox Maule, the Earl of
Carlisle, the Right Hon. Henry Labouchere, the Marquis of
Clanricarde, Lord Seymour, and the Right Hon. R. Vernon
Smith. The council sat three hours and a half.
THE LATE COLLISION IN THE VICTORIA CHANNEL,
LIVERPOOL.—On Saturday morning, the steam-tug Inde•
pendence, which had been sent out in search of the Pickwick,
after having been in collision with the Chimera, returned
to Liverpool without having seen anything of her. The belief
that she had foundered immediately after being struck amid-
ships was thus apparently confirmed, when, in. the middle of
the night, to the great'surprise of everybody connected with
the port, the missing ship herself made her appearance in
the river. Friuli the hour at which she arrived we were un-
able to ascertain precise particulars ; but we are happy to
state that the two men who were reported to have -been lost
overboard from the Pickwick, when the latter was struck
by the'Chiinera, were safe on board their vessel, which they
have thus been the means of preserving.
NOVEL AND DESTRUCTIVE RIFLE.—An American
of the name of Jones has invented a rifle which fires twenty-
five distinct shots - with one loading. The rifle has the ap-
pearance of the ordinary double barrelled gun, with the ex-
ci ption that the barrels are placed one above the other, and
the lower barrel is rather shorter than the upper. In the
lower barrel are placed twenty-five bullets of a conical shape,
each about an inch in length. The upper part of these bul-
lets is charged with powder, and by a slight movement of a
small lever, they are brought into the upper barrel one after
the other, as the previous one is discharged from it. In the
stock there is a small box for holding a numbe rof detonating
pills, quite on the horneeopathic principle, which one by one
fall under the hammer of the trigger, and do the duty of the
ordinary copper caps. 'On Monday, evening the operator
discharged- his gun: the twenty-four times in about a minute,
and said that he could load and reload his gun and fire it 125
times in less than Ave minutes.. The gun is under the con-
sideration of the Board of Ordnance.
MURDER OF A FEMALE IN ST. JOHN'S-WOOD.—
Yesterday, an excitement of a most painful nature was
caused in the vicinity of St. John's-wocd, by the discovery
of the murder of a female named Styles, the wife of a horse-
keeper, living at No. 16, Victoria-mews, Salisbury-street,
Portman-market. At half-past two in the morning, as
police constable Flampson, 23) D, was on duty in a street
adjacent to the mews alluded to, he was accosted by Styles,
who stated to him that his wife had been murdered. Ile
(the constable) proceeded with him to his room, which was
ever a stable, and found 'the deceased lying dead in bed,
with nothing on but her shoes and stockings, and observing
marks of blood upon the man's clothes, asked him how he
could account for them, to which he replied that they were
caused by his leaning over his wife to ascertain whether she
was dead or not. The constable immediately took him into
custody, and conveyhen he ed him to the John-street station-house
was charged with the murder.
On Saturday a•Most 'mischievous trick, to say the
Guildhall,
" withdrawn;; by
several least of it, perpetrated at the Court of Common Pleas,
person who had written the word
sequence was gaihst several c • the t • d the con
that the ases
an
necessary to withdraw the
hrecords at great expense to the
Went away, and it became
probated the conduct of the Lord Chief Justice strongly re-
he would most severel
y punish, offenders, whom, if discovered,
Mr. Secondary Potter, and directedIts Lordship theta seht for
locks, should be prepared by Monday,
that glazed frames, with
be protected, and a repetition of offencetheylothat the lists might
prevented
GONDOLA STEAMERS ON THE THAMES .
the ensuing spring -a "fleet of gondola st Early in
placed on the River, to run between Lohdoheaumriedrs" will be
the piers to Richmond. They are ten in number,
Bridge
the all
and novel construction, resembling. somewhat. informthenew
that ply on the canals of Venice. A spend' gondolas id saloon-
of theafterpartof
the vessel, with a
occupies the whole
Most of them are building at Liverpool,
RETIREMENT above.
RETIREMENT OF MR. GREEN, THE AERONAUT.
The veteran aerial voyager retires this season from aer °sue
made 489 ascents, and intends corn-
pursuits. He has now
during the ensuing season. Mr.
pleting the number of 500
Royal Gardens, Vauxhall.
Wardell, the proprietor of the
f II • "
arewe trips.
has arre.nged with Mr. Green for his eleven
Each ascent is to be marked by various grand demonstra-
tions.
AN OFFICER SUPPOSED OF THE AISILZON.—A.
man was washed on shore at Bucks, near Bideford, on Mon
day last, having gold lace on his cap, and jacket lined with
auk, apparently having been a long time in the water, and
having an officer-like appearance. He is suppoeed to be one
of the crew of the unfortunate steam-ship
y Amazon. An
inquest was held ( n the bod, and the poor fellow in-
terred In Parkham Churchyard on Tuesday lest.—
North
Devon Paper.
'
VALENTINES DaY;—_Saturday was a very busy
day in the Post-office: Up to five o'clock in the evening
200,000,1etters above the ordinary daily average had passed
through' the Post-office in St. artin's-le-Grand, the total
number amounting to nearly 400,000, the trealised
pos age
being 1,500/,
•Ttie Official Milan Gazette of the sth states that
the number of recruits for Lombirdy this year is to be 8,630,
taken from two classes, those of 1830 and 1831
• In 1849 the
truinber of recruits was-8,0451 arid in 1850—they were 7,6931
rOUI QUO claaa each year. •