The Sun.
London, England, 1863-12-26 00:00:00

street, Norfolk-street, and Arundel-street ; to make a new
street from the embankment roadway near the east side of
theMiallesexend of Hungerford-bridgetoWellington-street,
Waterloo-bridge, and also short streets to communicate with
Viliicrs street, Buckingham-street, and Cecil-street, and
new streets near George-street, Adelphi, and from the em-
bankment at Whitehall-stairs to Whitehall, opposite the
Horse Guards. The first portion of the embankment has
been taken by Mr. Furness.
Deodorization of the River,—ln consequence of consider-
able fall of rain it has been found unnecessary to incur any
expenditure under this head.
U tilization of the Sewage.—ln consequence of the report
of the committee of the House of Commons to inquire into
the best means of utilizing the sewage of the cities and towns
of England with a view to the reduction of local taxation
and the benefit of agriculture, the board invited applications
for taking the sewage, and it is hoped that the information
which has been obtained would assist in the settlement of
this important question.
Subterranean Survey—The subterranean survey is be-
ing reproduced, of which 169 sheets have been completed,
and the rest are in progress.
New Covent- garden Approach—This communication ex-
tends from the western-corner of Long-acre and St. Martin's-
lane to King-street, and affords the means of egress from
and approach to Covent-garden Market and the thorough-
fares immediately adjoining. It is 140 yards in length and
50ft wide.

Victoria Park Approach—This improvement commences
at Mile-end-road and terminates at the East India Dock-
road, Limehouse. It is 1,162 yards in length and 70ft wide.
The expenses were £41,390 17s 3d.

Receipts and expenses—The receipts during the year
were £1,125,610 19s Id , the payments during the same pe-
riod, £1,115,610 7s 4d.

Metropolis Gas Acts—The Board have erected two per-
manent gasmeter testing offices,one in White Lion-street,
Spitalfields, for the eastern division;of the metropolis, and
the other in Castle-street, Southwark, for the southern die.
trict. A site for a testing house for the western district has
been obtained in Great Smith-street, Westminster. During
the past 12 months the number of gasmeters stumped was
29,327, and the fees received in respect of the same £976 7s.
Finsbury Park—The Board have selected for Finsbury
Park a site immediately adjacent to the Seven Sisters-road,
at Holloway, bounded on the west by the Great Northern
Railway, and on the east by the Green-lanes. It contains
about 120 acres, and from its character was easy of adapta •
tion for the purposes of a park.
Safe keeping of Petroleum—On July 29,1862, an act was
passed by which licences for keeping petroleum were re-
quired to be granted by the Board ; 13 applications were
made, of which two were granted and 11 not granted
Lines of Frontage of Streets—During the past year 382
applications have been made to the Board, of which 277
were granted and 105 refused.
Formation of Streets—For the formation of now streets
or the regulation of width of others there were during the
year 135 applications, of which 117 were granted and 18 re-
fused.

The report thus concludes —ln concluding the report
of their proceedings the Board would advert to the great
improvements which will be accomplished under the
Northern and Southern Embankment Acts and the Act for
the formation of the new street to the Mansion-house, but
there will still remain to be executed many others of vital
importance to the metropolis. 1' he opening up of new lines
of thoroughfares, the abolition of toll. p.ty ing bridges, the for-
mation of public parks and the preservation of open spaces,
are works to which the best energies of the Board will have
to be devoted, but they are still of opinion that for these
other means than those derived from direct taxes now ought
to be affjrded, and they can only again express their earnest
hope that the period is not far distant when such additional
means will be placed at their disposal. They cannot also but
observe with great satisfaction the increased confidence
reposed in them by the Legislature and the public. They
trust they are justified in the conclusion that, from the ad-
ditional duties with which they have been charged, the Me-
tropolitan Board is accepted as the body to which are now
confided all matters affecting the general interests of the
metropolitan ratepayers.

Terrible Fire in Birmingham—Six Lives

Lost.

BIRMINGHAM, Friday.

Shortly before Christmas-day dawned upon the sleeping
town, a fire broke out which has resulted in the loss of six
lives. The first house in Little Hill-street, abutting on the
Horse Fair, is the Hill-street Tavern, kept by Mr. George
Gameson. On Thursday night, when the customers had
left, the following were the occupants of the house :
George Gameson, landlord; Mrs. Gameson, his wife; Mrs.
Bradley, an old lady who came that evening to spend her
Christmas holiday ; a general servant (name not ascer-
tained) ; a nurse girl named Spratt, aged about 12; and Mr.
Gameson's six children, varying in age from 2 years to 17.
Between 4 and 5 o'clock on Friday morning some persons
in the street discovered that Mr. Gameson's house was on
fire, and the flames were ascending from the upper windows
of the house. The fire had evidently originated in the lower
part of the house, in one of the back rooms. A few per-
sons crowded to the spot, and the alarm was at once given
to the fire and police offices. Tho fire escape was the first to
arrive, and was immediately got into use. The engines arrived
soon afterwards, and got into play, but the fire had made
great headway before they commenced work, and the house
is completely gutted, though the outside stands fair and un-
marked, with the exception of some broken windows. The
house has a ground floor and two storeys, the first floor front
being occupied as a club room. Pending the arrival of the fire
escape, some men had scaled the walls, and gained the leads
over the bar windows. The landlord had by some means
got out of the house, and was frantically calling on the
people to aid in rescuing his wite and children. When the
fire escape came it was reared against the upper windows of
the house, and some men who had penetrated into the upper
storeys commenced to get out the bodies. Old Mrs.
Bradley was found under tho bed in her room, with two of
the children. They were all horribly burned and charred
and had been dead for some time. Two other children
were also dead, Lesides the nurse-girl.
Ont of six children only two were saved—John and
George Gameson. They are very badly injured, and when
our hurried inquiries were made it was considered very
doubtful whether either of them would recover. Mr. and
Mrs. Gameson, and the elder servant, escaped unhurt.
The bodies were removed to the Acorn Tavern, opposite,
kept by Mr. T. Biigga. They present a most horrible
spectacle, wrapped in bed-clothes and other coverings
hastily snatched up by the rescuers, and lying in the
horribly grotesque distortions of violent death. It appears
as if the old lady bad nor been in bed, for she was partially
dressed. In each case the flesh of the victims is burnt up
until their limbs only resemble sticks of charcoal rather
than the remains of humanity. The eldest daughter of
Mr. Gameson was a fine grown girl of 17, and now she lies
a charred mass of ruin sickening to see—the only part of
her body comparatively uninjured being her rich brown
hair falling in wild dishevelment over the blackened re-
mains of her body. The following is a list of the victims :
—Mrs. Bradley, an old lady ; Amy Spratt, aged 12, nurse;
Matilda Gameson, aged 17; Emily Gameson, aged G ; Betsy
Gameson, aged 5 ; William Gameson, aged about 2 years.