The Sun.
London, England, 1862-10-25 00:00:00

7REMENDOUS CONFLAGRATION.

This morning, between 2 and 3 o'clock, one of the most
extensive fires that has occurred in the county of Essex for
several years past broke out in the London India Rubber
Co.'s works at West Ham. The building was about 360
feet long end over 60 wide, and was div,ded into compart-
ments. The fire was first discovered by a police-constable,
who observed flames issuing from the eastern part of the
building, and in a very short space of time the fire had
reached the roof, The West Ham and Brigade engines
attended, and were soon set to work with a plentiful supply
of water, but by this time every part of the building was
burning, and it was said such a large body of flame had not
been seen since the great fire at London-bridge. After a
short time the roof fell in with a fearful crash, and it was
expected the falling material and the immense quantity of
water that was being poured in would have annihilated the
flames, but they soon rose again higher than before, and all
hope of saving this part of the works was given up. Tha
exertions of the firemen prevented the fire from taking hold
on the other buildings belonging to the company, but the
one in which the fire broke out was entirely destroyed.
It is not known bow the fire originated, nor can any esti.
mate of the value of the loss be yet made.

The German journals are much amused at an
error lately committed by the Augsburg Gazette. That
journal, in publishing a despatch from Turin, which an-
nounced the amnesty granted to Garibaldi, concluded with
those words :—" It is on the intercession of the Pope that
King Victor Emmanuel decided on this act of clemency."
The abovenamed journal had mistaken the name of the
Princess Pia for that of the Head of the Church.
Sir. TRAIN IN AMERICA.—Another Boston man,
a son of Deacon T. Train, you will see by the papers, was
taken out of a public meeting inßoston and locked up. He
is named George F. Train, and is the same person who
flourished in London. This poor fellow is insane. He
will probably be brought on to New York, and be placed on
Blackwall's Island, or at the Bloomingdale Asylum. It
will depend upon the fact whether he can pay 60 dollars a
quarter to pay his way at Bloomingdale. The asylum on
the island is free, being one of our public charities. At
that place, being under the charge of Dr. Ramsay, Train
may be cured and restored to his friends, unless his disease
should turn out to be a "softening of the brain." He was
always soft in that region, but never before regarded as
dangerous until after his imaginary interview with the Pre-
sident.—Correspondent of Horning Herald.
LITERARY PLAGIARISM.—A warning to plagih-
rists has just been given by the punishment inflicted on two
authors in Prussia, convicted of having sold as original a
play which was merely a copy of one existing already. They
were sentenced to two months' imprisonment and a fine of
$l5 each. WE, imagine this to be the first instance in which
literary theft has been viewed in the light of moral theft ;
and we fear that if the example were followea in England,
a protest would be raised. Of course, these two dramatic
authors were punished for imposing onthe manager to whom
they sold their piece, but is it not a greater crime to impose
on the public ?—Atltenceum.

" LES MISERABLES." By Victor Hugo.-- The
authorised English translation of this work, just published
by Messrs. Hurst and Blacketr, has met with great success ;
a very large edition having been at once disposed of. The
new number of the " Quarterly Review " contains a long
and interesting article on "Los Miserables," in which the
reviewer says, " We think it will be seen, on the whole, that
this work has something more than the beauties of an ex-
quisite style, or the word compelling power of a literary
Zeus to recommend it to the tender care of a distant pos-
terity, that in dealing with all the emotions, passions,
doubts, and fears which go to make up our common
humanity, M. Victor Hugo has stamped upon every page
the hall-mark of genius, and the loving patience and con-
scientious labour of a true artist. But the merits of ' Les
Miserables' do not merely consist in the conception of it as
aa whole., it abounds, page after page, with details of uu-
equalled beauty."