The Sun.
London, England, 1865-03-04 00:00:00

1 he Great Fire at Constantinople.

By far the most terrible calamity which has
shocked the public mind of Constantinople for 30
years past happened at Galata on Monday night,
the 20th of February. Shortly after eleven o'clock
on the night in question a fire broke out in one of
the wings of the Roman Catholic convent of St.
Benoit, and, notwithstanding the utter absence of
wind, the flames rapidly spread to the adjoining
apartments, and thence to the thickly-clustering
houses outside the convent enclosure. The fire
quickly spread its own alarm, and within little more
than half an hour after its first appearance nearly
a dozen fire-engines, with a strong muster of toloum-
bajees, a numerous force of police, and a company of
marines from the arsenal were on the spot. Hain
Pasha also arrived promptly from Tophaneh with
half a company of artillerymen, and the foreign
gunboats in the harbour at the same time despatched
each a fire-engine and a strong crew to work it.
The intricate arrangement of the building, however,
coupled with almost entire want of water, for awhile
defied all attempts to reach the rapidly extending
flames, which soon ingulphed the whole north-
eastern angle of the convent, and flinging their fiery
spray across the narrow streets on either side, ignited
the wooden houses along a line of more than a 100
yards. The first efforts of the salvors were directed
to the large stone building in the corner of the quad-
rangle which formed the sleeping-quarters of the
Sisters and the female pupils of the establishment.
These were all safely rescued, but barely with the
clothes they were able to wrap round them in the
moment of escape. While this was being effected
inside the enclosure, the fire was making rapid pro-
gress among the houses outside. The whole of these
being of wood, and as dry as tinder, the flames
literally licked up house after house till stopped in
their progress, on the one side, by a pile of stone
buildings down near the Armenian church, and on
the other towards Tophaneh by a wide gap effected
by the demolition of a row of hovels in that direc-
tion. In the meantime, however, the great disaster
of the night had happened. Shortly after midnight
a body of some 60 toloumbajees, with four engines,
had stationed themselves along the outer wall of the
high stone building in the corner of the convent quad-
rangle already mentioned, considering themselves
sheltered by the wall from the flames within, and
being well placed from that point for playing on the
wooden buildings already ignited on the other side.
The apparent safety of the spot had also collected on
and around it several of the policemen and spectators,
of whom, as is usual, a large crowd had by this time
gathered from all parts of Pera and Galata. Sud-
denly, and without even a warning crack, the eastern
and southern walls of this lofty building toppled
outwards, literally cresting over the doomed crowd
below like the curve of a breaking wave, and bury-
ing under their debris all four of the engines men-
tioned, with the whole of their crews, and a large
number of the police and on-looking crowd. Not a
man who had stood within the fatal shadow of the
fallen walls escaped. Almost simultaneously a poi-
don of the western wall fell over on a small, densely
inhabited house outside the convent limits, and
crushing through its roof, killed, it is said, eight of
its inmates, who were engaged in endeavouring to
rescue their effects. For a time this terrible disaster
paralysed all efforts to check the conflagration out-
side the convent, and as the remaining wall threatened
momentarily to give way too, no attempt was made
to reach the mangled and dying, whom the ruins of
the other walls had partly hid from sight. Of these
many were seen to make agonizing but ineffectual
efforts to extricate themselves from the charred
masses of brick and wood which only half-entombed
them, and then gradually to cease the vain struggle
as suffocation or other cause of death did its work.
This part of the-scene was harrowing beyond any
power of description. The vigorous play of the
ships' engines from the inside of the convent quad-
rangle, aided by the calmness of the night, had in
the meantime checked the spread of flames to the
western wing of the building ; not, however, before
the small circular dome and roof of the chapel on one
side, and the dormitories of the female pupils and
storerooms on the other had been seriously damaged.
Outside, the fire was virtually unopposed, the disasters
to their fellows under the convent wall having appa-
rently unnerved the other toloumbajees on the ground.
There was, besides, an almost complete want of
water. It was not, therefore, till the flames had
burnt themselves out on all sides to the gaps
made in their path by the pulling down of distant
houses that the conflagration may be said to have
been got under. This was about 7 a.m., by which
time, beside the damage done to the convent, in all
42 houses and four shops had been destroyed. But
for the providential absence of wind, however, this
would have been but a trifling instalment of the
wide-spread devastation that must have occurred
for had the flames spread down on the one st e
old
to-
wards Tophaneh, or on the other croress h
dyke higher up, the fire must have.h
direction to far beyond the Yenitc a
'alace. The
other from the Take' to the Russian p
rsspi andad inn onet
h the
laa
tm4i tpy. s.
believed to exceed 100.
total number of victims
utpo
ttillilisycgrsteeartdacay
42 had been dug out of the debris, when the work
in of the bricks and
was discontinuedconsequence
further exhumations.n
walls being too hot to admit. of broken roof timber nearer the base of the fallen
Among the killed is Ibrahim Bey, the chief of the
Galata police.—Levant Herald.

THE REPRESENTATION OF PERTHSIIIRE.—With
regard a paragraph which we copied on Wednes-
dayfr to
om a Crieff paper, stating that Mr. Stirling of Keir
was about to retire-from the representation of the county,
we are authorisekto say that the rumour referred to has no
foundation in fact. Mr. Stirling will again offer himself as
a candidate for the representation of the county, and there
can be no doubt of his rettum.—Edinburgh Courant.

Oa
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continued all night. As morning dawned on the
31st Etna disclosed itself once again in the full
working of a grand eruption, preceded by violent
shocks and imposing rumblings like thunder. The
long undisturbed apex of the mountain opened up,
throwing out clouds of sand, ashes, and lava over
the surrounding country. The burning stream then
commenced to flow down the eastern side, the rapi-
dity of the stream being very great, for in 24 hours
it had extended itself five miles. Though at first
it continued in one stream, it soon divided into three,
and these again into several others, the widest being
about three miles broad. One of the most exten-
sive of these currents flows from west to east, and
threatens the neighbourhood of the famous Cava
Grande, and the world-famed Castagna di Cento
Cavalli, which is said to be the oldest and largest
tree in existence. It is to be hoped these natural
antiquities, so interesting to the rambler in Sicily,
may be spared the fiery stream, but the situation is
certainly precarious. Another branch, said to be
the smallest, soon flowed into a ravine, known as the
Leap of Colaecchio, and from this it forced its way
into the plains of Montearsi, burning the greater part
of the large wood of pines, and invading theproperty
of Signor Mudo on the plain itself. It has done
damage which will be sorely felt by the poor peasants,
who have thus, in a few hours, been despoiled of
their all—homesteads, fields, cattle, and even their
fathers' landmarks, the means of a living, all have
been swept away. In the neighbourhood of Catania
all are anxious about their property, and fear the
encroachments of the lava. The eruption of the
mountain is extremely grand, and is said to be not
inferior to that of 1852. Of course its duration
and what amount of damage it may do to the
country are matters it is impossible to judge.
" The movements of Vesuvius are apparently as
limited as before. It is understood that Professor
Palmieri, who, during the past few days, has been
occupied in making scientific researches from the
observatory, states that it is but a calm preceding a
grand eruption, which we may expect to see before
long."

WILLS AND BEQUESTS.

(From the Illustrated London News.)

The will of Sir James Matthew Stronge, Bart.,
of Tynan Abbey, Armagh, has been proved in her
Majesty's Courts of Probate at Armagh and at Lon-
don, and the grant issued to the eldest son, Sir Jas.
Matthew Stronge, Bart. }the soleeleentor. Me a,
tor succeeded to the title, as second baronet, in 1804 ;
married, in 1810, Isabella, eldest daughter of the
late N. Calvert, Esq., M.P., by whom he leaves a
large family; was appointed Gentleman of the Privy
Council in 1820, was High Sheriff of 'Tyrone 1822,
and of Armagh 1823, and a magistrate and Deputy-
Lieutenant for those counties. He died, in December
last, at the age of 76, having executed his will in
February, 1861. To his wife he leaves all property
she held in her own right, including a sum of £5,000
which was bequeathed to her ladyship by her brother,
and also much furniture and other effects. To the
wife of his eldest son, on the decease of his (the
testator's) wife, in case she survives her husband, he
leaves an annuity of £4OO. To each of his younger
children he has left specific pecuniary bequests,
according to their circumstances and requirements,
and where not otherwise provided for.

The will of the Rev. Jeremy Pemberton, formerly.
of Clare, Suffolk, but late of Burton Latimer, North-
ampton, was proved in London under £25,000, the
executors and trustees appointed being Nathaniel
Bridges, Esq., Red Lion-square, and the Rev. John
Mayne St. Clere Raymond, M.A., of Belchamp Hall,
Essex. The will bears date April, 1864, and a codicil
November last; and the testator died in December.
He has commenced his will by leaving £7,000 to be
divided amongst the 14 following institutions :—The
London Clerical Educational Society, Church Mis-
sionary Society, Church Pastoral Aid Society, London
City Mission, Religious Tract Society, Protestant
Church Reformation Society, Colonial and Conti-
nental Church Society, Female Aid Society ; Idiot
Asylum, Colchester; Irish Church Mission Society,
Home and Colonial School Society, Moravian Mis-
sions, Church of England Scripture Readers Society,
and the Poor Pious Clergy Society. To the latter he
leaves all his blankets and linen at the Pantechnicon,
Pimlico. His estates he has portioned out between
the Rev. 0. L. Raymond, LL.B., of Middleton, and
the said Rev. J. M. St. Clere Raymond, and to them
he has left his plate, which he deposited at Messrs.
Twinings, and also appointed them residuary legs-
tees. There are many liberal legacies to personal
friends. All legacies are to be paid free of legacy
duty.
The will of Arthur Woodriff Jaffray, Esq., of St.
Mildred's-court, Poultry, American merchant, was
proved in the London Court of Probate under
£40,000 personalty in England, the executors named
being his father, John R. Jaffray, Alex. S. Petrie,
and Alex. M. Barrow, Esqs., all of London ; and
E. S. Jaffray, Esq. (his brother), and John W.
188,64..
that,h
York.etciiw omit:testatorHouse,
near died
on the '4EthsciD" elVhlasotf,Natewß
should his property not realise what he anticipated,
Reigate,
bequests
havinglibereaxle, cauntedd
he states
swtaitllesJulinyhi,
the legacies are all to abate proportionately, and to
legacy of £20,000 ; to his dau. ghter Lilian also
be paid free of legacy duty.. To his wife there is a
£20,000 ; liberal legacies. to his uncle, John R.
Woodriff, and wife and children ; also to his niece,
Jane Soley, and to his cousins. To the North Lon-
don or University College, £2,000. The residue to
his wife for life, then to his said daughter or other
children.

THE NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE TURN-OUT.— The
notice for a general lock-out in the iron trade, unless
the North Staffordshire turn-outs resume work at the re-
duction is, as yet confined to Staffordshire and the North
of England districts. The Welsh ironmasters, however,
quite concur in the course taken, more especially as it is
well known that contributions are regularly sent from
South Wales to the Brierley-hill Committee, and from the
latter transmitted to North Staffordshire. The Welsh
makers are also quite prepared to act in unison with the
Staffordshire employers,
o.
s should it be deemed desirable that
theyt should do

rLADTERTISEMENT.)—HoIIoway's Pills are decidedly the
best remedy for all disorders of the stomach and bowel;
the liver and kidneys. They act with so decided an effect,
and yet so gently, that people of the most delicate consti-
tutions may take them with the most perfect confidence.
They do not contain a single grain of mercury or other
noxious substance, being composed exclusively of rare
balsams. They are, therefore, equally safe and efficacious,
and as a family medicine nothing yet invented or die covereg
can be compared to them for a moment. With these inest
mable pills at band, together with the printed directions
affixed to each box, no other medical advice or assistance
can be needed in any ordinary cane of sickness.