The Sun.
London, England, 1853-06-27 00:00:00

LORD ELLESMERE £T NEW YORK.

(From the New Pork [Jerald.)
The British frigate Leander, Commauder King, ar-
rived at this port yesterday from Plymouth, having on
board as passengers Lord Ellesmere, family, and suite.
Lord Ellesmere is the English Royal Commissioner to
the Crystal Palace at New York.

The general interchange of friendly feeling among the
governments and inhabitants of all nations and the wide-
spread diffusion of the most recent discoveries in the
arts and sciences, together with the immediate propaga-
tion of the results of the latest philosophical researches
and agricultural improvement inquiries, which took
place after the Great National Exhibition in London,
entitle that tremendous undertaking to be looked upon
as a chief blessing by the civilised world.
The English Government was soon aware of the bene-
ficial influences which would flow upon mankind from
the uninterrupted march of the new spirit thus engen-
dered by itself, and, with characteristic readiness, it re-
solved upon- leading a helping hand to similar institu-
tions all over the world.

The contributions of America to the Crystal Palace
in Hyde-park were, such as entitled this Republic to rank
amonr, the most distinguished of the kingdoms in point
of industry, genius, avd practical appliance of mechanical
skill ; and hence we ware the first to determine upon
having an " Exhibition for the Industry of all Nations"
upon our own soil. _ _ _. _

The alacrity with which 'England responded to the in-
timation of our intention is known to all. Her Sove-
reign issued a commission, by virtue of which a repre-
sentative delegation would proceed to New York ' • and
every department of the. Government—Admiralty,, Mili-
tary, Ordnance, Finance, and Tmde--showed the most
ready determination to assist the Queen in carrying the
idea to a successful issue.

The British Sovereign placed at the head of the com-
mission the Right Hon. Francis Earl of Ellesmere, a
nobleman whose life has been distinguished by a devo-
tion to the practical study of science, literature, and the
fine arts ; and it was determined that he should proceed
upon his peaceful mission in a manner worthy his own
rank, his country, and that to which he was accredited.
The Lords of the Admiralty immediately ordered the
new and very fine man-of•war Leander, which was com-
missioned for special service, to be made ready for sea,
and, her naval equipment being soon completed, Lord
Ellesmere, with her Ladyship and a portion of their
family, sailed from Plymouth upon the morning of the
10th May.
The voyage was most pleasant. No extraordinary
speed was desired, and an even rate of sailing was main-
tained throughout. There was no sickness on board,
further than the expected stomach qualms of some of
the landsfolk comprising • the suite, and the ship sped
on her course merrily. The Leander arrived at the
Narrows about half-past ten o'clock yesterday morn-
ing, and was there taken in tow by the steam-tug
Ajax, by which vessel she was brought abreast of the
battery, where she cast anchor at a quarter past twelve
o'clock, noon, after making the passage from Plymouth
in a little over 30 days.
When the Leander was coming into harbour her offi-
cers espied the American flag hoisted at Governor's
Island, which was saluted by a discharge of 21 guns
from the ship, the cannon of the fort responding in a
moment.

The news of her arrival was immediately forwarded to
Mr. Barclay, British Consul, and simultaneously tele-
graphed to the herald office by our ship news agent.
We dispatched special reporters to visit the ship, and
upon their arrival at Whitehall they found one of her
boats fully manned, with the union jack waving from her
stern, waiting to convey Mr. Barclay on board.
Mr. Barclay was received on deck by the commander,
Captain George St. V. Bing, with due honour, and
conducted over the vessel.

Immediately after our reporters came alongside, and
upon presenting their cards they were at once admitted,
and received with that frank and urbane attention
which characterises the British sailor both at home and
abroad.

Upon the Leander every man was at his post, but the
necessary bustle which always exists after a voyage was
such that a full inspection of the ship could not be made
yesterday. However, we have received some details re-
specting her which will be found interesting.
The Leander is a new ship—it, not being more than
half a dozen years since she was built—of very ample
breadth, and a good height between decks. She does not
present the appearance of a " quick one" when viewed at
anchor, but yet she has the reputation of being a very
fast sailor, as was attested in her late voyage. She is of
2,000 tons burden, and is planned with a force, includ-
ing officers and hands of every rating, of 500 men. She
is pierced for and mounts 50 guns of very heavy calibre.
We find the names of her officers published in the
Navy List of the past year ; .but as many changes have
taken place since, in consequence of promotions
and exchanges, we urnish a corrected roll of the gentle-
men now in commission :

Captain—George St. Vincent King.
Lieutenants First, Charles H. May ; second,
Agnew ; third, Frederick W. Gough ; fourth, Sir Henry.
Blackwood ; fifth, Campbell ; sixth, Lord G. Gros-
venor.

Surgeons-- Robertson, M.D., Blake, M.D.
Chaplain—Rev. Charles W. Belgrave, B.A.
Midshipmen—Messrs. Ward, Hardy, Johnson, Mit-
chell, Warburton, Burnston, Ley, Wise.
The Royal Marine force detailed 68 ram for duty
upon the Leander. They are all in the prime of life,
and excellent specimens of the British soldier, both in
drill, equipment, and personal appearance. The Marines
are commanded by Captain Miller, R.M., and Lieu-
tenant Douglass, R.M., with the usual complement of
noncommissioned officers.

The following is a complete list of the passengers on
board :—The Right Hon. Francis Earl of Ellesmere, the
Hon. Harriet Catherine Countess of Ell6smere ; his
Lordship's children—Lady Alice Harriet Frederica
Egerton, Lady Blanche Egerton, the Hon. Algernon
Egerton, Captain Coldstream Guards ; the Hon. Arthur
Frederick Egerton, Grenadier Guards. Sir John Acton
is also a passenger.

Lord Ellesmere's suite consists of three maid-servants
and three men-servants. In order to enable the servants
to perform their duty with more ease and greater facility,
a considerable portion of the aft part of the ship was
fitted up as temporary cooking and washing rooms, &c.,
which somewhat detracts from her appearance. These
fixtures will soon be removed, we understand.

We regret to announce that during yesterday after-
noon Lord Ellesmere was confined to his state room
with a severe attack of gout, and had expressed his de-
termination not to leave the ship during the evening.
The Ladies Egerton had gone ashore, attended by
their maids ; they were in excellent health, and we trust
enjoyed some pleasure from a sight of the novelties,
varieties, and bustle which are to be daily met with
during a walk through the Empire City.
The Hon. Captain Egerton was on board also, in good
health and spirits.
Lord Ellesmere has brought some valuable contribu-
tions to our exhibition—paintings, works' of art, Ste.—
his own private property, from the family mansion, but,
owing to his indisposition, our reporter did not requests
catalogue. It is the intention of Lord Ellesmere to visit
the, Niagara Falls, Canada, and various other parts of
the country previous to the opening of the Palace.
The English Commission to America is now complete,
and it must be acknowledged that the country is well
and worthily represented.
. The Commission is constituted as follows :
Chief Commissioner—Earl of Ellesmere.
Geology and Mineralogy—Sir Charles Lyell.
Agriculture—Professor G. Wilson.
Textile Fabrics and Ornamental Arts—Mr. Wallis.
General Commissioner—Mr. Wentworth Dilke.

We are informed by the officers of the Leander, that,
in addition to the complimentary delegation, many
distinguished gentlemen fromvarious parts of Eng-
land were preparing to leave home for the purpose
of visiting us, and that a number had left in the different
ships and steamers daily sailing for our ports.
In concluding this sketch, we beg to tender a hearty.
welcome to the commissioners, the ladies, and the gal-
lant officers and men of the Leander, and to express the
hope that during their stay many opportunities will
present, by which the friendly bonds that cement the
two great sections of the Anglo-Saxon race may be
drawn closer.

FIRE AND Loss OF LIFE IN HATTON-GARDEN.—A.
fire of a very destructive character, attended with a
serious loss of property, and fatal results to two or three
persons, broke out between the hours of seven and eight
on Saturday evening, in the premises occupied conjointly
by Mr. George Ross, the patentee of the American
over-shoe and India rubber fabrics, Messrs. Pakeman,
export tailors, Mr. Curtis, a clothier, and several other
persons, situate at No. 107, Hatton-garden. The pre-
mises in question were of great altitude, there
being several floors in the structure. Mrs. Curtis,
who occupied the top part of the house, at the time
of the disaster occurring, was cleaning the stairs,
and was ali of a suden ' alarmed by a dense body
of smoke issuing from the lower part of the build-
ing She at once gave an alarm, and had barely
sufficient time to reach the street ,door when she saw
the flames breaking through the doors and windows of
the ground floor. This part of the property was well
stored with article; made of India-rubber, gutta percha,
and other substances quite as inflammable, which proved
of pcl2 assistance to the flames that they travelled as
quick as electricity, thereby cutting off all means of
escape of three persons who had not been able to run
down stairs during the brief interval that had elapsed.
The scene at the time—not more than five minutes after
the fire was discovered=was painful in the extreme.
A young female, named Curtis, who was in the
upper part of the house became literally surrounded
with flame, and unfortunately she was quickly burnt
almost to a cinder. A woman, who also lived in the
upper part of the house, after making several futile
attempts to reach the street, was obliged to make
for the front window, no doubt expecting to find the
escapes of the Royal Society there, but unfortunately
the hour for the conductor to come on duly had not
arrived, and the poor creature, as the last expedient,
jumped out of the window. She fell, in the first in-
stance, upon some iron spikes that surrounded the area,
and, as one of the neighbours was hastening to liberate
her, she fell upon the stone flags with fearful violence.
She was instantly removed to St. Bartholomew's Hos-
pital ; but very little hopes are entertained of her re-
covery. So fierce was the progress of the confiagration
that the firemen, in order to save the adjoining pre-
mises, mounted the roofs, and by conveying the hose
along the parapets they were enabled to distribute the
water in such directions as to confine the destructive
element principally to the warehouses in which it began.
The poor girl Curtis was found in the rums by one of
the brigade, burnt quite black ; and during the morning
of yesterday the body of a man named Stephens was
also found dreadfully disfigured by the action of the fire,
and quite dead.