The Sun.
London, England, 1854-02-07 00:00:00

DENMARK.

From Copenhagen, Jan. 31, we learn that Nyar:
like preparations continue on a large scale. ' £he
War Minister (Hansen) has made inquiries of the
town authorities whether they can accommoc late
10,000 men and a large number of horses in F llsi-
nore ; and questions of a similar kind have k .een
asked in other towns. Orders are said to h .ave
been issued for the armament of three frigates,
three corvettes, three brigs, and five an ned
steamers. The news from Sweden becomes d aily
more distrustful of the Government, and fu' a of
defiance against the Russian Autocrat. The 151,8,-nd
of Gotland will receive an additional for( :e of
15,000 men, and another army will be draw n to-
gether on the west coast.

ALARMING FIRE IN NEWINGTON-CAUSEWAY.--LaSt
night, about nine o'clock, a fire, which caused consi-
derable alarm, broke out in the premises of Mr. Wa' tsoni
Lemon, house decorator, blindmaker, &c., No. 4, 13ri dge-
house-place, Newington-causeway. The discovery was;
made by police officer 238, of the M division, who, seeing
smoke issuing from the basement, immediately sou/ ided
an alarm, and sent off for proper assistance. 1:n a
very short time the Royal Society's escape attended,
and it being reported that a couple of children we re in
the upper floor. Smart, the conductor, mounted the
escape, and searched every room, but fortunately nc I one
was therein. The engines of the London Brigade and
West of England were remarkably early in arri ring,
and the Lambeth Company's mains having affort led a
bountiful supply of water, the firemen, under the ( lirec-
tier' of Messrs. Henderson, Connorton, and Hanabl et,on,
went to work in admirable style ; but in spite of th eir
efforts the fire could not be extinguished until the la pse
of upwards .of an hour, and not until consid era ble
damage was done. The origin of the fire, or vitt et her
the sufferer was insured, could not be ascertaineet. 1 Che
police, under Mr. Superintendent Haynes, and I dr.
Inspector Barry, kept a crowd of some thousands c ni t of
danger.
CUSTOMS' AFFAIRS.—A correspondence has b een
printed between Baron Rothschild, on behalf of a b ody
of London merchants, and the Lords of the Trea cc ry,
regarding the recent complaints of an insufficien c 3 • of
officers in the landing department of the Customs. It
shows that as soon as the complaints became kn o' wn
both the Treasury and the Commissioners of Cust;o: ns
attended to them with promptitude, and, moreo-y
that the causes in which they originated were in son ae
cases capable of explanation on temporary grounds. ( )n
the other hand, the existence of many of the alleged i n-
conveniences, as well as of some singular contradictio; as
in practice, is established in the statements actually p' ut
a sweeping vindication of tl
forth by the Treasury as
ie
commissioners, the old bureaucratic fault being like-
wise committed of interpreting every represent a-
tion against existing methods, as so many person ial
attacks upon the
officers by whom they are introduc ed
or carried out.
Like al most every correspondence on
Customs affairs, it is also impossible to derive from it
any satisfactory conclusion, owin-
g to the complete e
similarity
of the respective statements of the se, rt ;rat
parties whose evidence is appealed to—an evil for w .1] ich
Baron Rothschild rightly suggests an open court t.O be
the only remedy. Meanwhile, it is to be admitted . that
the Customs occupy in the present case the adv anta-
geous position of resisting an increased expenditure, , and,
although that plea would not be tolerated if obtain ed by
delays to commerce and an overworking of the exi :sting
staff, it will necessitate stronger and more ext( ;naive
proofs of an alteration being imperatively demanded : than
have been produced on this occasion.
THE CITY OF LONDON LYING-IN HOSPITAL.—TIIe an-
nual general meeting of the friends and subscribers to
this benevolent institution, founded in 1740 for- the re-
ception and delivery of poor pregnant married women,
was held in the board-room of the charity, Cit;proad,
for the purpose of receiving the report, and upon other
bnsiness ; Sir J. Tyler in the chair. The report, read
by the secretary, stated that there had been examined
and passed as fit to be admitted, 396 poor women during
the past year. Of this number there had been deliver ed,
since the Ist of January to December 31, 1853, no 1 .esk ;
a number than 346, of whom five had twins. Ch'
number of children born last year was 179 sons :
172 daughters. The number of children still-born • ►
F as or
9, viz., 3 boys and 6 girls ; and during the same pei there were 9 deaths, viz. 5 children and 4 women. ' lyr a
number of children who'had been restored was 12, the
report stating that "it is an important part of the
matron's habitual practice, by her own personal e: tions, to endeavour to recover life to those infants wh' J are
apparently still-born." Mrs. Harcourt Morris hail, pre-
sented the hospital during the past year with a donation
of thirty guineas, and 301. to renew the bed frArniture
of the ward. The report concluded by making a moist
energetic appeal to the public for support, th.e late severe
weather having caused large increase 'An the expened-
ture. The balance-sheet showed the total receipts to
amount to 2,2261. 9s. 5d., and the expenditure to 2,05'2/.
10s. 11d., leaving a balance in hand of 1931. 18s. sd.
The report having been received and adopted, and the
committee and officers for the year ensuing appoint Jed,
the meeting separated.