The Sun.
London, England, 1853-05-26 00:00:00

EPSOM TOWN PLATE of 50 sovs. (Handicap) for all ages.

Winners extra. One mile.
Mr. Drinkald's Snarry, by Sleight-of-Hand, 4 yrs,

6st 101 b .

(Alderoft) 1

Mr. Reeves's Abdallah, 6 yrs, Bst 71b (Bartholomew) 2
Mr. Magennis's Sandhurst, 3 yrs, 7st (Oliver) 3
The following also ran :—Telescope, Merriment.
The betting opened at 6 to 4 agst Telescope, but closed
at 2to 1 agst him. 2to 1 agst Snarry.
A fine race with Snarry, Abdallah, and Sandhurst.
Won by a neck ; the second beating the third by three-
quarters of a length. Telescope a bad fourth.
GREAT EXHIBITION PLATE of 100 sovs. (handicap),
for all ages ; winners extra. One mile and a quarter.
Mr. Magennis's Clair de Lune, by Lanercost, 3 yrs,
sst 51b (Oliver) 1
Mr. Wigan's Forester (h b), aged, 7st 71b (Wells) 2
Mr. Y. King's Narcissus, 6 yrs, Bst 4 lb...(Charlton) 3
The following also ran :—Puritan, Sweetheart, Iresine,
f by Confederate.
Betting-6 to 4 agst Narcissus, 3to 1 Clair de Lune,
sto 1 agst Forester, 6 to 1 agst Puritan. Won cleverly
by a length ; a neck only between the second and third.
Sweetheart and Iresine were fourth and fifth.
DIIRDANS STAKES of 5 sovs. each, with 50 added, for
2-yr olds and upwards. Optional selling weights. Half
a mile. (10 subs.)
Lord Londesborough's Gold Dust, by Dulcimer, 3
yrs (601.), 7st 51b (E. Harrison) 1
Captain Little's m by Counsellor—Miss Lucy, 5 yrs,
(401.), 7st 101 b (Charlton) 2
Mr. J. Dawson's Shipwreck, 3 yrs (401 ), 6st 121 b
(Aldcroft) 3

Betting-2 to 1 agst Gold Dust, sto 2 agst Empress
colt, 3 to 1 agst Venison filly, 5 to 1 agst Counsellor
mare, Bto 1 agst any other. Won by half a length ; a
length between the second and third. The winner was
afterwards sold for the 230 guineas ; the fund thereby
realising upwards of 1801.

LATEST BETTING ON THE OAKS.
2to 1 agst Catherine Hayes (taken).
sto 2 agst Misletoe (taken).
a to 1 agst, Mentmore Lass (Laken).
7to 1 agst The Queen.
10 to 1 agst Lady Louisa.
10 to 1 agst England's Beauty.

DESTRUCTION OF THE ADELPHI THEATRE,
EDINBURGH, BY FIRE.

On Tuesday afternoon a fire broke out in the Adelphi
Theatre, Edinburgh, which ended in the entire destruc-

tion of that building, and nearly all its properties and
accessories. The fire was discovered about a quarter to
five o'clock by a carpenter, who observed smoke issuing
from the omnibus-box and the coulisse on the left of the
stage, and coming apparently from the music-room im-
mediately below. The manager, Mr. Wyndham, who
resided within the building, was immediately apprised
of the fact, and an alarm was speedily conveyed to the
fire-engine stations.
Within a very short space of time the fire caught the
scenes and proscenium, and before a quarter of an hour
elapsed, the flames had traversed the whole area of the
interior, and sought egress by several windows at the
side and by the roof. The work of destruction was fear-
fully rapid, and the beams of the roof and wooden gal-
leries, ripened for combusaon by age and the drying
heat of the gas, were quickly encompassed by a general
blaze. In little more than half an hour after the fire wa
discovered the roof fell in, and the flames burst forth
with intense strength and fury, causing great alarm for
the security of contiguous buildings. So great indeed
was the mass of fire that, though the wind was light, it
caught the window-frames of a house on the opposite
side of Little King-street, fully 60 feet distant.
The Adelphi Theatre occupied a site in the corner of
Broughton-street and Little King-street, these streets
being respectively to the east and south. On the west
was a high and thickly-populated tenement, into which,
by a gable window overlooking the theatre, the flames
obtained success. On the north was St. Mary's Roman
Catholic Chapel, and between it and the theatre was a
small cloister or ante-chapel. The roof of the cloister
and the astragals of the Gothic windows of the chapel
took fire, and considerable apprehension was entertained
as to the safety of the consecrated edifice. The altar-
piece, a painting of the Virgin, valued at nearly 5,0001.,
was dislodged from the wall, and all the sacred vessels
and properties removed to a place of safety. By the
praiseworthy and well-directed exertions of the fire-
brigade, however, the chapel was preserved, and the
flames which caught the two other buildings were ex-
tinguished before they had gained strength, or had
caused much damage. The efforts to confine the fire to
the building in which it originated were thus happily
successful ; but, though the fire-engines had arrived
very soon, and the supply of water was most abundant
and .well applied, the progress of the flames could
not be stayed till they had left the theatre a complete '
ruin. The building was about 130 feet long by
60 feet broad, and the front of it towards Broughton-
street was occupied as the manager's residence.
A stone wall separating the house from the theatre, the
manager was able to save a large portion of his ward-
robe and property, as the fire did not immediately en-
velope that portion of the building which contained
them. On either side of the box entrance and corridor
and under Mr. Wyndham's house were shops, a large
part of the stock in which was saved.
The Adelphi theatre has for 60 or 70 years been a
place of public entertainment in Edinburgh. It was
originally known as Corri's Rooms, and subsequently as
the Caledonian theatre. Latterly, and for a long series
of years, it was leased by the late Mr. W. H. Murray,
along with the Theatre Royal, thus preventing dramatic
opposition. Since Mr. Murray's retirement, however,
nearly two years ago, the two theatres have been let to
different managers. In the competition which ensued
Mr. Wyndham was able to keep his ground against suc-
cessive lessees of the Theatre Royal ; and, the latter
having become for the third time vacant since Mr.
Murray's retirement, Mr. Wyndham offered himself as
one of the candidates, and was accepted as the lessee ;
and it is a somewhat singular coincidence that the
Adelphi theatre should have been destroyed the day
previous to that on which Mr. Wyndham was to enter
on the lesseeship of the Theatre Royal.
The Adelphi Theatre was insured to the extent, we
believe, of 3,0001. or 4,0001., on the building, and the
manager was insured to the amount of 1,2001., a. sum
which will not, it is feared, be adequate to meet his
losses. Unfortunately, the whole wardrobe of Mr.
Wyndham's large and respectable dramatic company
was destroyed ; several of the musicians likewise los:,
their instruments.
It is truly fortunate the fire did not occur three hours
later, when the audience would have been assembled.
The quick destruction of the building would in such a
case have been most frightful and calamitous, for the
means of escape were scarcely so =pleas would have been
needed for a crowded audience, such as would probably
have assembled on the evening of the Queen's birthday.
The engines continued to play for above four hours
upon the building. There was no accident, except a
fireman, who was scorched and bruised by a fall. The
Lord Provost and the civic authorities were present at
the scene ; and the ground was kept by the police and a
detachment of the 4th Regiment from the Castle. The
conflagration attracted many thousands of spectators,
the crowd being all the more numerous as the day was a
holiday.
The origin of the lire has not been ascertained.