The Sun.
London, England, 1853-01-20 00:00:00

ANNUAL RETURNS OF FIR.ZiIN LONDON.

The following return of the number of fires within the
metropolitan district, which were attended by the Lon-
don firemen during the last 12 months, is made on the
authority of Mr. Braidwood, superintendent of the Lon-
don Brigade :
Apothecaries and dealers in drugs, but having no che-
mical works carried on had 6 fires ; bagnios, 2 ; bakers,
13 ; ditto biscuit, 1 ; ditto muffin, 1 ; ditto, pie, 3 ;
basket makers, 1 ; barge and boat builders, 1 ; beer-
shops, 5 ; blacking makers, 1 ; bleachers, 1 ; booksel-
lers, binders, and stationers, 18 ; bottle merchants, 1 ;
brewers, 1 • brokers and dealers in old clothes, 9 ; build-
ers, 9 ; cabinet makers, 15 ; carpenters and workers in
wood not cabinet makers, 56 ; chemists, 2 ; chan-
dlers 15 • coachmdkers, 1 ; coopers, 2 ; curries-8 and
leather dressers, 2 ; churches, 2 ; corkcutters, 1 ;
coffee roasters, 1 ; coffee-shops and chop-houses,
18 ; cotton wool warehouses, 1; chocolate makers, 1;
charcoal and coke dealers, 2 ; confectioners and pastry-
cooks, 3 ; cheesemongers, 7 ; caoutchouc manufacturers,
2 ; cane dyers, 1 ; cement works, 1 ; colour makers,
1; distillers (illicit), 1; ditto tar, 2 ; ditto turpentine, 1;
drapers, woollen, linen, and mercers, 38 ; druggists,
wholesale, 5 ; drysalters, 1; eating-houses, 14 • engi-
neers mechanical, 3 ; firework makers, 2 ; fa' rming
stock, 8 • founders, 4 ; furriers and skin dyers 1 ; fire
annihilator works, 1 ; grocers, 7 ; gas works, 24
; glue
makers, 1 ; hat makers, 1 ; hempdressers, 4 ; horse-hair
merchants, 2 ; hotels, including club houses, 2 ; japan-
ners, 3 ; lampblack makers, 2 ; laundresses, 3 ; lodgings,
86 ; lucifer match makers, 5 ; Manchester warehouses
in London, 6 ; marine store dealers, 7 ; musical instru-
ment makers, 2 ' • milliners and dressmakers, 9 ; nuts,
dealers in, 1 ; oil and colourmen, not colour makers, 13;
oil works, 1 ; private, 249 ; paper-stainers, 3 ; paste-
board makers, 1 ; printed baize makers, 2 ; pipe makers,
1 ; printers, 5 ; ditto, copper-plate, 1 • public buildings,
1 ; pawnbrokers, 1 ; painters, plumbers and glaziers,
3 ; paper mills, 2 ; rag merchants, 4 ; railways, 3 ; rope
makers, 3 ; sale shops and offices, 37 ; saw-mills, steam,
7 ; ships, 5 ; ditto builders, 2 ; ditto chandlers 1; ditto
steam-ships, 1 ; stables, 16 ; soot merchants, 21
; straw-
' bonnet makers, 2 ; sugar refiners, 2 ; steam-boilers, 1 ;
schools of industry, 1; silk merchants, 1 ; tanners, 1 ;
tallow-chandlers, melters, wax-chandlers, and soap-factors,
4; tailors, 14 ; tarpauling makers, 2 ; tinmen, braziers,
and smiths, 7 ; tobacconists, 7 ; toy warehouses, 3 ; un-
occupied, 6; under repair and building, 11; upholsterers,
1; varnish makers, 3 ; victuallers, 40 ; warehouses, 6
weavers, ,2 ; ditto, mats, 3 ; wine and spirit merchants,
4 ; wood merchants, 2 ; wharfingers, 1.
From the above it will be seen that during the year
the total number of fires which occurred was 923, which
are divided into two classes, viz., those totally destroyed
and considerably damaged, and those slightly injured.
Of the former there were 263, and of the latter 660.
There were also 93 false alarms, and the engines were
called 89 times to what turned out to be chimneys on
fire, making 182 extra calls for assistance.
The engines had likewise attended at 22 fatal fires, one
of which was in flaydon-square, Minories, where Alfred
Wilson, and Crampton, another fireman, Were crushed
to death by the falling of one of the lofty walls. For
sixteen years before the brigade had lost only eight men
by accidents.

EMIGRATION PROM PLYMOUTIL—SeveraI shipwrights
and other mechanics, as well as labourers, have an-
nounced their intention of quitting the dockyard at this
port, for the purpose of proceeding to Australia, where
wages for all kinds of labour are very high,--Plymouth

[PRICE 5D .

THE MORTALITY ON BOARD THE WEST
INDIA PACKETS.

Although the yellow fever is still very bad in the
West Indies, it must certainly be decreasing in virulence.
In the Magdalena, which arrived at Southampton a
fortnight since, 10 had died on the homeward voyage,
whereas on board the Parana, which has just arrived at
Southampton, although 30 had been ill of the fever,-four,
deaths only from that disease took place. It is there-
fore hoped that we shall have better accounts in future,
and the mortality on board the homeward bound packets
will continue to decrease. The anxiety and distress that
this terrible pestilence causes at Southampton is very
afflicting ; nor can this be wondered at when the hun-
dreds of persons on board the mail-packets in the West
Indies who have friends and relatives in the above named
town are considered. On Tuesday the gentleman who
brought the first news ashore from the Parana was beset
by a multitude of persons, all asking him questions. As
he was escaping from them in a cab the latter was clung
to by a poor man, who earnestly asked if his son was
alive. On, being told that he was not among the list of
dead, he waited until Dr. Webbe, the health officer,
landed, when he learnt that his son (who is the Admi-
ralty agent's servant on board the Parana) was alive,
but very ill from the yellow fever.. The poor man
and his wife immeditely hired a boat and proceeded
down Southampton Water to whore the Parana was
lying. The Custom authorities guarding the packet
caused the arrival of the parents to be made known on
board, and Lieutenant Brown, the Admiralty agent, and
Dr. Barton, the surgeon of the ship, very humanely
caused the sick son on board to be borne, enveloped in
blankets, to the sponson, where he exchanged a few
words with his parents, who were in the boat by the side
of the ship, and the poor father and mother had the plea-
of seeing and speaking to their_ ion alive. It is ex-
-1 that the Parana will be releed from quarantine ti

On!Saturday.
The following important circular has been issued by
the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company :
" Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, 55, Moor-
gate-street, London, Jan. 11, 1853.
" The managers consider it their duty to put each
captain and surgeon of the company's ships arriving at
Southampton from the West Indies, upon their guard
(previously to being sworn on their examination by the
officers of quarantine) that nothing could operate more
injuriously upon the character of the company, than any
attempt to mislead or misinform those authorities as to
the number of sick during the voyage, the deaths that
have occurred, or the precise diseases and dates of per-
sons being taken ill or dying on board; and that the
court of directors would unite with her Majesty's Go-
vernment in bringing to punishment any of the company's
officers endeavouring by such unworthy means to escape
from being placed in quarantine.
"E. CHAPPELL, Secretary.
" To the Superintendents and Surgeons of the
Royal Mail Steam Packet Company."