The Sun.
London, England, 1849-11-12 00:00:00

CAMBRIDGE, Nov. 11.—A disastrous conflagration
has just occurred in this town, by which the ancient
church of St. Michael's has been partially destroyed.
As service time approached this morning, the church,
which is attended, under the ministration of Professor
Scholefield, by one of the largest congregations in
Cambridge, was gradually filling, when an alarm was
Oven that smoke was issuing from the roof on the
south side. The congregation speedily withdrew,
and on an inspection being made it was found that
the roof of the church was on fire between the plas-
tering and the slates. A few minutes only had
elapsed before the flames broke through the slates and
raged with great fury. The most prompt and
energetic measures were immediately adopted, the
parish books and registers and the altarpiece
(a painting of " The Nativity") were removed
to a place of safety. The engines were sent for
and arrived at intervals to the number of eight or
nine, but many of them, owing to its being Sun-
day morning, were late in their attendance, and when
they arrived the hose was found to be in a lamentably
deficient state, and they were otherwise out of repair.
The gownsmen turned out " as one man," and main-
tained their reputation in this respect by doing right
good service. Pails and water were soon in abund-
ance, but much of the latter was wasted, owing to
want of system and management on the part of those
who had the direction of the engines. No work was
too hot or too heavy for the University men; lines
were formed to' the conduit on the Market-hill, down
Trinity Back-lane, and through the New-court of
Trinity to the river, and down Gerard's Hotel-lane to
the same source. Here the gownsmen presented .a
curious appearance, standing up to their middle in the
river and dipping pails, and working at the engines
and directing the hose. On the top of the church
many picturesque scenes were exhibited, which would
have been entertaining but for their melancholy cause.
Ile fire raged with great fury until twelve o'clock,
and then fears were entertained for the safety of the
organ, which stands at the west end. The west
window was consequently broken into, and the case
of the organ being broken open, the pipes were
conveyed to a place of safety in Caius College,
immediately opposite. By one o'clock all danger of
the extension of the fire was over, and shortly after-
wards it was thoroughly got under. The roof of the
church, which the fire has revealed to have been of
fine old oak, although it was plastered over inside, is
totally destroyed, but the old stalls, the fine foliated
arches, and sedilia, in the south aisle, have escaped
injury, as well as the handome altar screen. The
organ isklamaged by wet and the removal of Fin pipor
The Arc rieetnS to nave been caused by the negligence
of a man who has lately been repairing the stoves
and flues, and who left one of the latter on the
south side in an unfinished state; this was covered
at the outside vent with slates, so that the smoke
and heat found their way between the roof, and hence
the calamity. The fires in the church were lit by
the clerk at half-pest nine this morning. St. Michael's
Church formerly belonged to the house of St. Michael,
which stood in immediate contiguity. Anciently the
south aisle of the church was a chapel to St. Michael's
house, and the north aisle to Gonville Hall. The
bishop's visitations have lately been held in its spacious
chancel, which is surrounded by stalls, supposed to
have been taken from Trinity College. The church
is uninsured, but a fund was instituted for its repair
by the benevolence of the late Mr. John Bowtell,
who, in 1813, left 5001. stock in the Three per Cent.
Consols for repairing the church and chancel ; but
this fund has been much trespassed on of late for
alterations. The exterior of the church possesses no
claim to architectural beauty.
The damage has not yet been estimated, but part
of the loss, which will not fall short of 1,0001, will
fall upon Trinity College, the society of which pre-
sent to the living. The Mayor (Mr. H. S. Foster),
with others of the borough magistrates, were on the
spot, and rendered efficient service by the maintenance
of order.

CHILD-MURDER IN TUE FOREST or DEAN.—The
neighbourhood of Alitcheldean, Longhope, and the vici-
nity has been in a stale of considerable excitement during
the past week, in consequence of a rumour that a young
woman named Parry had been privately delivered of an
illegitimate child, and had afterwards destroyed it, and
buried the body in a field upon her father's farm. In
consequence of the rumour being conveyed to the
coroner, Mr. Barnett, that gentleman proceeded to hold
an inquest on the body (which had been exhumed for
the purpose), which was brought to a conclusion on
Thursday last, when a verdict of manslaughter against
the mother, Mary Ann Parry, and against Caroliii•
Hampton, a companion of Parry's, who lived with her
at the time when the birth took place, was returned.
DISCOVERY OF A ROMAN AMPHITHEATRE AT RICH-
BOROUGA.—Mr. Rolfe, of Sandwich, well known for his
antiquarian pursuits, in conjunction with Mr. Roach
Smith and Mr. Fairholt, hare discovered the site and
part of the walls of a Roman amphitheatre. The cir-
cular depression on the hill at a little distance had been
conjectured by Stukely to be the site of an amphitheatre,
and by the excavations now made this is proved beyond
a doubt. The diameter of this fine amphitheatre is
nearly two hundred feet. At the last meeting of the
British Arcbmological Association, Mr. Rolfe announced
his discovery at Richborougb, described above, upon the
hill on the left of the road from Sandwich to the Roman
ca strum. Mr. Rolfe, by the Icave of Mr. Holly, the
tenant, has tested the truth of preceding opinions by
excavating the ground, and the result proves that the
hollow was correctly called an amphitheatre, The work
is still in active progress, and further discoveries
are daily expected. Mr. Roach Smith described parti-
culars relative to the discovery of nearly twenty early
Saxon graws, in a field called Goss-field, at Cop-street,
near Goldstone, Kent, the property of Mr. Becker. The
graves, which were found by workmen employed in land
draining, were covered with flag-stones, and contained
skeletons more or less perfect, with which were the
remains of weapons, urns, Roman coins, glass vessels,
beads, and other objects very similar to the contents of
the graves at Osongal, which iS about seven miles distant
from the Cop-street cemetery.—gent Herald.
A WHALE IN THE CLIANNEL.—One morning last
week a whale was observed off Dover, travelling from
the westward in the Channel. After playing some
antics, spouting vast jets of water, and taking a view,
no doubt, of our far-famed castle, having reached oppo-
site East Cliff, the monster turned round without bidding
farewell to the few spectators who had arrived on the
beach to witness its majestic actions, and retired towards
the Atlantic.—Kest Herald.
EASTERN COUNTIES RAILWAY.—An improved sys-
tem of communication in conjunction with the Midland
Railway has, by order of the directors, como into opera-
tion upon this company's line as regards transit east and
west during the present month. Reduced charges have
been made for season tickets between London, Ilford,
Tottenham, end intermediate stations; and an alteration
in the general rates and charges, which has for some
time engaged the consideration of the new directors, is
to come into operation with the beginning of December.
APPLES FOR THE QUEEN.—Mr. Samuel Voce,
lace maker, well known at Cotgrave for his knowledge
of the natural history of the bee, has a young apple
tree growing in his yard, near to his cottags door, which
bears a remarkably fine fruit; and this year, the fruit
being finer than usual, he thought be would make a pre-
sent of a peck of these beautiful apples to her Majesty
the Queen. The present was kindly and graciously re-
ceived, both by her Majesty and Prince Albert; and a
letter was addressed by the Lord Steward to the Rev.
Archdeacon Browne, Rector of Cotgrave, to know the
character and ..:ircumstances of the said Samuel Voce,
and a satisfactory answer being returned, stating that, if
not in the lowest, ho was in an humble station of life,
and with a largo family, her Gracious Majesty desired
the Lord Steward to remit a Post-office order for two
sovereigns, as a remuneration.—Nottingham Guardian.
Count Emanuel Zichy Ferraris, and his sister, the
Countess Zichy, left London last week for Brussels.