The Sun.
London, England, 1841-07-12 00:00:00

LONDON, MONDAY, J UL I_l2, 1841.

PUBLICATIONS.

Mr. JAMES'S NEW WORK.

On Wednesday next, July 14th, will be published, in 3 vols.

ceown Bvo,
H E ANCIENT REGIME:
A Tale.

By p. P R. JAMES, Esq.
.Landon't. Longman, Brown, and Co.

THOMAS DRUMMOND, Esq., Captain of
Engineers, and Under Secretary to the Lord Lieute-
nant of Ireland.

In the course of a few days will be published thP above
PORTRAIT, engraved by Mr. Henry Cousins, from the Pic-
ture painted for the Boundary Commission by L. PICKERS-
GILL, R. A.
Proofs before 1-tiers, 31. 3s. ; Proofs, 21. tts. ; Prints, 1/. Is,
Paul and Dominic Colnaghi and Co., Publishers to her
Majesty, 14, Pall-Mall East.

FORSTER'S ,COPICHOLD ENFRANCHISEMENT
ACT.
This day is published, in 12mo. price 6s. boards,
THE • COPYHOLD and CUSTOMARY
TENURE, COMMUTATION. ENFRANCHISE-
MENT, and INIPROVEMENT ACT, 4 and 5 Victoria, e.
35, with an Introduction and Analytical Digest of the Act,
the Forms of Procedure issued by the Copyhold Commis.
sioners, and an Appmdiit, Note, and Index.
By R. W. E. FORSTER, Esq.
Of Lincoln's-Inn, Barrister-at-Law.

London :—V. and R. Stevens and G. S. Norton, Lavr-
Booksellers and Publisheri, (Successors to the late J. and W.
T. Clarke, of Portugal-street), 26 and 39, Bell-yard, Lin-
coln's Inn.

Just published, the Seventh Edition, price 3s. , aria rent free
on receipt of a Post-office Order, tot 3s. 6d.,

MANHOOD: the CAUSES of its PRE-
MATURit DECLINE, with Plain Directions for
ITS PERFECT RESTORATION; addressed to those suf-
fering from the destructive effects of Excessive Indulgence,
Solitary Habits, or Infection; followed by Observations on the
TREATMENT of SYPHILIS, GONORRIREA, GLEET,
~.4tire.-1111tstratassith Case 4 &op . , _
By CURTIS and COMPANY,

MR. MORETQN DYER.
TO THE EDITOIMF THE SIMI
Sra,—lt was not my intention to have trespassed upon you
relative to the late unfortunate event which has deprived me of
my place in the Commission of the Peace for Middlesex and
Westminster, convinced as I 'am that my friends, and those
who know me' well, have. not believed the unjust accusa-
tions which have been heaped upon me. Reports, how-
ever, continue to, be circulated of such a nature at to prove
highly detrimental to my chanieter if rot contradicted,
and it therefore becomes necessary for me thus ;publicly
to state that they are almost wholly untrue The facts
are, that the representations of the prisoner mtedhurst,
and of those to whom he hal communicated theirs, were
taken privately (not upon oath) by the ‘i.iting Magistrates,
and sent by them to Lord-Normanby, without my having had
the slightest opportunity of denying or explaining them. Upon
receiving a copy of them, I immediately sent an explanatory
statement to his Lord,hip. After a delay of two months, during
which time I understand a strict inquiry was insituted into
the matter, Lord Normanbv forwarded my statement to the
Lord Chancellor, which, together with all the subsequent cor-
respondence, I I:o'4' lay before the public, leaving it to judge
whether my punishment hat not been more severe than my
alleged indiscre ion merited.
_

I have the honour to be, Sir,
Your faithful and ob,dient servant,
H, C MORETON DYER.
Devenshire-plitee House, July 9, 1841,
(Co
Devonshire=place House, March 12, 1841.
My Lord,—Having received, by the directions of the Visit-
ing Justices of the House of Correction, a copy of statements
mule to them, in reference to the prisoner Medhurst, and
have been forward to your Lordship, I take this early
occasion of submitting to your Lordship the several fasts of the
ease, slid claimilig the faVour of your Lord;hip4s earliest atten-
tion to them.

Within the last five months I eras appointed a Visiting
Magistrate of the new prison, Clerkenwell, and in that
attendingcharacter
it.
the prison . has, sincesen fotinectle, IpatpOleiappointment,every week. On one
appointment, been my habit of
oceasititt, Lid after the business of the meetl4,,, accompanied
by a brother Magistrate, and on my read home, I went to the
workshop of Fillary, at the House of Correction, to give him
respecting •,eorke 116.4seeet:. todertaken for me as an
engineer, and whom I had employed occasionally for some
years past. I then, for the first time, saw the prisoner
Medhurst, with whose case I was previously, through the
public prints, acquainted, Understanding from Fillary that
Medhurst detailed much of his time to turning (an
amusement in which I have for many years past been
myself much engaged), I entered into conversation with
him upon the etiltjett of turtling on this occasion he
expressed himself so well, and appeared so much depressed
by the position in which his guilt had placed him, that I
confess I felt interested in no eorintion degree in his favour,
and I left the tdrkrootti with a feeling of desire to be of
service to him, if I could with propriety do so. In the
week following I again called upon Fillary, whom I found
with Medhurst, occupied in turning. After some few mo-
ments' conVersatieri ob the subject of the work in progress,
I nien'ioned to Medhurst that a club of atiiiitetir tttroeis eras
about being formed, and told him, if he wished, I tfould
speak to some of the intended members in his favour ; and
with a view of his joining §uch club, I did so, and in conse-
quthee tWo Of the proptisell meitibere celled upon him. A few
minutes' conversation on the subject led to hit ofpressing, in
very strong terms, his grief and wretelieeltiess at his continued
imprisonthtnt, at wBll ai his cotreictidn that its prolongation
would affect his mind and put ati end to Ilia eltigtencs.. He after-
wards asked me whether I thought it possible that a retnietion
of his sentence could be obtained, and entreated me to point
out to him or his family the mode of obtaining such an object.
He entreated hie tiidsl. eiirneStlir o look into all the circum-
stated kit hit case, his early life anti htblts, and to give
him the benefit of any sUggestiofie that . Might tienr to Me.
e.
answered hitin I Would do sO attd ddring thetafollowing
week did Mt up all the eVidente and Ciretittisithices connected
with his case, and upon which I grounAd a very strong opi4
nion. I contrasted his Cate 'kith that of Bull; about the
sarne,timv, oehvictesi std 3 hale oftmee, slid sentenced to threw
years' imprisonment, and who, at the end of eighteen months,
obtained a remission of his sentence. I felt that the impri-
sonment as a punishment to a young man brought up and
educated es a gentl6nati4 must,bli infinitely incite pewee than
to a Orion of a lower rank of life, altogetlief withont etittet•
tion, and who might not hare been wholly a Stranger to the
diet and the discipline, a well at the tiotiee enforeeet
in.s priSioit; A wasitiditeWii thlS triilii of reaitirling td
suppose tnat the prisoner Medhurst might, by a voluntary
offering of a large sum of money to a national charity, in
addition to the imprisonment from which it appeared he
had already so severely suffered,, expiate itt seine measure
the offeliq ofl;vhicn he nisei beenfound guilty iciwardt
society ; and actuated with these sentiments, I 'resumed;
in my subsequent interview pith Medlletrit, to detail
'hem, an,d added llnkt xere
entitleu to 'any weight, that the payment of a large sum
of two or three thousand pounds to a national charity might
lessen the adverse feeling of the public t.)wards him, and
might be deemed a peollitiVithilln his favour, SS well
a cirett,nitiktO, Ut';:i,lratn tc inoiice an extension of dieref
towards him after such an offering had been sponta-
neously made by the pritoner and his family. lam now
sensible of the error into which I have been led, and I
sincerely deplore that ktiten tt feeling of commiseration
shoal have inaueett me to IF,flOk. td the
punishment of the prisoner. But, my Lord, I beg to bill
myself of this opportunity of declaring most scLmtily
that I never did so front an ifitefestid rtidtiv§si Or from
the ho ot,qpittiltiensiliqt I
derite The "slightest pront, tieiient, or advantage IrBrti Mk it iv
terferenee. Let me, also, my Lord, add my declaration, that
neither the name of your Lordship or of any other person
was used or referred to once by me as a means by which the
desired end was hoped to be obtained, beyond your Lordship's
being the Official personage to whom any petition for a
prisoner's pardon could be addressed. To this extent, alone)
I repeat, was your Lordship's Aunt evet mentldnedi and I
crave your Lordship's credelide to this my statement.
I have the honour to be, my Lord, your Lordship's most
obedient humble servant,

C; M. D.

(Signed)
To the Ma-quiss of Normanby, Whitehall:
LETTER Fliot MR. 4VitEts C. iatift, Esti,
aril directed by die Lord Chancellor to inform you
that his Lordship's attention having been drawn by the Secre-
tary of State for the Home Department to the transactions
which have taken place between you and Mr. Medhurst) hit
Lordship is of opinion that your own statement of these trans.
actions in your letter of the 11th of March last, show your pro-
ceedings to have been so improper) that his Lind Ship Has
thought it to be his duty to give directions for the rerhoval Of
your name from the Commission of the Peace for the county of
12) 1841.
Middlesex and the city of Westminster.
Youi:i•amyost obedient hqtAble servant,
I have the honour to be, Sir,
C. MORETON nth" H. HAYNES,
',Weary of cooßissions of the Peace.
H.
E.760.j id ifit
thi*Siiir6lls6e House; May, 17, 1841.
Lora-1 have the fidnottr to acknowledge the tee.* of
your Lordship's timiirtitaieation, through 111 r.. Haynes, of the
12th., iMpoggible fo,i' me to describe to your Lordship
oat tisikutELLoß.
the cieep pain and mortification *ith Itiiith I learn that the
facts which I hale Cottioninicated in my statement to Lord
Norma* alb dcBn4d lily your Lordship to be of such a na-
ture as to inctuce your tords.hip to eiiereise the extreme course
of depriving me of that place in the commission of the peace
for Middlesex and Westminster, which 1 have now held for 14
years ; Mid, its I humbly hope, with honour and credit. I have
deeply to depldrd that I hate had no opp ,ttunity of making any
explanation to your Lordship on this subject, for in that case
cannot but flatter myself I might have given your Lordship a
differetit impression of the matter. As it is, however, I have
now only to entreat your Lordship to consider that as
my honour, as well as my discretion, has been called in
question by the charges made against me to. Lord Normanby,
it is of the deepest importance to me, as a gentleman and a
member of your Lordship's own profession, to have it fully un-
derstood that, in removing me from the Commission of the
Peace, your Lordship has done so entirely upon the ground of
indiscretion, and not because your Lordship bel.eves me to be
guilty of the base and dishonest intention of deriving any pecu-
niary or other personal advantage from the transaction. My
Lord, My hetiour (its honour ought to be to every man) is dearer
to me than my life, and with this strong feeling, I throw my-
self upon your Lordship's indulgence in thus craving your
Lordship to place me in such a situation in my profession and
among my friends as will admit of none of that doubt which,
under the circumstances, may naturally arise as to the cause of
my removal.—l have the honour, &c.
H. C. MORETON DYER.

The Right Honourable the Lord Chancellor.
FROM THE LORD CHANCELLOR TO M. C. MORETON DYER,

ESQ.
The Lord Chancellor presents his compliments to Mr. Dyer,
and begs to inform him that, finding in Mr. Dyer's letter to
Lord Normanby sufficient in the Lord Chancellor's opinion to j
make it his duty to direct the removal of Mr. Dyer's name
from the commissions of the peace under which be hail acted,
it did not appear to the Lord Chancellor to be necessary to call
upon Mr. Dyer for any further statement; but as Mr. Dyer
has now expressed a wish that an opportunity may be afforded
of making some further statement, the Lord Chancellor as-
sures Mr. Dyer that every attention will be bestowed upon any
statement in writing which 11r. Dyer may make to him.
House of Lords, 18th May, 1841.
H. C. MORTON DYER, ESQ., TO THE LORD CHANCELLOR.
Devonshire-place House, May :14, 1841.
My Lord—Although the sivere affliction and misery under
' which I am now labeuring, from my late heavy bereave-
ments, the loss of a child and a beloved father, renders it
difficult for me to bring my mind to matters of business, I
cannot allow myself to be a day longer in acknowledging
your Lordship's kind communication. Believe me, I feel
most grateful for it. The fact is, it has been stated in the
public prints and elsewhere that I have been removed from
the commission of the peace because I have been believed to
lave been guilty of the dishonest intention of deriving pe-
cuniary benefit from the release of Mr. Medhurst. Now I
need not assure your Lordship that such a belief in
the public mind would not only be detrimental to every future
prospect in life, but must deprive me of all chance of happiness
or peace of mind. Your Lordship has informed me that it
has been with reference to my statement that you have desired
my name to be withdrawal from the Magistracy; therefore, ai
I have admitted nothing in my statement that can possibly b,
construed into anything but indiscretion, I hope I may safely
assure myself that indiscretion, unconnected with dishonour, is
the ground of my dismissal. Believing myself right in this
conjecture, all that I ask and solemnly implore of your Lord-
ship is, a direct asarrance from your Lordship that
sou have removed rile solely upon the grounds of in-
discretion, in meddling at all in the matter ; and now, my Lord,
let me take this opportunity, surrounded as I am by all that
is solemn and awful, once more to deelaremy perfect innocence
of any in:ention of deriving the remotest personal benefitfrom
Mr. Medhurst's release. Let me also state that I never con-
templated that that release should be obtained otherwise than
by the most legal means ; and further, let me beg your Lord-
ship to ask yourself how, without the slightest personal know-
ledge of Lord Melbourne or Lord Normanby, or any of their
families, I could possibly have contemplated the achievement of
such release in any other way than by legal means : even the
crude plan which I suggested (and that only as a possible one)
had nothing illegal in it. With regard to the statements sent
to Lord Normanby by the Magistrates, there are many minor
points which I can at once, and I am sure satisfactorily, ex-
plain. Of these I would mention to your Lordship that I
never once went to the House of Correction but on days
when it was actually my duty to pass the gates, that on
many of the days when I did go there I never saw Mr.
Medhurst, or desired to do sa, and that long before the in-
livlhr
itsedheitinyeg Magistrates, of which
n-htia;?given up all Weslel
sent their examine-
gliuiowirasy!tiopnetoLrfoetrchdtelyfNairenutioorbaity.o then

of interfering in Mr. Medhurst's case, in consequence of
the surgeon of the
_prison stating to me his opinion that
the prisoner's health would not be permanently injured by fur-
ther confinement, the belief of which. in point of fact, was the
groundwork of my sympathy and unlucky interference. I fear I
has, e already trespassed much too long on your Lordship's
time, but I cannot conclude without once more entreating your
Lordship for that distinct reply which your Lordship must see
is so essential to my character. I ant, my Lord, &c.
H. C MORETON DYER.

MEaz.—On the evening of the 12th June,_ 1 received a
letter from the Secretary of the London and Westminster
Insurance Society, of which I am a Director, stating in
effect, that as the public reports regarding my removal
from the commission of the peace stood uncontradieted
my co-Directors feared my remaining in the direction
would be an injury to the Society, and therefore hinting the
propriety of my retiring er setting myself right in the public
mind. This letter I enclosed next morning to the Lord Chan-
cellor in the font:wring :

H. C. MORETON DYER, ESQ., TO THE LORD CHANCELLOR.
Devonshire-place Howe, Sunday, June 13. 1841.
My Lord—l enclose you a letter which I received last night.
I take the liberty of doing so to show your Lordship how es-
sential it is to me to set myself right in the eyes of the world,
and therefore to urge upon your Lordship a con,ideration of
my last communication to you. I cannot believe that, though
your Lordship has felt it a duty to remove me from the magis-
tracy, you would wish that removal to be the cause of laving
misery to me. My Lord, three lines from your Lordship's
pets will insure tne from charges of dishonour and other false re-
Lorts which are crushing me. Throwing myself upon your
ordship's feelings,
I remain your Lordship's most faithful servant.
IL C. MORETON DYER.

P. S. According to the public reports of the Magistrates'
meetings, I now clearly stand charged with having been re-
moved for bribery. May I beg the return of the enclosed?
FROM THE LORD CHANCELLOR TO H. C. MORETON DYER,

PRICE 5d

DREADFUL AND EXTENSIVE
FIRE, IN HIGH-STREET, DEPTFORD,

At about five and thirty minutes after three o'clock, on
Saturday afternoon, the inhabitants living at Deptford,
and its surrounding neighbourhood, were thrown into a
state of indescribable excitement by the outbreak of a
most tremendous fire in High-street, near the terminus
of the railniay, which burnt with dreadful violence for
several hours, and, we regret to state, occasioned the de-
struction of property to the extent of some thousands.
The premises in which the calamity originated are the
property of Mr. Knott, auctioner and builder, and were
situate on the west side of High-street, opposite the
Brown Bear Inn. They comprised several buildings,
the dwelling-house (which was three stories high), with
work-shops adjoining and at the back, a large timber-
yard, and in the rear of that a long range of other work-
shops ; the whole covering an area of about one hun-
dred and twenty feet in depth, and upwards of sixty in
length. They were adjoined by the oil and colour ware-
house of Mr. Blake, the printing establishment of Mr.
Blown (which was burned down about 18 months ago),
and numerous dwelling-houses. "From inquiries insti-
tuted on the spot, shortly after the commencement, it
appears that when the alarm was given, which was by
soma females living in one of the houses adjoining the
fire, it was found raging in the workshops, in the rear
of the timber-yard ; and, on some persons rushing into
the premises, they discovered some of the work-People
endeavouring to suppress the flames ; but they were
oiliged immediately to desist, for the destructive ele-
' ment was gaining a rapid ascendancy, and very shortly
after it burst forth from the roof with great violence.
In the course of a few minutes a great crowd had col-
lected, and the numerous houses being thrown open,
they entered them, and very shortly the buildings were
stripped of their furniture, which was securely depo-
sited beyond reach of the flames. Mr. Knott had a most
narrow escape of his life : he was confined to his bed-
room with the gout, and in the midst of the con-
fusion was forgotten, and it was not till the
timber -yard and dwelling-houses had caught
that he was thought of, when one of his
domestics rushed into the premises and succeeded in car-
rying him out into the street. Within a quarter of an
hour after the discovery the information was received by
the authorities of her Majesty's Dock-yard and the Vic-
tualling-office, who instantly ordered the engines con-
nected with those establishments to the spot. Those of
the Dock-yard were taken in charge by the Police of the
R division, under the direction of Inspectors Field,
Perkins, and Blake, and those of the Victualling-yard
were likewise under the control of a detachment of sol-
diers belonging to the 15th Regimer)t, commanded by
Major Smith. By the time they had arrived, the flames
had reached an enormous height, having enveloped the
whole of the work-shops, both back and front, the great
stack of the piled timber in the timber-yard, and were
blazing forth from the different floors in the dwel-
ling-house. The premises were then past saving,
and in the course of ten or fifteen minutes the roofs
fell in, and all was destruction. Unfortunately no water
could be obtained for a considerable time after the en-
gines arrived, and this circumstance increased the ex-
citement and confusion to a vast extent. The police
finding it impossible to check the ravages of the flames
despatched a messenger by a special train on the Green-
wich Railway, to give intelligence to the brigade force
in London, and this arrived at the Southwark-bridge-
road station in less than twenty minutes after leaving
Deptford. The firemen on duty lost no time in horsing
the engines attached to the station, and immediately
galloped off to the fire. Other engines belonging to the
brigade followed quickly after, from the stations belong-
ing to Morgan's-lane, Watling-street and Waterloo-road,
accompanied by thirty firemen under the personal super-
intendence of Mr. Braidwood, and the whole reached the
scene at about four o'clock. By this time the conflag,ra-
dolt had communicated to the five brick buildings adjoin-
ing, occtittled by Mr. Merkham, carpenter and cabinet-
maker, Mr. Richards, house-agent, Mr. Cockerell, of
the Seaman's Hospital Ship, and the printing office
and dwelling house of Mr. Brown, chief portion of
which were in a blaze. The dwelling-house tenanted by
Mrs. Bele next caught, and consequently it attained that
alariaing height that the destruction of the entire row
of houses on tho west side of High-street appeared al-
most certain. The instant the engines obtained water
they were brought to play on the burning premises
with great vigour in every quarter, the Dock-yard and
Victualling engines playing in High-street, and those
of the brigade working at the back from the gar-
dens, over the ruins of the workshops and other pre-
mises. For upwards of half an hour there appeared
no abatement in the flit, of the flames, but ultimately,
after the most incessant exertions, they were prevented
from extending further, though tiofewer than eight other
houses sustained serious injury, two of which were com-
pletely unroofed. It was past six o'clock before dan-
ger was at att end, but the fire continued to burn
fiercely amongst the ruins till half-past eight. Amongst
the houses that have received injury, in addition to those
above-mentioned are the following :—On the west side of
the street, Mrs. Wilson, straw bonnet-Jutiker ; Mr. Wells,
master of a ship ; Mr. Currie, linendraper ; the Royal
Oak public-house, opposite (slightly), and others, most
of whom are insured. Respecting the origin of the fire
nothing positive could be obtained. A report had last
night gained circulation that it was occasioned through
carelessness. of a boy employed on Mr. Knott's pre-
anises, leaving a heap of shavings near a heating
sicvo in the ;Workshops, and that a pot of varnish being
Oii the 4ee, it boiie, over, and the flames reached the
shavings. Pp tf) late hoer on Saturday evening. the
engines were pittyir,7s thc mass of ruins, which
emitted volumes of smoke smd fire, and the firemen were
actively engaged in collecting themonerous damagesin the
ra4o„ hbourhoOd, and likewise the amcittftt of the insurances.
Aloit pieft of the property is insured in the Kent Fire-
office, and air Imp that that Company will sustain by this
disastrous event IS S'Opposed to be between 6,0001. and
7,000/. The total' loss', however, is stated to be far
greater than that sum. The military, during the height
of the flames, conducted themselves higloly to the appro-
bation of the inhabitants living near the scene of devas-
tatiOti. They were drawn across the street in two places
td 134',/e'rist, the immense crowd pressing upon those en-
e.d ass-ISM* at the engines, and also the operations
of the firemen, *Nile others were arranged the full
length of the premises destroyed at the back, and they
were not withdrawn front the spot till half-past seven
o'clock. The police, as well as the inspectors, exerted
creditable to the force.
theniSelYes in a manner highly
Several of them were drenched to the skin, and were as
black as sweeps. We are happy to state that no lives
were lost. Late on Saturday night the walls of Mr.
Knott's premi`, which were very lofty, gave way,
but, being expectee, no one was near, and no s..srious
consequences occurred.