The Sun.
London, England, 1849-01-02 00:00:00

THE RECENT FIRE AT THE BLUE

LAST TAVERN.

On Saturday Mr. W. Payne, the coroner of Lon-
don, held a court of inquiry at the White Horse,
Friday-street, Cheapside, respecting the recent fire
which occurred upon the premises belonging to Mr.
Taylor, the Blue Last Tavern, Distaff-lane.
Police-constable 440 (City force) said that on the
morning of Thursday last, whilst on duty in Little
Distaff-lane, he experienced a strong smell of some-
thing burning. He ran up to Mr. Taylor's premises,
when he found smoke issuing forth from the shutters.
He immediately knocked at the door and cried
"Fire !" but five minutes elapsed before he could
arouse Mr. Taylor and his family. At length he
opened his bed-room window, when some per-
sons in the street called, to him to threw his
children out of the window. Witness told him
not to do so, but to make haste down stairs. The
side door having been opened witness succeeded
in helping Mrs. Taylor and the children out. He
was then told that the potman was in the upper part
of the house, and he immediately went to the stairs
for the purpose of making to his bed-room, but the
smoke was so dense :that he was unable to get up.
He, therefore, went to the bell and rang violently,
which awoke the man, and he made his escape over
the roof and was taken into an adjoining house.
William Maidman, sub-inspector at Watling-street
brigade station, proved attending on the morning in
question with his engines. The bar, taproom, and
bar parlour, were then in flames. The engines were
set to work, and the fire was extinguished. Mr.
Taylor had told Mtn that the place was overrun with
rats, and that he kept lucifer matches in the bar
parlour, where no doubt the fire originated. It was
quite probable that the rats might have caused the
matches to ignite, either by nibbling the boxes or
knocking them down.
The conductor of the fire-escape, when he arrived
at the fire, was so intoxicated as to be unable f•
render assistance. The Coroner was informed that
he had since been dismissed.
Verdict ---" That the fire was accidentally caused."

RISE IN THE VALUE or LAND.—In the parish of
Wensley, and hamlet of Snitterton' at a place called
Oaker Hill, are about 100 acres of land (chiefly grazing),
the proceeds of the rent of which are appropriated to-
wards the poors-rate of Wensley. Nearly the whole of
this land has been in the hands of the same tenants
during the last 28 years, it having during that time been
let for two periods of 14 years each, by auction, or
ticket. The last of the periods named would have ex-
pired on Ladyday next, and on Wednesday last the
whole was offered by auction in the lots occupied by the
respective tenants, nine in number, and who hoped to
re-occupy their respective holdings at their former rents.
Some of them were, however, doomed to disappoint-
ment, as three of the lots were advanced in value by Mr.
Thomas Haynes, a tenant to C. Turner, Esq., from the
sums respectively hitherto paid per acre as below:—
Stephen Wall's holding los. per acre, Wm. Greatorex,
lsi. per acre, and Godfrey Taylor, 124. per acre,
without, however, Mr. Haynes obtaining any
land ; and notwithstanding Mr. Greatorex's land
was advanced by the bidding named from 2L 9s. per acre
to 31. 75., he again took to his previous holding. One
lot only went from the previous tenants, Messrs. Benj.
and T. Marsden, to Mr. John Holmes, at an advance.—
Derbyshire Courier.
A CANINE THIEF.—A gentleman, accompanied by
a Newfoundland dog, lately entered the office of Messrs.
Woodall and Co., bankers, Scarborough, for the purpose
of transacting some business. A few minutes after-
wards the dog quietly left the office, carrying in his
mouth a bag containing 100 sovereigns, which he had.
purloined from behind the counter; but, luckily, one
of the clerks had watched the four-footed thief, and
speedily recovered the stolen treasure.—Gateshead Ob-
server,