The Sun.
London, England, 1841-08-14 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

The Tortoise is at Chatham under orders to proceed
With convicts to Van Diemen's Land. She will receive
100 convicts from the Warrior, stationed at Woolwich.

The Tortoise, after delivering the convicts, will proceed
to New Zealand for timber and spars for the dockyard.
The Aid sailed to-day from Woolwich for Portsmouth.
The Heroine, 10-gun brig, will be launched at about
one o'clock on Monday at the Woolwich dockyard.
The Siren, recently launched at Woolwich, has been
commissioned this week, and the following officers ap-
pointed to her ;—Win. Smith (b), Commander ; Thus.
Hodgkinson, Lieutenant ; Frederick J. Gruzelier, Mas-
ter; John Brickwood, Purser ; Wm. Roy, Surgeon; John
Compton, Gunner; Charles Grant, Boatswain; and Wm.
Croad, Carpenter.
The St, x, first class war steamer, has been commis-
sioned this week at Sheerness by Commander Hastings
Reginald Henry, late of the Salamander steam-frigate.

CHURCH-RATES.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

SIR,—In this quiet little parish nothing has occurred
for a long time to interrupt the harmony happily pre-
vailing between Churchmen and Dissenters. Our late
parson was not a man to trouble himself with the re-

ligious opinions of his parishioners. The only thing
that ever disturbed his equanimity was the Bishop in-
sisting on his preaching two sermons every Sunday.
This ruffled him with a vengeance. But he is gone, and
whether the recent change is in favour of religion or not,
it certainly cannot be said to have brought any increase
of charity along with it. On the contrary, the demon of
intolerance has now made his appearance, and the
dominant sect, according to well-established precedent,
has invoked the secular power for the purpose of op-

pression.
The usual preliminaries having been carefully gone
through by the churchwardens, Messrs. Charles 'rooks
and Joseph Stone, with the assistance and advice of the
clergyman of the parish, the Rev. Alexander Broadly,
the said churchwardens made the following seizures :
Rate demanded. Goods seised. Value.
X s. d. £ s. d.
Mr. James Williams 0 16 0 a dining table 3 0 0
Mr. Peter Keuway 014 8 2 chairs and a

table
Mr. Samuel Bennett 0 18 4 10 bottles of
wine
Mr. Wm. Kenway 018 4 a pair of silver
table spoons,
a pair of
silver salt

1 5 0

spoons, a set

of lire-irons 2 6 0
Mr. J. P. Stephens 1 G set of harness 2 3 0
These goods were taken away into the village, and
there sold privately, withlut tho aid of an auctioneer or
any notice of sales; and report says the/churchwardens
were buyers as well as sellers, and that some of the articles

now form part of the furniture of their houses.
It is proper you should know, Sir, that • the village of
Walditch is about a mile from the town of Bridport, but
the part of the parish where these seizures were made
lies close to the town, and by the Reform Bill was in-
cluded within the • borough. Furthermore. all these
officials are Tories, and all the sufferers Liberals, who
warmly supported Messrs. Warburton and Mitchell at
the late election. Add to this, that the time Selected to
make the seizures was soon after the galling defeat the
Tory party sustained, and then say if the question does
not naturally arise—" Is the Church to be converted into
an engine for the gratification of politic:l revenge ?"
Surely, even reflecting Churchmen themselves, who
wish well to the Establishment they belong to, must
giieve to witness such disgraceful proceedings perpe-
trated under a hypocritical pretence of promoting re-
ligion, but in reality as utterly opposed to the benign
spirit of Christianity, whose ruling principle is "
unto others as ye would that others should do unto
you," as light is to darkness.
I am, Sir, your obedient Servant,
Walditch, near Bridport, Aug. 13, 1841. IL

ALARMING FIRE IN THE ADELPIII ARCHES
IN THE STRAND.—Friday morning, between twelve and
one o'clock, the highly respectable inhabitants residing
in John and Adam-streetz, Adelphi. Strand, were aroused
from their beds in their night dresses, and thrown into
the utmost alarm and excitement, by their bed-rooms and
other parts of their houses being filled almost to sutfoca-
_ _

tion with a dense smoke, which— also issued up the areas
into the street in complete volumes. The policeman in-
stantly hastened to Chandos-street fire-station for the
immediate assistance of the fire-engines and brigade-
men, who promptly arrived, under the superintendence
of Mullett, the engineer, when the fire was discovered
to be in some extensive stabling beneath the houses in
the dark arches of the Adelphi, in which were many
loads of loose straw deposited, adjoining to which is
a long range of stabling, in which were between 20 and
30 valuable cart-horses, besides 14 cows, all of which
with , great difficulty were got out. So dense was the
smoke, that for some time it was totally impossible for

the firemen to approach, but at last the fire-engines were
got into operation. It about an hour and a half all
fears were subdued by the exertions of the firemen.
Nearly the whole of the straw is destroyed, but the
flames were prevented reaching the adjoining range of
stabling. The fire originated by a number of houseless
mendicants congregating in the stables to sleep amongst
the straw and hay, some of whom, in obtaining A light
from a lucifer match to smoke some tobacco, dropped it
amongst the straw, which ignited, and no doubt would
have been attended with most extensive loss of properly
had it not been for the prompt arrival and exertions of
the firemen. It is the intention of the inhabitants to so-
licit the Commissioners of Police to place , constables

in those parts of the dark arches, to prevent a recur-
rence of such danger. It was only on Saturday last 17
were apprehended sleeping in the same place, and all
committed to the House of Correction for various
periods.
MESMERISM, BY DE LA PONTA INIL--The
exhibition-of Mesmeric phenomena which was to take
place yesterday, at the Queen's Rooms, Hanover-square,
was postponed to Wednesday next, in consequence of the
alarming illness of the young gentleman who has hitherto
been the principal subject. We have seen the youth in
the course of the day, and may venture to affirm that the
illness is but too real.
Among the tourists at present in the Highlands,
who have visited Inverness, Von Reamur, the
well-known German author ; the Rev. Henry Melville,
London, &c., &c.—lnverness Courier.
A FREE-TRADE MISSIONARY FROM TIIE
UNITED STATES.—An address was delivered on 'rues-
' day evening to the members of the Manchester Anti-
Corn-law Association by John Curtis, Esq., of Ohio,
North America. upon the capabilities of that country to
supply us with corn and provisions. He stated that he
his e o
foru nt t
r
was authorised by the public voice in the United Stitt( 4
to state that 'nothing was more desired by
men than to exchange their agricultural produce
manufactures of England. He was listened to at;
interest whilst he went into a great variety of
showing the rich resources of the " grett west ,!, facts,
and at
the close of his address a vote of thanks was m
tendered to him by the meeting. We uuttilielii7=nitNt
Curtis intends to snake a tour through
principal
towns of the kingdom for the purpoSe of explaining the
capabilities of the United States to supply deficiency
of food for our population.—Arai.-Brcad-x Circular.
We Understand. the death of the celebrated
giantess, Mary Laskey, took place on . Tuesday evening
last in Guernsey. She had attained the extraordinary
stature of seven feet two inches, and had
lately as a giantess in that island. Iler brOentehere,x‘i:liibitohilfd
accompanied her for exhibiting, measures seven feet
seven Inehea. The, remains of the deceased are toe be re-
moved to-Southampton; her coffin measures upwards of
seven feet and a half.—Shcrbornc Journal.