The Sun.
London, England, 1847-04-08 00:00:00

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THE LATE MYSTERIOUS FIRES
IN WELLINGTON-STREET, STRAND.
Yesterday an inquiry of four hours' duration was held
by Mr. Bedford, the coroner, at the Bell, Exeter-street,
Strand, respecting the origin of the fire which occurred
on Sunday morning last on the premises belonging to
Mr. M. J. Pitt, hatter and tebacconist, carrying on busi-
ness at No. 10, Wellington-street, North, Strand. The
inquiry excited considerable interest in the neighbour-
hood, from the fact of the present tire having been the
third that has broken out in the same shop since
November, 1845.
Mr. Joseph Burton, a clerk in the Phcenix Fire-office,
stated that on the 10th of last March Mraitt effected
an insurance in that office for 5001. When he applied
to be insured he said that he had a brother insured in
the same office. Witness was not then ass are that he
had had two fires previou-ly. The premium charged
was double hazardous, because their was a flutemaker's
upstairs. Witness did not consider that hats of them-
selves were at all hazardous, but a hat manufactory de-
cidedly was.
William Cooper, police-constable F. 58, said that he
was on duty in Tavistock-street on Sunday morning last,
and at half past five, whilst passing Mr. Pitt's premises,
he discovered smoke issuing from the shop front. He
immediately raised an alarm, and in the course of a few
minutes he saw some one throw a fire-escape out of the
top window. The party was undressed.
Sergeant Montgomery, of the If division, said that on
hearing the alarm he went to the premises and ascended
the escape, and got in at the first floor. Re met Mr. and
Mrs. Pitt, a boy, and another female._ He ran down
stairs-and saw fire burning in the hat shop. Mr. Pitt
followed, and he asked him to open the street-door three
times before he did so. At last the door was opt ned,
. and the fire was extinguished with buckets of water.
Charles Mills said that he was in the employ of
Messrs. Rudall and Rose, who occupied the first floor,
and that he slept in the house on the night of Saturday,
and was awoke by hearing a cry of fire raised. The
fire-escape had been fixed about three weeks. He could
not tell how the fire originated. He was not able to go
into Mr. Pitt's shop when he liked, as Mr. Pitt had for-
bidden him, on account of having missed a spoon some
time back.
Inspector Logan corroborated the evidence of Sergeant
Montgomery.
Mr. George Colf, the foreman of the London Engine
Establishment, said that he arrived at the house a little
after six o'clock on the morning in question. He ex-
amined the shop, and it occurred to him that a number
of hat boxes had been burned on the floor where the
fire had begun. The flooring was charred, and the
partition between the two shops was burned a great
deal. There was a hole in the floor which had been
caused by the draught coming through the cracks
in the wood. It had drawn the fire in. It was not
burned underneath, and there certainly was no grease
round the hole. There was a small trap in the partition
of the two shops, which was open on this and the pre-
vious occasion. He had examined the place very mi-
nutely, but was unable to tell how tl fire began. It did
not seem likely that it had been smouldering all night, as
there was nothing to resist it. Mr. Pitt was not insured
when the first fire occurred, but when the second took
place, he was insured in the Sun.
Mr. Superintendent Braidwood, who was present
during the whole of the inquiry, said that he had nothing
to add to the last witness's statement. He had not
examined the premises at the time of the fire. It was
the foreman's duty to do so, and report the result to
him, which had been done on the present occasion.
Mary Ann Bishop, a servant in the employ of Mr.
Pitt, proved that her master and mistress went to bed
at twenty minutes before one on Sunday morning. Wit-
ness slept in the kitchen. She was awoke by hearing
the bell ringing violently. She went up stairs, and saw
smoke coming from the hat shop ; she then ran to her
mistress's bedroom, and told her that the shop was on
fire. Mr. and Mrs. Pitt both appeared greatly alarmed.
She heard noise during the night.
Mr. M. J. Pitt was then called in. He said—l was
not out of my house during the night of Saturday last.
I went to bed between twelve and one on Sunday morn-
ing, and was aroused from my sleep by a cry of " Fire,"
and the ringing of my bell. I got out of bed, and found
that the place was on fire. The shop door was locked
before I went to bed, and the key taken up stairs with
me. As soon as I found there was a fire I threw the
escape out of window, so that there was a direct com-
munication for the firemen and police to enter.
The CORONER—Can you inform the jury how the fire
originated? Witness—l cannot; but lam sure it could
not have been accidental.
The CORONER—Then how was it? Witness—My im-
pression is that it must have been done maliciously by
some one; it is quite clear that three fires could not
have occurred in so short a time accidentally.
Several other witnesses were examined, and the
Learned Coroner summed up very succinctly, when the
jury returned a verdict—" That how and by what means
the fire occurred on the 4th of April there was not suf-
ficient evidence to prove."

ROYAL FREE HOSPITAL.—The nineteenth anni-
versary festival of this charity will take place on some
day between the 23d May and the 14th June. Benja-
min Boud Cabbell, Esq., M.P., will preside on the

occasion.
DISCOVERY OF DEAD BODlES.—Yesterday morning
the body of a gentleman was found floating in the Thames,
off Limehouse• hole. He is apparently tort•-six years of
age, dressed in black; a half•sovereign and one shilling
in silver were found on his person. The body now lies

at the Cherry Tree publie-house, Bombay-street, Lime •
house, for an inquest.

BLOOMSBURY DISPENS kßY.—Last night the annual
general meeting of the governors of this charitable in
stitution, established in the year 1805, was held at the
Dispensary, 62, Great Itutisell-street, Bloom.sbury, when
the chair was occupied by Mr. Griffith. The minutes of
the last quarterly meeting having been read and con-
firmed, Mr. SoAraes, the secretary, brought forward the
financial statement, from which it appeared that the
total amount of recepts during the past year was
838/, 17s. 4d., whilst the expenditure amounted to
6921. 6s. 4d., thus leaving a balance in the hands of the
treasurer of 146/. 11s. The total amount of stock stand-
ing in the names of the trustees was 7,183/. 3s. 2d. Three
ipneern Ct eo nf t
a. Cmo
ds
cl
as C.
cTo
ihnernnexttte ue
ss i
inneeses
twh• nes
lt
ah
se at
general
annual meeting there had been admitted into the insti-
tution, under the care of Dr. Rowland, 2,066 patients
under Mr. Cooper, 831—making a total of 2,899 ; of
whom were cured and relieved, 2,366, whilst 63 had died
and 470 remained under cure. 481 patients had been

visited at their own habitations. The medical report
was then read at length, and approved, after which a
gratuity of one hundred guineas was respectively
awarded to Dr. Rowland and Mr. Cooper, the medical

officers, for the care and attention shown by them to-
wards patients ; and some further business having been
dispatched, the usual courtesy was paid to the chairman,
and the meeting separated.
ESCAPE or A CONVlCT.—Yesterday information of
the escape of a man named William Durant, from the
House of Correction at Kingston-on-Thames was exten-
sively circulated throughout the police-force. He was
convicted at the recent Surrey Assizes of a burglary, at
the residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and sen-
tenced to ten years' transportation.
OVER-FED LEECHES.—The police have just made
seizure of 6,000 leeches at the shop of a dealer in the
Passage de Venise, for being what are called gorgies.
Leeches are sold by size, and in order to make them large
certain dealers allow them to suck the blood of animals.

They thus obtain a larger price than they otherwise
would ; but the leeches, when: gorged, bite either very
feebly or not at all.—Cialignam.
LOLA MONTEZ.—The following letter, says Galig-
nani of Monday, has reached us from Munich ; we do
not answer for its authenticity:—" In consequence of
the numerous reports circulated in various papers re-
garding myself and family, utterly void of foundation or
truth, I beg of you, through the medium of your widely
circulated journal, to insert the following:—l was born
at Seville, in the year 1823. My father was a Spanish
officer in the service of Don Carlos; my mother, a lady
of Irish extraction, born at the Ilavannah, and married
for the second time to an Irish gentleman, which I sup-
pose is the cause of my beingcallo Irish, and sometimes
English, "Betsy Watson," "Mrs. James," &c., &c. I
beg leave to say that my name is Maria Dolores Porris
Montes, and I never have changed that name. As for
my theatrical qualifications, I never had the presump-
tion to think I had any; circumstances obliged me at a
more advanced age than usual, in consequence of the
misfortune of my family, to adopt the stage as a profes-
sion—which profession I have now renounced for ever,
having become a naturalised Bavarian, and intending in
future making Munich my residence. Trusting that you
will give this insertion, I have tbe honour to remain, &c.,
Lola Montez. Munich, March 31."

•
DEATH OF WILLIAM MORRIS READE, ESQ.—At
Rosinara, Kilmoganny, William Morris Reade, Esq.,
once (for a while) M.P. for this city. Ile caught fever
by over-exertion, whilst endeavouring to bring the mur-
derers of Mr. Prim into the power of the law.— Water-
ford Chronicle.

A royal ordonnance was signed on the Ist, approv-
ing the contract for the fusion of the Creil and Saint
Quentin Northern Railroads.
TRADE WITH TUSCANY.—A communication has
been received by the Commissioners of Customs from
Mr. Trevelyan, one of the secretaries to the Lords Com-
missioners of her Majesty's Treasury, stating that the
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs having signified
to the Lords of the Committee of Privy Council for
Trade that the Tuscan Government has issued a notifi-
cation admitting all British and lonian vessels into the
ports of Tuscany upon the footing of national vessels,
without awaiting the ratification of the commercial
treaty in course of negotiation ; the Lords of the Com-
mittee have recommended that corresponding privileges
should be conceded to all the vessels of Tuscany which
may touch at the British ports, and that the Lords of the
Treasury therefore desire that the Commissioners will
take the necessary steps for giving effect to the recom-
mendation of the Board of Trade. In pursuance of this
order of their Lordships, the Commissioners have issued
the necessary instructions to the principal officers of the
Customs revenue throughout the United Kingdom to
carry the same forthwith into effect.
A MAN KILLED ON THE TAW VALLEY RAIL-
WAY.—On Thursday morning last, John Mitchell, a
labourer, was with one of the waggons on that part of
the railway which is near Penhill, and, as another
waggon was coming against him, his duty was to un-
hoot the horses and turn off, which be neglected to do
in time; consequently he was caught between the two
waggons, and crushed to death. The deceased was 28
years old, and has left a iwidow and child to deplore
the melancholy event.
PRESENT FROM THE KING OF PRUSSIA. TO THE
PRINCE or WALES.—It is stated in a Berlin letter, that
M. A. de Ilumboldt has been charged by the King to
convey to London the magnificent shield which his Ma-
jesty has caused to be executed for bis royal godson, the
Prince of Wales.

COURT.—(THIS DAY.)
OLD COURT.
THE MURDER IN SHOREDITCH.
(Continued from our Afternoon Edition.)
Mary Jarvis, the mother of the last witness, stated
that the prisoner came to her door and opened it.
He exclaimed " Where is she—where is she?" She
added, " You know very well where she is." He then
ran down stairs, and immediately after she heard the
report of a gun, and she at first thought he had shot her
daughter. When he came first she did not see the grin
in his possession. After the report he ran up stairs into
her room, took hold of her arm, and exclaimed, "I have
done it—l have done it." He repeated this to her hus-
band, who was present. Her daughter ran in and ex-
claimed, " Oh, Tom, what have you done !" He made
no reply, and fell on her neck and kissed her. A con-
stable came and took him him into custody.
Cross-examined—When he first came he did not
appear flushed or excited. Her daughter slept with
her.
Joseph Brooks, a boy, the prisoner's brother, said he
lived in the same room as his brother. While he was in
bed his brother came into the room. He heard some
one run up the stairs before he came. He did not see
what he did, as it was dark. There was a gun in the
room. His brother remained in the room two or three
minutes. There was a powder flask in his brother's
box when he went to bed. Soon after he heard the re-
port of a gun, about a minute or two after.
Police-constable, 201 H—Was on duty near Hare-
court on the night in question. His attention was
called to the spot by shouts. He found the deceased on
the ground dead, and a ramrod near him. He went up
stairs and found the prisoner on the first floor with a gun
in his possession. He was about giving it up to some
person. The prisoner's father was there. The father
made some remark about what he had done, to which
the prisoner replied, "I have had my revenge ; he has
injured my mother and sisters, and I have been re-
venged. If I had not done it he would have killed me."
Told the prisoner that Gibart was dead, and took him
into custody. He made no resistance. Found some
bullets upon him.
Inspector Harris deposed that the prisoner stated, at
the station, " If I had not done it, perhaps they would
have murdered me. Two of them threatened to drag me
out tan minutes before."
Mr. IL. Hanoch, surgeon, High-street, Shoreditch,
said he was called to see the deceased. He found him
lying in the passage. He was quite dead. The wound
he had received caused instantaneous death.
This was the case for the prosecution.
Mr CLARKSON then proceeded to address the jury on
behalf of the prisoner. He said, although they might
not exactly understand the difference, in the eye of the
law, between manslaughter and murder, yet it was
clearly defined amongst those who followed the profes-
sion of the law; and to him it clearly appeared that the
prisoner was not guilty of murder, but of the lesser
crime of manslaughter ; for when they reviewed the
whole of the facts which had transpired in the course
of the inquiry, they could not fail to be of opinion that
the prisoner had been irritated by the deceased and
others, and that, considering that he and others in-
tended to do him some grievous bodily harm, he felt that
he was but defending his life in what he had
done. They could not fail to be struck that this
was the actuating motive in the prisoner's mind at the
time he committed the rash act. It was most remarkable
that they had not heard until to-day of the expression
which the prisoner used with respect to his sister.
Mr. Justice COLERIDGE desired Mrs. Jarvis to be
called. She stated that the prisoner's sister had coha-
bited with the deceased for about twelve months before
the occurrence. She did not know that any ill-feeling
subsisted between the prisoner and the deceased with
respect to this intimacy.
Mr. CLARKSON said it was a lamentable fact that per-
sons in the class of life of the prisoner were frequently
in the habit of living together like the deceased and the
prisoner's sister. But was it a wonder that so much
immorality existed, when houses, like that in which the
prisoner lived, were parcelled out in single rooms to
whole families, and that where, as in this case, the father,
and mother, and daughter, who was grown up, all
resided in one room, that great laxity of morals prevailed.
But there was no reason to presume that the young
woman, Mary Jarvis, cohabited with the prisoner. She
herself had denied it. Let them look at the facts
adduced. The prisoner was found at his residence at
ten o'clock at night; he was called out by Eaton, be-
lieving, no doubt, that he was alone; he was induced to go
to the top of the court, where he was abused, aimed at
by the deceased, and struck on the head by him. his
temper was thus naturally aroused, for he had been irri-
tated, and struck, and threatened, and it was equally
natural that he should resent ;rich conduct by defending
himself. Maddened, and fearing that he was in danger,
he rushed into the house, seized his guu, and shot the
deceased. There was considerable discrepancy between
the statements of the various witnesses with respect to
the time which elapsed between the threat of the pri-
soner and the reportof the gun. It was just probable that
when they said ten minutes elapsed, only three or four
might really have elapsed. Nothing was more falla-
cious than evidence with respect to brief portions of
time. It would be for them, therefore, to consider
whether the deceased and others had or had not so ir-
ritated and goaded the prisoner as to render him not the
master of his actions—whether he was or was not in
that state of mind which the law required to constitute
manslaughter. It was a most melancholy occurrence,
but he could not help thinking that the deceased was the
author of his own death, and that they could not, on
their consciences, convict the prisoner of the high crime
of murder. No doubt the deceased and the other young
men concerted together for the purpose cf goading the
prisoner, and of leading him into violence,
.and that
he was induced to come out in order that they might
annoy him. Ile was not there to justify or to excuse
the act of the prisoner. He had been guilty of a
grievous act of violence ; but, looking at the whole of
the case, he apprehended that they could not convict
him of murder. Nothing had been adduced to show
that the prisoner loaded the gun for the purpose of
shooting the deceased. He had been shooting rats in
the cellar a short time before ; and it was
possible that he might have left the gun loaded in
his bed-room, and taken it up in a fit of despe-
ration. It was equally possible that the deceased
simply came to the door for the purpose of frightening
the deceased and others with the gun, and that a
struggle ensued between him and the deceased for the
possession of the gun, and that the ram-rod fell out and
the gun went off and killed the deceased. The Learned
Counsel concluded by an earnest appeal to the jury on
behalf of the prisoner.
Mr. Justice COLERIDGE then elaborately and carefully
summed up the evidence, and clearly explained to the
jury the difference between murder and manslaughter.
The jury retired to consider their verdict at twenty
minutes after three.
The jury returned into court at a quarter to four with
a verdict of Manslaughter.
Mr. Justice COLERIDGE sentenced the prisoner, in the
most impressive manner, to be transported for life.
The prisoner sobbed bitterly during the passing of
the sentence, and was led away in a helpless' state,
suffused with tears.

ROYAL MAIL STEAM-PACKET
COMPANY.—(TIIIS DAY.)
The general annual meeting of this company was
held to-day, at the London Tavern, at one o'clock, for
the purpose of receiving the report of the directors,
and for electing two directors in the place of Mr. T.
Baring, M.P., and Captain Mangles; and also for the
election of an auditor in the place of Mr. A. B. Robarts,
all of whom retired by rotation, but were eligible for
re-election, for which they offered themselves. The chair
was taken by Mr. Colville.
Tho advertisement convening the meeting having
been read,
The CHAIRMAN said he had to regret the news which
had arrived, by way of Mexico, of the loss of the Tweed,
the reports respecting which were mainly correct. He
would then call upon the Secretary to read the report,
which is as follows :
" The working account, as contrasted with that of the
preceding year, shows an increase in the disbursements
amounting to 10,8901. 3s. 2d., occurring chiefly under
the heads of wages," provisions,' and ' stations.' The
general rise in the rate of seamen's wages, an addition
to the pay of the officers, which the Court have consi-
dered for the interests of the company, and the extra
charge arising from having to send out the Eagle for
intercolonial service, to replace the City of Glasgow,
will explain the increase under the head of ' wages.'
The increase under the head of provisions' is to
be attributed to the additional number of pas-
sengers, and, in part, likewise, to the change
of intercolonial steamers alluded to above. The
charge for stations' has been increased by the es-
tablishment of an agency and other arrangements at
Panama, and by the expense incurred in increasing the
coaling accommodation and general efficiency ot the
depot at St. Thomas. The only charge upon the Insur-
ance Fund during 1846, is a sum of 275/. 2s. Bd., arising
out of sundry small liabilities; and it will therefore be
seen that the investment under this head up to the end
of the year amounted to 49,281/. 55., which has since
been augmented by the annual appropriation of
25,0001. for the year 1847, making a total
of 74,2811. 55., now invested in 31 per Cent. government
Stock. Having explained the principal causeswh
have occasioned increased disbursements, amounting to
10 890/ 2d., t
it is most satisfactory to notice h
the
, . 3s.
receipts from freight and passage money
exhibiting an
aug-
mentation to nearly double that amount,2o,
of 697/. 16s. 101.
1846
improvement upon the yearshow an
he single exception of outward
this steady udvance (with
head of receipts from
It is moreover matter of congratulation to notice that
intercolonial, and home-
cargo and passengers,.ou
freight) has occurred undertiNt
ffof "18/. 4s. "d
d The small falling o
war •
ascribed to the shipments of quicksilver
freight may be outward, intercolonial,
for Mexico having been interrupted during the first part
of the year, in consequence of the commencement ot
hostilities between that country and the United States
of North America. The surplus upon the working
account shows an increase upon the year 1846 amounting
to 9,8071. 13s. Bd., and so far us the transactions of the
year 1847 can be known at present, the receipts of the
Company are still steadily advancing. The arrange-
ments for conveying passengers and treasure across the
Isthmus of Panama are now completed; and an agree-
ment has been signed by the Royal Mail Steam Packet
Company and the Pacific Steam Navigation Company,
fixing the rate of freight, and all other particulars, so
that there shall be every encouragement for par-
ties to avail themselves of this line of com-
munication between the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans.
Unceasing exertions are made, not only to keep the
company's ships in good repair, but to give them addi-