The Sun.
London, England, 1841-11-12 00:00:00

THE LATE FIRE AT THE TOWER.
During Tuesday a greater number of the nobility and
gentry visited the ruins of the Armoury than on any
previous occasion. Among other valuable articles re-
moved on Tuesday were six of the eight brass guns
taken at Waterloo.
At ten o'clock, pursearit to the orders of Col.
Aitcheson, the whole of the Ist battalion of Fusilier
Guards, quartered within the Tower, assembled on the
parade for the purpose of having read to them official
commendations of the conduct of the military within
the Tower during the night of the fire.
Oa the assembling of the troops, with all the officers,
consisting of Colonel Eden, Captain Walker, Captain
Davis, Captain De Salis, Lieutenant the Hon. James
Murray, Lieutenant the Hon. James Duncan, Esq.,
Lieutenant-Colonel the Honourable Berkeley Drum-
mond observed, that it was with great pleasure he had
the honour to communicate to the officers and soldiers
of the battalion the following testimonials of approba-
tion from their Sovereign, and other high authorities,
of their conduct on the night of the late fire, and which
he was directed by the Commandant to lay before
them. The Hon. Gentleman concluded by reading
the correspondence.
The reading of the communications appeared to give
great satisfaction to the officers and men, and the pro-
ceeding bad scarcely concluded when the announcement
was made at the Tower that her Majesty had given birth
to a Prince, which appeared to afford greater gratifica-
tion, and within a few minutes the Royal standard was
floating from the summit of the battlements of the
White Tower.
At four o'clock the Warders, pursuant to an ancient
custom on the birth of a Prince, assembled in their
Hall, near the Spur Gate, and the head Warder filled
from a silver punchbowl of great antiquity to every per-
son who chose to partake of it, a glass to drink the
toast of " Health to the Queen and long life to the
Prince of Wales."
At 10 o clock on Wednesday, pursuant to the re-
quest of the Duke of Wellington, the Constable of the
Tower, the entire garrison, comprising the Ist battalion
of Scots Fusilier Guards, a company of the Royal Ar-
tillery, together with the whole of -the Wardens and
other authorities, were under arms and assembled on
the parade for the purpose of hearing read by the Com-
mandant, Major Elrington, further communications
which he had received from his Grace, inclosing others
from the Secretary of State for the Home Department,
in reference to the late fire.
Major Elrington was accompanied by Colonel Aitche-
son, Colunel Eden, Captain Davis, Captain Bathurst,
Captain Macbean, R.A.,Captain Hamilton, Major Gage,
Captain De Salis, Lieut. the Hon. J. Murray, Lieut.
the Hon. H. Duncan, &c. He said he had received
the commands of his Grace the Duke of Wellington to
lay before the officers and soldiers composing the garri-
son of that fortress the following communications, which,
he eauld assure them, gave him infinite pleasure. Tne
Gallant Major then read the following :
" London, Nov. 6, 1841. At Night.
" Sir—l inclose the copy of a letter from Sir James
Graham, Secretary of State for the Home Department,
in answer to my letter conveying your report of the con-
duct of the troops in garrison, and of the warders of the
Tower, on the occasion of the late fire at the Tower.
" I have great pleasure in communicating to you this
testimony of her Majesty's most gracious approbation of
their services ; and I beg you to publish in the orders of
the garrison a copy of the inclosed letter from the Secre-
tary of SI ate.—l have the honour to be, Sir, your most
faithful and obedient humble servant.
" WELLINGTON.
" Major Elrington, Tower of London."
" Since I wrote this letter, I have received the in-
closed of this day from Sir James Graham :
Whitehall, Nov. 4, 1841.
"My Lord Duke—l have the honour to acknow-
ledge the receipt of various reports transmitted to me
by your Grace, from the officer in command of the
Tower, detailing the conduct of the garrison and war-
ders on the occasion of the late fire.
" I have laid these reports before her Majesty, and
the Queen has been graciously pleased to command me
to make known to your Grace her Majesty's high ap
probation of the faithful service of the officers, troops,
and warders, who wete on duty during the fire ; and her
Majesty desires that your Grace will notify to them this
expression of her approbation.
(Signed) " JAMES GRAHAM."
" Whitehall, Nov. 6, 1841.
My Lord Duke—l have the honour to acknowledge
the receipt of your Grace's letter of the sth instant, in-
closing a further report from Major Elrington, the offi-
cer commanding in the Tower ; and I. beg to acquaint
your Grace that I shall have great satisfaction in for-
warding to the General Commanding in Chief Major
Elrington's statement of the gallant conduct of Captain
Walker, Captain De Solis, and Captain Davis, the ad.
jutant of the first battalion Scots Fusilier Guards, dur-
ing the recent fire in the Tower.
(Signed) " JAMES GRAHAM.
" His Grace the Duke of Wellington."
The inquiry in the Ordnance department was still
proceeding throughout the day, relative to the origin of
the fire, es.was also a military court of inquiry into the
alleged misconduct of the soldiery on the night of the
fire. Towards the close of the day the interruption to
the workmen, in consequence of the large number of
visitors, was so great that the Ordnance authorities felt
it necessary to issue the following notice :
" The public are respectfully informed, that, in con-
sequence of the inconvenience occasioned by the admis-
sion of visitors within the hoard fence, to view the ruins
of the buildings destroyed by the late fire, the issue of
tickets for that purpose has for the present been alto-
gether discontinued.—By order of the Board,
" R. BY HAM, Secretary.
" Office of Ordnance, Tower, Nov. 10."
Nothwithstanding the caution on the cards of admis-
sion to the ruins, that persons are not permitted to re-
ceive specimens, the ladies, in particular, paid no atten-
tion to it, and many ridiculous scenes took place at the
gates of the hoarding on their return, from the police
discovering that they appeared rather more bulky than
when they were admitted. A lady of rank was stopped
at the gate with a " whole battalion" of bayonets, a mus-
ket barrel, &c., under her arm, and in her pocket a large
iron knob, which she had mistaken for a cannon-ball,
but which proved to be one of the feet broken off an
Arnot stove. The lady was politely informed that these
articles must not leave the Tower, and she reluctantly
gave them up, and entered her carriage in high dudgeon.
It was understood that several gentlemen who had their
pockets filled with the relics were taken into custody.
The whole of the engines have been withdrawn from
the ruins ; there, however, still remains a large quantity
of fire in some parts of the ruins.