The Sun.
London, England, 1847-05-01 00:00:00

DESTRUCTI.RYIE-TEF4I.RE NEAR
ExETER, Amu. 28.—0 n Tuesday 4,ernoon a messenger•
arrived at the fire-offices in this tithe giving information of
a most alarming fire having,bibieir-out in the village of
Stoke. Canon, which sin aiiincted about four miles distant,
close to the Bristol d. Exeter' Railway. The firemen and
engines iminedia•oltta.steliteathe scene, to render all the
assistance in theirli **Vend- besides the very efficient
corps of the Westait, and Sun Offices, the engine of
Sir T. D. Acland, Bart,', 111. P., of Killerton Park, scarcely
two miles from Stoke; slat ,In attendance. From inquiries
made on the spot, we vid. that thirty two houses haye been
completely gutted. teke`Canon is a small village, contain•
ing (in-the parish) Wont 500 inhabitants, and sixty dwel-
hugs; the destruction, therefore, of more than half the
dw,ellingsi.and the making houseless the majority of the
pbt;.r end" fininsursd tesidents, is a calamity ' which we are
justified in designattng •ais. awful in the extreme. The train
which leaves PaddingtdAPA,half-Tast seven in the morning
passes at the back of.
Stoke about ten minutes after
three ht the `afternoon, and reaches Exeter at twenty
minutes past three. A cinder from the engine propelling
this train was, ,it is generally supposed, the cause of
this-Aire*everit, for, soon atter the train had rasSifl.,
the thatch of a linhav, belonging to a person narrcd.
Barris, not a land yard from the rails, was discovered to be in
flames. It WilS soon extinguished, but not soon enough to
prevent its communicating with a house occupied by a Mr.
Hunt, who was confined to his bed, and was with difficulty
eavec fr,in a paintill and horrible death. The wind was
blowing hard from the south-west, and the fire extensied in
two directions, the one being easterly towards the main
street, and the other northerly towards the Brampton' Spike
road, which crosses the line of railway a little nearer to the
Hale station. At the corner of that road stands a house
occupied by Mr. Greenslade, a cattle dealer, which seems to
have escaped in a most singular manner, encompassed
as it must have been by the destroying element, which,
spreading diagonally, reached the main street, and caught
the houses on the opposite side. The New Inn, the tithe
barn, school-house, and other buildings, extending to the
church, were soon in a blaze, including the dwelling-house
of Mr. Haycroft.
In Mr. Hay croft's house 100 packs of wool were totally
consumed. In the easterly direction simultaneously, the
flames were doing
.equal damage, destroying most rapidly
the King's Arms, ten or a dozen cottages, the house of the
Rev. Mr. Knight ; that of a lady named Craig, who keeps a
seminary ; the vicarage occupied by the Rev. W. T. Naple-
ton Penoyre (whose turniture was consumed, together with
the communion plate, which had only been removed there
from the church the previous evening, " for safety,") and
finally the outhouse of the rector, the Rev. Mr. Bond, where
they were at length subdued.
Notwithstanding the vast amount of misery which must
inevitably attend this severe visitation. there is one abundant
source of thankfulness and congratulation in the fact, that
not one life has fallen a sacrifice to the conflagration, which,
breaking out at so early an hour, found the inhabitants more
prepared than if it bad come upon them in the waste and
dead of night.' Half-past three o'clock in the afternoon is
said to be the time when it commenced, and it was not got
under till nine in the evening. This morning, when we saw
the ruins, they were still smoking, and in some parts burn-
ing, and every now and then the fall of a wall, from the
violence of the wind, showed the temerity of venturing too
near their unsupported, gaunt, and threatening heights. The
engines were on the apt, and playing on the fire within an
hour of the outbreak,: with a plentiful supply of water from
the river Esse, which runs close by; but the roofs being with-
out exceptitin of thatch, and the wind very high and gusty,
the check was only slight, and their influence for a very long
time unperceivable. The damage is estimated at 1,5001. The
property in fee belongs chiefly to the Dean and Chapter, and
was mostly insured by the lessees, though a heavy loss will
unquestionably fall on the poor people whose goods have been
either damaged or burnt.

ACCIDENT RELIEF SOCIETY.
The annual festival in aid of the funds of this excel-
lent institution was held on Wednesday evening, at the
Albion, Aldersgate-street.
admirably
-eaehy
rtvietd fierntiergtseinntinleetnnent,
one
t
d.,Swinlotrodyaafmt(Orstsiaxdino
(which reflected
~t)1:
ohtignhfe.oars t
hereeeti uponcredit
and the quality of the wines. lI et the
ef
proprietorsthe viands
The vccal entertainments were under the care of
Messrs. Smith, Shoubridge, and Genge.
The chair was tilted by Luke James Hansard, Esq.,
who was supported upon the right by the Rev. J. S.
Sargrove, rector of St. Mary Somerset, Upper Thames-
street ; and upon the' left by the Rev: Dr. Carlile. The
usual loyal toasts having been drunk, •
The CHAIRMAN gave the toast of the evening—m Suc-
cess to the praiseworthy and philanthropic labours of the
Accident Relief Society," which was of course received
with all the honours.

The SECRETARY (Mr. R. Croxton) then read the re-
port, from which it appeared that the society had
originated in the year 1838, amongst the workmen of
Mr. T. Cox Savory, of Cornbill, Mr. Savory
himself subscribing 20L, and his workmen making up
the sum of 641., for the purpose of affording relief to the
families of labouring men who might chance to be ren-
dered incapable of supporting their families by the oc-
currence of such accidents as falls from scaffoldings and
others, to which the labouring classes are hourly liable.
I From that time to the present the society has slowly'
but progressively increased iu funds and power, although
it still falls so far short of the requirements of those
classes for which its foundation was effected, that of the
45,000 cases of accident that are estimated to occur in
London annually, not one in thirty can receive any, or
the sl.ghtest assistance from its funds.
Amongst the subscriptions announced to have been
received were "the following:—Lord Faversham, 101.;
Earl Fitzwilliam. 10L; Viscountess Milton, la; Lord
Ravensworth, 10/ ; Miss Burdett Coutts, annual. 201.;
Mrs. Duff, annual, 201.; Earl Onslow, 101.; Lord Castle-
reaeh, annual, 51; Sir Thomas Baring, Bart., sundry
donatious 1001., annual donation, 5/.; Charles Hoare,
EN., second donation, 101.; H. M. Hoare, Esq., a.;
Lord Skelinersdale, second donation, 51; Rev. J. H.
Fi,k, donatiOn, 50/.; Lake James ,Hansard, Esq., third
donation 201.; Lord Dudley Coutts Stuart, donation 5/n
annually 21.25. The total ;mount was about 1501. The
subscriptions for the past month were about 3501, and
for the past year'about 7001

THE LORD LIEUTENANT.- ÜBLIN, APRIL 27,
The following is a copy of a bulletin posted at the Castle this
day.—" His %Excellency passed a tranquil night, and feels
rather better this morning." There is no truth, therefore, in
the alarming statements of the papers that " HiA Excellency
is at the point of death, and is not expected to live an hour."
Nor is the statement correct respecting the result of a consul-
tation held at the Castle last night. It is not the opinion of
his ;',xcellency's medical attentlauls that his life is in imme-
diatodanger. Five oClock—His Excellency has had 110
favourable symptom since morning.