The Sun.
London, England, 1841-03-18 00:00:00

SOUTH WESTERN RAILWAY.

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE AT THE NINE ELMS
STATION, VAUXHALL.
On Tuesday night a fire of the most destructive character
broke out at the Railway Terminus, Nine Elms Station.
About half-past seven o'clock a flame and smoke were
first percei,ed in the locomotive engine department of the
storehouses attached to the station, arid forming the left
wing of the establishment, and above which was the tower
containing the clock belonging to the Company, and well
known to the frequenters of this lice of railway. The
cry of fire was no sooner heard than the vehcle of the Corn-
pars's s mints on the spot flew to the store-room, and
adopted the most vigorous efforts to extinguish the flames,
but without the smallest success, the flames appearing to
burst forth with still greater fury, and it soon became ap-
pa ent, from the combustible nature of the materials
!gaited, that all attempts to stop the progress of the flames
were hopeless. The apartment in which tie fire originated
was used as a store for turpentiao, oil, &c., and an im-
mense quantity of these inflammatory substances was de-
posited in various parts of the building. Scarcely a
quarter of an hour elapsed from tie first discovery of the
fire, when the building was in a complete blaze, and
burning with frightful rapidity.
Every exertion was now made on the part of the ser-
vants attached to the railway to get away the carriages
that were preparing for departure by the mail train,
which leaves London about half-past eight in the evening.
They soon succeeded in removing them beyond the
reach of the dsvourieg element, and depositing then in a
place of safety and in such a manner that their departure
at the usual hour should not be prevented, cycled the whole
establishment should be reduced to ashes; and the ser-
vants of the Company exerted themselves to keep the pass
sengers at a distance and out of danger.
By eight o'clock the spectacle pre,ented by the burning
edifice was terrific and imposing in the extreme. The night
appeared to be turned into day, and the whole of the engine
department was involved in one entire sheet of flame.
About ten minutes past eight o'clock the first engine of the
London Fire Brigade, No. 22, arrive 1, and almost imme-
diately after, No. 15, and Mr. Braidwood, the Superin-
tendent of the Brigade. They instantly began to play upon
the middle part of the building. Several other engines of
the brigade followed. Mr. Tomlines, of the Vauxhall water-
works, also made his appearance, and the supply of water
was most abundant. Great praLe is iclue to the Company,
for the active exertions of their servants, by whose exer-
tions the engines were abundantly supplied with water,
and enabled to play with double effect on the burning
mass. Notwithstanding the immense ,quantity of water
poured upon the edifice the flames soon reached the clock-
tower, the timber of which quickly ignited, and the whole
tower was envelope l in sheets of flame, which ascended
into the sir to an immense height, and illuminated the
atmosphere for miles round. At half-past tight o'clock
part cf the roof, together with the bower, fell with a tre-
mendous crash.
The efforts of Mr. Braidwood were now principally
directed to the preservation of the -carriage department, a
building separated by a few feet from the store-rooms, and
forming the left wing of the front of the station, in which
much valuable property, belonging both to passengers and
the Company, was deposited, and fortunately the efforts of
the firemen to prey. nt the flames extending to this build-
ing were attended with complete success.
The next object was to confine the fire, if possible, to
the part if the edifice where it originated, and to prevent
the ignition of the building used by the engineers for
mending and repairing the engines and machinery when
out of order, and in which there was much valuable pro-
perty belonging to the Company. It being, however, a
continuation a the same range of building, and separated
only by a party-wall, the progress of the flames could not
be arrested, and the whole of the engine department, in
defiance of the utmost exertions of the fire brigade, was
soon in flames. The rapidity with which they spread on
every side prevented the Company's servants from even
attempting to remove the machinery and other property
deposited here. The number of engines which arc de-
stroyed could not be distinctly ascent fined. We ob-
served, too, a tender and a quantity of iron macicicery red
hot. The whole will, of course, be completely destroyed.
The iron turning la hes alone are vslued at 5,000/. The
building adjoining this, and forming a tart of the same
range as that where the fine commenced, was the engine-
shed. It was separated from the other by a strong party
wall. The fire, which till about nine o'clock bad conti-
nued extending itself with unabated fury, by the exertions
of the firemen appeared ssmevvhat subdued, which seemed
to enceutsge tine men to increased exertion. The engine
sl ed was declared to be safe shout a quarter pact nine
e'clock, and by half past nine the fire was got completely
ureierneed no further danger was apprehended.
It it estimated that the property destroyed cannot ex-
ceed 50.0001. It is probably under than over that amount.
The fire originated in the (*Mowing manner:—lt was
suspected by the mein who have charge of the stores that
the casks of turpentine and oil were leaking, and men-
tionieg this to the storekeepea they took a light and
went together to examine tine casks. In doing so, the
lamp, or a spark, fell upon tine turpentine, which ignited
in an instant, and defied all the exertions of the store-
keepers to extinguish it. The brewery of Farren and
Till, on the Battersea side, was at one period in great
danger, but it escaped by Mr. Braidwood taking his men
to that rile. We have heard of no accident whatever.
The fire was visible at a great distance from town, and
the fall cf the clock tower was distinctly soca by two
g, ntlernen midway between London and Windsor.
An express engine was sent off after the commencement
of the fire, and also wLea the dagger had subsided. Pas-
sengers by the lino will not be incommoded in the least,
nor will there be any stoppage or irregularity in the de-
parture of the trains, which will leave the station at the
usual hours. Indeed, even while the fire was raging with
the greatest fury, while one party cf the Company's e.-
yants were direc ing their attention to assist in extinguish-
ing it, another party were actively employed in getting
out the mail trsie, which left town at the usual hour.
The fire was vi ible over the greater pant of the metro-
polis, and thousands congregated around the station, but
owing to the exertions of a strong body of the police, they
were effectually excluded from the interior, by which means
the operations of the fire brigade were unattended by the
iaaonveniences which they usually experience on such oc
essions. We apprehend the property is insured.

(FURTHER PARTICULARS.)
The account of the loss sustained by the Company, it
appears, has bean greatly exaggerated,
ed, According to a
rough estimate made 3esterday morning, it does not ex-
ceed 12,0001., of which nearly 8,0001. is insured. The
workshops of the ergineers and engine-men have been
completely gutted, every particle of timber being reduced
to ashes, and nearly the whole of the valuable machinery
used in the repair of the engines rendered useless. Ru-
mours have got abroad that nine engines have been de-
stroyed, but such is not the filet ; the whole number at the
station, excepting two without wheels, having betin re-
moved at the commencement of the fire, and as the build.
ing in which they are usually deposited has escaped the
flames, they are replaced in the same manner as befcre
the fire, and remain tu,injured.
The preservation of this pact of the building, as it is only
s7parated from those consumed by a party wall, is quite
miraculous. Indeed, the preservation of the carriage de-
partment at the other end, which is only distant about 15
feet, and of the brewery on the Battersea side, is equally
astonishing. Hail there been tl.e slightest wind, they
could not possibly have escaped eestruction, and, in all
probability; the whole stati.m would have been redueel to
ashes.

The los3, unfortunately, is not confined to the Railway
and Inierafice Companies, but the poor workmen will
also fuel it Eeveasly. Upwards of 160 men, chiefly em-
ployed by Company in the engineering depai tment,
will be thrown out of employment for a time.

His Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex is,
we regret to hear, suffering from influenza at Kensington
Palace, compelled his Royal Highness to keep his
bed on Tueday.
We hear that the Committee for managing the
affairs at Lloyd's have adopted a resolution to the effect
tl a, all vessels in twure shall he surveyed periodicaly,
by the regulations, in order to be retained in the register
book in airy manhcr.
DEATH OF LORD VALENTIA.—This Noble
Lon!, t'c eldest son of the Earl of Mountnc,rri,r, died on
Tuesday at B ightor. His Lordslip vas in his 48th year,
nod was mnrried in 1837 to Frances, only daught.er of the
I,te Charles Jam.:s Sims, Esq.
On Wednesday afternoon, the attention of a
nu-ruler of persons walking on the North Pier at Leith,
was attrac ed towards a boat a list e way ow, by two
fiThermen, the only crew on board, risir.g up and fighting.
In the course cf the contest, which was of short duration,
one of them was driven by the other into the water,
where, after floundering for a time, he got hold of the gun-
wale cf the boat, and his companion now lent all his aid
to pull him on board. In this he was, however, unsuc-
c:ssful, and was frequently about falling into the water
himself. The men appeared to be both int >xicated, and a
b.at pushing off from the shore, arrived in time to relieve
the half-drowned man. This tragicomical adventure
seemed to have the effect of cooling the rage of th pugi.
I:sts, es they then sat down to their oars, and pulled assay
quietly t ) Newhaven.—Edinburgh Advertiser.
THE GAMUT OF A POLITICIAN.—When
Napoleon Buonaparte escaped from Elba, and re-
turned to France, the Moniteur, Sze., announced the evert
as follorrs:-1st announcement—March, 1815—The
monster has escaped from the place of his banishment :
be has run away from Elbe. 2d—The Cor:ican dragon
(L'Oger) has landed at Cape Juan. 3d—The tiger has
shown himself at Gap—the troops are advancing from all
sides, in order to arrest his progress—he gill conclude his
miserable adventure by becoming a wanderer among the
mountains—he cannot possibly escape. 4th—The monster
has really advanced as far as Grenoble—we know not to
what treachery to ascribe it. sth—The tyrant is actually
at Lyons. Fear and terror seized all at his appearance.
6th—The usurper has ventured t j approach the capit .1 to
within sixty hours' march. Buonaparte is advancing by
f; reed ma: cites—be.t it is impossible he should reach Peri,.
Bth—Napoleon will reach under the nails cf Paris to-mor-
row. 9th—The Emperor is at Fontainb!eau. 10th—Y s-
tcrday evening his Majesty the Emperor made his public
entry, and arrived at the palace of the Tuileries—nothing
car exc7ed the universal joy I

A SINGULAR DIFFICULTY.—The Empress
has a fine fee.; but is enormously fat and unwieldy. A
f.w days ago her Chamberlain, Sinzendorff, waited on her
with a petition from some part of her territories, which
was very interesting to her. They were alone in the
apartment, both standing whilst he read to her the docu •
msnt. Sinzendorff is a thin old man, stiff :Ind erect, and
troubled with a rheumatic complaint, which his in some
measure paralysed Lit frame. It happened that the Faper
fell to the ground. The Empress bade him pick it up.
" Helas I madame," said be, " ily a vinyt annees queje ne
me suis courbel" She would have stooped far it herrn If,
hut was too unwieldy ; he was accordingly obliged to ring
the bell for the purpose, and the Groom of the Chambers,
on entering, found her Imperial Majesty in a violent fit a
laUgAter.....sloinburne's Courts of Europe.

MORNING EDITION.

GREAT BRITAIN AND THE

UNITED STATES.

NORTH-EASTERN BOUNDARY.
REPORT OF THE AMERICAN COMMISSIONERS; d
The annexed Report of the Commissioners appointe,
by the President of the United States, under the At
of 20th July last, for the purpose of exploring and 513 e
veying the boundary line between the States Of W:
and New Hampshire and the British provinces, '"
submitted to Congress on the 9th instant, referred to
the Committee of Foreign Rz,latians, and ordered to be
printed.

" REPORT, &c.
" New York, Jan. 6, 1841..0
" SlR,—The Commissioners having
this city, in conformity with your orders under date
29th July, beg leave respectfully to report : ffth
" That the extent of country, and the great ee :„
of the boundary line included in the objects of tliePe
Commission, would have rendered it impossible to has%
completed the task assigned them within the lienits.rtv,
single season. In addition to this physical impossibi
e,r
the work of the present year was entered upon °n
eat
circumstances very unfavourable for making :anY
progress. The law under which they have acre 1,/c4O
passed at the last period of a protracted session,
nearly half of the season, during which working 133,1ti0-0
can be kept in the field, had elapsed ; and, although ,0
assembled tor
delay took place in the appointment of Commissione7t
carry it into effect, the organization of the Board was °t'
effected,. in consequence of the refusal of ore of the t.4.)0.
two
m:ssioners and the Agent to accept of their nomina
The Commissioners, acting under these disadvaDtagtb;
have done all that lay in their power to accotnplisb. ed
greatest practicable extent of work, and have obt 103-.0
many results which cannot but be important in Lois
vexed and important question which has been co
milted to them ; but, after having fully and matu,rp.ofy
considered the subject, and interchanged the result 9„
their respective operations, they have come to the °O,
elusion that it would be premature to embody thei
4
tial results which they have attained, in a genera:: • al
port, for the purpesse of being laid before the P, st• •
and scientific world. The meridian line of the
tilso
Croix has not been carried to a distance of more '
50 rni!ee from the monument of the source of that river;
and the operations of the other Commissioners, al., •
though they have covered a wide extent of onuatt,ost
have fulfilled but one part of the ditty assigned thetarto
namely, that of exploration ; while, even in the Vr.
explored, actual surveys will be necesitary for the Pa 0
pose of presenting the question in such forms as cses,
admit of no cavil. In particular, the results of the ear
ruination of the most northern part of the line aPPtehe
to differ, in some points, from the conclusions 01 o 0
late British Commission. Satisfied that the latter bneig,
been reached in too hasty a manner, and without' a sn
o b,
cient time having been expended upon comparetive,ot
servations, they are cautioned by this example aga„less
committing a like error. In respect to the argument,
,
tive part of the Report of the British Commissitte
the duty of furnishing a prompt and itora°";olis
reply to such parts of it as rest upon the "iiol
struction of treaties, and the acts of diplorna°l';eet
been rendered far less important than it 01'"of
at one time have appeared, by the publicatObr
the more important parts of the argument laid
ar,
fore the King of the Netherllnde, as umpire. This
~130
gument, the deliberate and studied work of ceeer'tbe
well understood the subier, is a full expos ton 0' the
grounds on which the claim of the United States tow('
whole of the disputed territory rests. It has tecelgee
the sanction of successive Administrations of °PP°eo
politics ; and may therefore he considered, in eau "tee
to its original efficiel character, as approved b).
eg
whole nation. To this publication your Commission °I;
leave to refer, as elute: dyke an argument which tng
styled unanswerable.
sand
The operat ons of the parties under the cont
of the several Commissioners were as follow et os
" The party under the direction of Professor
wick left Portland in detachments on the 26th naq;
of August. The place of general rendezvous gas "-Lev
at Woodstock, or, flailing that, at the Grand Fells °lloa
St. John's. The commissary of the party proctede,o
speedily as possible to Oldtown, in order to Pr();
boats and engage men. Professor Renwick passe- At
land through Brunswick, Gardiner, and Auguste; with
the former place, barometer No. I was compare" v"e'of
that of Professor Cleveialti ; at Gardiner, with thew o
Halloviell Gardiner, 'Esq. ; and arrangerreots ac
r,
made with them to keep registers, to be used as
responding observations with those of the exPed`lol-ere
At Augusta, some additional articles of equipment
obtained from the authorities of the State ; but the
rot
rometer which it had been hoped might have Lela P
cured, was found to be unfit for service. At 11°ult° ear
two tents and a number of knapsacks, with some
powder, were furnished, by the politeness of G('Lle
Eustis, rom the Govethernmstores reached Woodst°°-k ent stores. on
Thef boats and all d•
the 3d September, and all the party were e°llloeas
except one engineer who had bean left behind at A
gor, in the hopes of obtaining another barometer' he '
a-
bbateau was therefore left to being him on. The
mainder of the boats were loaded, and the Par`iteeof
G
barked on the St. John's on the morning of the 'Thad
September. Tnis, the main body, reached the raia.
Falls at noon on the Bth of September. The rerese„
ing batteau, with the engineer, arrived the next eLe
ing, having ascended the rapids of St. John's in ar-ditd
short beyond precedent. On its arrival, it was,'°e;
that the barometer, on whose receipt reliance had "-ee, •
placed, had not been completed in time ; and althougaa
as was learned afterwards, it had been commit °r
soon as finished by the maker L'
,to the care of ot
Graham, the other Commissioners felt compelled to oe,
out before he had joined them. The want of this har°l.
ter, in which defects observed in others had beep real
died, was of no little detriment.
" A delay of 18 days had occurred in Portland
oil
consequence of the refusal of Messrs. Cleveland 80,
Jarvis to accept their appointments ; and it was io
from the experience of the Commissioners sect o°t at
1838 by the State of Maine, that it would requiretbe
least three weeks to reach the line claitted by
United States, from Bangor. It was, therefore, irstrio
rative to push forward, unless the risk of having d by
whole of the operations of this party paralYee tor
' the setting in of the winter was to be et Falls
tered. It was also ascertained at the Grand ore
that the streams which were to be ascended t' opt
always shallow and rapid, and that at the "loot
they were extremely low, so that the boats g'°";: the
carry more stores than would be consumed witu'lsor
time required to reach the region assigned to Pr°te
Renwick as his share of the ,•
duty, and•returrn pre
came therefore necessary, as it had been feared bed $
it must, to be content with an exploration, instead or
close and accurate survey. Several of the nleti
era'
-batdian had been at the northern extremity of the -01
dian line ; but their knowledge was limited to dao
single object. Inquiry was carefully made fora &r
ere
through the country, between the sources of the 'rvs.i- ere
Fourche of Restigouche and of Tuladi, but none the
to be found. One Indian only had passed his
head of Green River to the Grande Fourche, eO6OO
knowledge was limited to a single path, in a °ire-MO'
not likely to shed any light on the object of the
mission ;he was, however, engaged. The Fieueba the
ters of Madawaska had never penetrated beYa" for-
sources of Green River; and the Indians, withe%
merly resided on the upper waters of the W. "-that)
were said to have abandoned the country for more
twelve years.
" The party was now divided into four detaehwerittidgef
the first to proceed down the Restigouche, to the this
of the bay of Chaleur ; the second to ascend the
Grande Fourche of Restigouche to its source. the
third to be stationed on Green River mountain ; go
fourth to convey the surplus stores and heavy ba,rgiffsdi
to Lake Temiscouata, and thence to ascend the 'f the
and Abagusquash, to the highest accessible point o. do-
latter. It was resolved that the second and four`., Abe
tachments should endeavour to cross the con:Are o
:44
meet each other, following, as far as possible, the brabko
of land. A general rendezvous was again fixed at .1.1
Temiscouata.
oot'
" In compliance with this plan, the first and sec her,
detachments ascended the Grande River toget
crossing the Wagansis portage, and reached the el'ab
fluence of the Grande Fourche and south-west bran
of the Restigouche. iced
" The first detachment then descended the 0°
°II d
stream, returned by the same course to St. Johns's pee
reached the portage at Temiscouta on the 7th 01
eat
tober. All the intended objects of the detiebin
were happily accomplished. dire'
" The second detachment under the persona' f tho
tion of the Commissioner, reached the junction ° oho
north and south branches of the Grande r°,.'lo,co:Oo
on the 22d of September. Two engineers, wit'
-
men to carry provisions, were then dispatched t°
proceed
the country to the meridian line, and thence to PTke.
•
westward to join the detachment at Kedgwick
bsery
This duty was performed, and many valuable
tions obtained ; but an accideet by which the .1) "ruts
meter was broken, preeented all the anticipated IA
of
,tilijekilmtisism ieontofrroesmwbheicinhgcaocucidomplished. •
now placed in a de of at the j unction boeffu2it:lr.iei
t(})a,°dviTtitttchtabri
branch, and the Commissioner proceeded
boats thus lightened towards Kedgwick Lake- n.
lightening of the boat.: was rendered necessary in
sequence of the diminution of the volume
01 the
_lave
andh occarrence of fale aver which it would
been impossille to convey them w .en n that
For want of a guide, a branch mote western than
which issues from the hike was entered. One of the boat-
s
was therefore sent round into the lake, to await theeree•
turn of the engineers despatched into the meridian Du'
The stores, which were all that could be brought 13P
in the st ite of the waters, were now found to be
to •
wholly insufficient to allow of committing the Part,' i•
•
the unexplored country between this stream and Tule.ut
Even the four days which must intervene before.
return of the engineers could be expected would dO
p_
much to exhaust them. Tne Commissioner, Veerc_e,
.1:
resolved to proceed across the country, wiih no other
companion than two men, carrying ter_day' proses' s•
It was hoped that four or five days'nrighti. feffice kr

•