The Sun.
London, England, 1841-03-01 00:00:00

'llll SUN, LONDON I/CONWAY, MARCH 1. ie4i,l

mEsstis. WRIGHI"S BANK.

RLTPTCY.

COURT OF BANKRUPTCY.—Fs.n. 2.7.
( Before Mr. Ccmmissioner HOIROYD. )
This r:f ernoen, at ore o'clock, being fixed for the ad-
journed examinati,,n of Messrs. Biddulph, Wright, and Co.,
the Court wi s much crowded with merchants and geritle-
men who formerly banked with the firm, and who now at-
tended to prove their debts.
Mr. Bacor. the barrister, attended on behalf of a credi-
tor named Henry Burton, a clergyman residing at Atcham,
in Slop, arid Mr France, of a: Ilford-row, represented
a gre..t many parties interested in large amounts of money
in the stocks. Mr. Hamilton, of Henrietta.street,Covent-
garden, attended as solicitor to the fiat.
A gentleman applied to the Learned Commissioner to
know if he could prove a debt against the bankrupt's estate
under these circumstances :—He Tees ived a check from
a person who was a customer of the bankrupts on the
S turday precriding the Monday when the failure took
pla-e. The customer, it turned out, was indebted is a
large sum of money to the bankrupts, and the balance re-
maining in tde;r hands had subsequently been carried to
the account of the customer, and deducted from the dent
due fom him to the estate. He (the applicant) there-
fore wished to know if he could prove for the amount
of the eh( ek received from the customer before the failure.
The Learned COMMISSIONER sail that ih-re were cer-
tain cases in which the applicant and the customer might
hsv,.! joined for the purpose of pr,.ving the debt ; but under
the circumstances stated he was of opinion the proof was
inadmissible, for even if the bank had continued it was
questionable if the check would have been honoured.
Mr. Hamilton said that a gentleman named Holmes, re-
siding in Arundel, Susses, was anxious to prove for the
sum of 3481. 03. 6d. against Mr. Robinson's separate
estate. M. Holmes was executor under the will of Peer
R. Lally, Esq., and a sum of 3931 4.. 3d. Bank Annui-
ties was standing in the name of the bankrupt, Robinson,
in the books of the Governor and Company of ttie Bank
of England. The stock was liable to be Landed over t)
the assignees, and the question was whether Mr. Holmes
was entitled to prove against Mr. Robinson's separate
estate, or the Joint estates of the bankrupts.
Mr. France said it would be much better if the assignees
were to let the trust moneys in the stocks alone, and let
the stockholders fight out any dispute that night arise
among themselves.
Mr. Commissioner HOLHOYD said he was of opinion the
actual receipt of the stock by Mr. Robinson, with the
knowledge that it was trust money, was equally a breach
of trust on his part with the trustees who bad parted with it.
Mr. Hamilton said that the real estate of the bankrupt
was answerable in many instances to parties who had not
set been discovered.

Mr. France said he was desirous that the assignees
should have the stocks that were unclaimed. as they were
perhaps the parties best entitled to them, but he contended
they had no right to meddle with funds which clearly be-
longed to other parties than the bankrupts.
A gentleman said that the funds referred to in Mr.
Holmes's ease originally stood in the name of Mr. Ito-
linson's father, in the character of trustee ; and Mr.
Henry Robinson having been appointed executor of his
father, who was dead, that was the way in which the mo-
ney had got into Mr. Robinson's name. He was willing,
if the proof was admitted against Mr. Henry Robinson's
separate estate, to abandon Lis right to the stock.
Mr. France said he could not object, and the proof was
admitted.
Mr. Bacon next drew the attention or the Court to the
Rev. Mr. Burton's claim of above 20,000/. ; and in doing
so, it would be remembered that on a former day this
claim and three others were admitted, subject to any in-
quiry which the assignees might tt ink proper to institute.
Mr. Burton appeared in the character of surviving exe-
cutor of the estate of Messrs. Plowden and Blount, late
of Shropshire, who were executors under the will of the
lite Mr. Thon.as Wright, the father of the bankrupt,
George Anthony Wright Biddulph. The latter bor-
row ed, it appeared, the sum of 20,000/., under a bond
dated the Ist of July, 1822, which sum was to bear inte-
rest. Messrs. Plowden and Blount and he (the Learned
Counsel) held the bond of indemnity which was g'ven upon
the occasion, as Messrs. Plowden and Blount had no
power under the trusts of the will of the bankrupt's father
to make any advance out of the testator's estate.
Mr. Hamilton said there was nu doubt the advance had
been made, and the only question was whether the bond of
indemnity was invalidated by the statute of limitat:onc, it
basing been executed so long since as 1922.
The Learned CoarattssioNne sal I that he had, since the
last sitting, looked into the Art of Parliament, and he
had found that it required a lapse of 20 years from the ex-
ecution of an instrument to bar the claim.
The proof for 22,8501. was then admit'ed against the
separate estate of Mr. Biddulph. The like proof was
next received from the reverend gentle nan, and allowed,
against the separate estate of Mr. J. Wright.
Mr. Hamilton said he did not attach much importance
to this being dono, as Mr. Biddulph's estate would pay
20s. in the pound.
The vestry clerk of St. Paul's, Covent garden, was al-
lowed to join, under the provisions of the local A( tof the
parish, wish one of the churchwariens, in the proof of a
debt of 9/. 4s. 5d., collected asex Church-rate, and depo-
sited for security with Messrs. Wright and Co., on behalf
of the rector.
In answer to a question from the Court, it was stated
that Mr. Henry Robinson and Mr. Jerningliam, two of the
bankrupts, were in attendance, and prepared to pass their
exan.inatior. The balance sheet of the joint estate was
h indel in, which showed the following results :
Credit )rs £691,648 5 0
From dead Ledger 2,650 8 10
Creditors on Stock
soli

Liabilit;es—And also
account for which
no consideration has
been given except
in some cases in the
deposit of securities 52,668 17 0
Upon Bills discounted
for Customers, and
re-discounted

£760,663 14 6

69,015 3 7

Total of debits and liabilities
Supposed good assets

Deficiency £399,734 18 5
The item under the name of good assets is thus made up :
Good debts £276.686 10 0

Deduct 10 per cent... 27,608 13 0
------- £248.837 17 0

Doubtful

Deduct 85,435 15 5

—...... ------ 60,000 0 0
Property
Cash in hand 6,966 16 0

Total £429 943 19 8
The total amount of bad debts arc stated to be
5,2671. 9s. 2d.
Mr. France then proceeded to question the bankrupts
at some length, and they state! that the firm had no claims
upon the various stocks of which they had given an ac-
count in their balance-sheet. A separate stock le lger
was kept for transactions in the funds, and the sale of
stocks sold by order of the holders all appeared in th.t
book, but it contained no entry of those effected in the
name of the house except by an especial order. The firm
had sometimes invested the moneys of the hoagie in the
trust stocks, but not always. The moneys paid away
by the firm were known to be part of the moneys for
which they were trustees.
Mr. Robinson said he was not aware whether all the
partners knew the trust moneys were being used by the
firm.
Mr. Jerniagham here remarked that he never was
aware of it.
Mr. Robinson stated that Mr. Wright Biddulph bad not
been aware of the transactions of the house for many years
past. He was expressly exempted from any participation
in the management of the concern by the deed of copart-
nership. No intimation of the insolvency of the house
was ever given him up to the moment of falure. He
(Mr. R.) was otten going to mention it to him, but Mr.
Wright said if Mc Biddulph knew it, he was such a ner-
vous man that he wsuld come to town and atop the house
at once. Mr. Biddulph had recently had two paralytic
attacks, and the effect of any such communication would
have been fatal to him. All tt e other parties belonging
to the house, except Mr. Jarningliaw, knew that the
moneys of the firm were taken from the trust stocks.
Mr. Jerningham stated that he never was in the habit of
investigating the stock ledger. He used to look into it,
but never took any particular notice of the sale of stocks.
He never knew that the trust stock was disturbed until tea
or twelve days before the failure. He was quite correct
in what he stated, that no communic t:ion was ever made
to him, either by Mr. Rubinson or Me. John Wright, that
the trust stocks were being improperly sold and converted.
Mr. Robinson—Mr. Jerningham always thought our
moneys were the property of the house, that is, the moseys
of the partnership.
Mr. Jerningham repeated that he was aware stock was
purchased and sold, as he usually signed the letters con-
taining the advice, but he was not aware that any of the
moneys standing in the names of the firm as trustees were
sold, and he also begged to state that none of the stock was
ever insured or transferred into his name.
This concluding the examination of Mr. Robinson and
Mr. Jerningham, the Learned Commissioner declared them
to have passed their examination.
Mr. Hamilton said that Mr. John Wright would require
six weeks longer to make up his accounts, and Mr. Bid-
dulph was not in a state of health to leave his residence,
in consequence of a recent attack of paralysis. An appli-
cation bad been made to the Court of Review to empower
the Learned Commissioner to adjourn the examination of
these bankrupts from time to time, but he (Mr. Hamilton)
was not aware his Honour, Sir George Rose, had made
any order. He likewise had to request that the Learned
Commissioner would direct the continuance of the allow-
ance to Mr. J. Wright and Mr. Biddulph.
Mr. Commissioner HOLROYD said that was a matter in
the first instance for the consideration of the assignees—
and it was afterwards discretionary with him to approve or
otherwise of the course proposed to be adopted upon appli-
cation being made thereon.
Mr. France said he wished to obtain a public declara-
tion from the asigmees that they either would or would not
resign their claims to the trust funds.
Mr. Hamilton said that the assignees would take time
to consider the subject. All that they wanted was prqer
protection ; and they thought that a short petition ought
to be preiente i to the Court of Review, for the purpose
of obtaining the direction of the Court in the matter.
The assignees did not wish to put Mr. France's clients to
any expense or unnecessary litigation, but wished to act
with safety.
Mr. France said, that after calling upon them in so pub-
lic a manner to abandon their claims to the stocks, he
doubted if suits in Chancery were commenced against him,
in the went of their non-compliance, if they would not
base to bear all the costs personally.
Mr. Ilamilton defended the course taken by the assig-
nees, and after some further discussion the time was ea-

larded for the cxottlriltion of Mr J. Wri'4llt and Ma,
13ictdrilph, and the Court, with ti-e concurrcoce c f the as..
rignces, Stltte!incd the continuance of the allowance of 5/.
per week to each cf 013 bankrul
The debts prove I amounted to nearly 100,000/., and
among tl-e pilcipal creditors were the well-known Mr.
Crr ckford, who fr ved under a bond dated the 3.1 of Jur e
1839, signed by W. Jernincharn and othi r', t) s-cure the
payment of 38,250/. to H. Grey Wyar and John Hemming
Esqrs., and by them assigned to Mr. Crockford in con-
sideration of the sum of 33,750/. The Plymouth Com-
pany of New Zealand proved fir 3,9861. ss. I Id. ; Captain
Thomas Gardnor, of the 2d Life Guards, 20,754/. ;
J. Irving, Esq., a director of the Australian Company, on
behalf of the Company, 2,717/. Sr. 101. ; George Bray,
E.g., committi e of John Bray, a lunatic, 339/. 189. ;
Thomas Hamilton, Esq., the solicitor to the fiat
2,5261. 10'. Id. ; Mr. Few, of the same of: e,
254/. 53. ; the releiver cf Lyndon Evelyn's estate,
(John Nixon, F,iq ), 1.775/. ; Lord Pare, John
Sorimea, E=q , and William Hutt, Esq., trust(e3
of the New Zealand Company. 9721. 43. ; the
Wet Rev. Dr M.Daniell, vicar aystolic of the 1,10 of
Spain and Bishop of Olympus, 460/. 33. 33. ; Mr. John
Clark, of 22, l3edford- t eet, proved for deposits of Poo-
rates of St. P:ul, Co%ent Garden, 6501 23. 21. ; and
Mr. John Spreck, churchwarden of the same pariah, for
two sums of 213/. 2s. Id. and 91. 4s. 83. There were
likewise among the ered:tars a nuniabir of dignitaries and
other clergy of .he Church of Romp, for sums varying in
amoutt up to several hundred pounds.

STATEMENT RESPECTING STOCK HELD
IN TRUST BY WRIGHT AND CO.

For the better part of a century the house had alwa2C;
held, in the names of one or more of the partners, a csrs-
sider:ale amount of st ►ck purchased by order into the
names of the firm, and held in trust for various parties. It
is wa. known in the money markr t, that while the rate of
inter st on Exchequer bills and other flaa'ieg securities is
frequently very high, that on stock in the three per cent.
erso's money may be obtained at an exceedingly low rate
of irr crest. Indeed, in some instances, from ace unt day
to ac :trent day, f► r netting, and it has happened often, as
our h.soks will show, that we have received profit on the
loan of stock, instead of paying intere>t on the loan of mo-
ney. It was this state of things which probably induced
Mr, Wright, about fourteen years ago, to introduce a syst .m
of taking up temporary loans on the deposit of this trust
stock. In every instance in which these sales were made,
up to la recent period, the stock so sold was invariably
purchased back for the account. This practice always
met with the di ci led disapprobation both of Mr. Selby
and of my father, whom I gave known to withhold his
signature for weeks to a power of atterney, from a re
luataece to confer tea power of any liberty being taken
with the stock so held. As respects myself, I will at
enco avow, that though I could not approve of it, yet
knowing the' at that period there was no possible risk,
and that we always held Exchequer bills or India bonds
to an amount very much more than sufficient to replace the
st)ck at an hour's warning, I r q/arded it then as a matter
of comparative indifference. Not so, however, for the
last ten years ; when the difficulties of the house became
apparent, I felt the deepest anxiety to have the stock re-
placed, and f. e lueetly spoke to Mr. Wright on the sub-
ject, particularly when the danger became more immi-
nent, when I urged bias to have this done imnieliatele,
evrt if tie house should be obliged to stop the next dal.,
and Mr. J -rningham and I had determined that, happen
what might, to re-purchase the whole deficient capital on
the day before tLe December shutting. Sanguine, how-
ever to the last, and deceiving us, and probably himself,
by the prospects which be held out to us of the successful
issue of negotiations for immedi tte powerfal assistanc
he allowed the time to pass by, and destruction came upon
the house so rapidly in its last moments that it could not
be done.
I have spoken only of sales made far the use of the
house. There were two incances of stocks sold by Mr.
Wright and appropriated to hi: own pnrposes, of which I
knew nothing for a lmg time after these transactions cc
curred.
Subjoined is a statement of sales and purchases of stock
made for the use cf the house since the 17th of July,
1839, on which day the whole has been bought back, and
stood in the names of one or more of the firm, with the
exception of 10,000/. Consols sold again on that day.
Subjoined also is a statement of the clsimints of stock,
and of the amount unsold, and in what names it stands ;
and further, cf what investment may have been made sub-
sestuent to any sale, or otherwise " ear-marked."
It should be observed that stock stood sometimes in the
joint names, and sometimes in individual names of the
firm, and sometimes in the name of the stock-broker for
the convenience of transfer, and our books cannot show at
what period these changes took place.

THREE PER CENT. CONSOLS.

PUItCHASILS.

1839. Stock. £ s.
August 29
15,000 „

£25,000
SALES.

1829. Stock. £ E.
July 17
Aug. 29
Oct. 15

1840.
Ser. ►7 ..... .. ... 15,000
Oct. 14
29

75,000 Sold
25,000 Bought

£50,000
No addition to the stock standing in the consols NI as
made subsequent to the last sale.
In the Cons, Is the Claimants, as per list below, amount
to 63,6991. 13s. 9d., against which there remains un-
sold,
In the joint names of Anthony George
fight Biddulph and John Wright .£3,111 1 8
In the name of Henry Robinson 136 18 0
And in the name of John Wright ... 46 6 9
There have been sold, ail the produce of
then carried to the credit of tke house,
as per account annexed
There have been sold by Mr. John Wright,
at what time is uncertain, as also whit
became of produce
There is an unaccounted tor deficit in the
Consul Account of

£63,699 13 9
CLAIMANTS OV TIIREE PER CENT. CONSOLS.
Madame L'Est,e. £l29 16 3
Monsieur Lefebvre
Stoneyhurst College
William Jerningham's children
Eliz. Gerard and others
Countess de Chateauhriand 1,539 9 11
Mrs. Macdonald and otherp, k.f Winchester 10,919 13 2
Madame de Heush ~ 7B 11 5
Si lney M. Preston
Frances Ann Preston

M. F. Preston 2OO 0 0

Ti-ustee3of Do►othy Jackson
George Osborne
I eresa Tholozan and others
_ _

k;;Cuters of Oliver Plunkett 152 6 7
_ _ . _ _

B. Slaughter
Rev. Chas. M'Donnell and othera 3 500 2 0
Mrs. Sturdy
S 1-2 4 10
John Doughty

Mary Lady Petro
Rev. John Ftewry, deceased
Mrs. Webbe Weston ... • • 63 11 5

Administrators of Henry Slaughter
Hon. Mary Lucy Stourton 879 17 5
Iler,ry Havers
A. 111o3ett and others
Jos. Lamoureux and others 33 8 7

Thomas Doughty 458 11 5
Alexander Broadway
Teresa M. Duck 550 19 3

Edward L. Prettot) 196 8 7

£63,699 13 9

NEW 3i PER CENTS.
1839. Str:ck. Cost.
May 31
June 31
July 17
Oct. 22 236 17 7
1840.
Jan. 10
Fob. 3

£19,000 0 0
1839. Stock. Produce.
May 27
Sept. 24
Oct. 1

29,000 Snld
19,000 Bought

£lO.OOO

No addition to the stock standing in the New Three-
and-i-Half per Cents. has been made subsequent to re-
cent private sales made per order of the owners.
The claimants in the New Three-and-a-Half per Cents.,
as per amount to 19,892/. 18e. 6d.
The-e remain standing in the names of
Anthony Geo. Wright Biddulph, and
J hn Wright. conjointly £2,928 6 1
In s le name of Henry Robinson 6,866 10 5
Of Thomas Wright, jun., John Wright,
Nicholas T. Selby, deceased, and
Henry Robinson, decease,'
Of A. G. W. Biddulph, John Wright,
Nicholas T. Selby, deceased
And the deficit of stock sold as per state-
ment lO,OOO 0 0

X 19,884 8 11

N. B. In this fund there appears a small unaccounted
for surplus of IL 10,,. sd. New Threc-and-a-Half per
CPntJ.

Claimants of the above fund. viz., New Three-and-a-Ralf
per Cents.

Rev. John Turnir• £1,145 3 1
Ditto 954 16 11
Rev. John Dunnt
Abbe de Sauvage::
Georgi, Hughes, deceased 283 10 0
Rev, B. T. Laney
Mary Hardin.. 23 4 6
Executors of Eleanor White 1,470 0 0
Executors of Louis Simon 242 2 0
John Thomas, deceased 230 9 11

Stonc)hurst College
Elizabeth Macdonald 2,299 16 6

Ditto

602 5 2

Rev Thomas M. Moltem

420 0 0

Elizabeth Jarrett and others 2,753 12 4
Elizabeth Plowden 39 12 1

Wnl,_ fi'sriortoo, as vatsoutlr of 11.0ri.t,4

B,rington
Ma y Hernr,on
Wizham, dycoa,c3
R. LythgGo, deqe.,secl
liar• Troy
Sophia Witter
Ali,ia Gorman
Mrs H. M. Bland's Trust

102 2 6

200 0 0
1,719 1 3
1,200 0 0
50 0 0

434 14 9
61 9 0
630 0 0

* Dividends on 2,1001. New Three .and-a-Half per Cents.
are paid to the Rev. John Twiner, Catholic incumbent of
I-loline, in Yorkshire.

fi Dividends to Rev. J. Dunn, Catholic incumbent of Dray
cott, Staffordshire

MORTALIT Y in the METROPOLIS.

The following are the results of " A Table of Mortality
in the Metropolis, showing the Number of Deaths from
all Causes Registered, in the week ending Saturday, the
20th February, 1841." The Table is issued from the Office
of tie Registrar-General :
Weekly
-CAUSES or , 2 -TotaL Average
1838-9-40.
Epidemic, Endemic, and Contagious Diseases l6O 204
Diseases of the Brain, Nerves, and Senses 162 151
Diseases of the Lungs, and other Organs of
Respiration
Diseases of the Flea-t and Blondvessels
Diseases of the Stomach, Liver, and other
Organs of Digestion
_

_ oigesti....__
...
Diseases of the Kidn.) s, &c.
Childbed, Diseases of the Uterus, &c.
Diseases of the Joints, Bones, and Muscles
Diseases of the Skin, &c
Diseases of Uncertain Seat 125 103
Old Age, or Natural Decay 92 71
Deaths by Violence, Privation, or Intemperance 32 '25
Causes not specified ......
Deaths from all causes 1056 -
Average Weekly Deaths .. 926
Deaths in the Average Weekly
Week. Deaths, IE3B-9-40,
Western Districts ........ 164 --•• 139
North Districts
Central. D istricts 234 190
East Districts 243 --- 211
South Districts ... ..... - 238
- -

Total 1056 ---
926
It is stated that under the term Metropolis are com-
prised the 32 districts herein mentioned, which include the
City G f London within and without the walls, the City and
Liberties of Westminster, the out parishes within the
bills of mortality—and the parishes of St. Marylebone ;
St. Pancras ; Kensington; Fulham ; Hammersmith
(Chapelry) ; St. Luke, Chelsea; Paddington; St. Mary,
Stoke Newington ; St. Leonard, Bromley ; St. Mary-le-
bow ; Camberwell ; Greenwich ; St. Nicholas and St.
P.Oll, Deptford; and Woolwich. The population as enu-
merated in 1831 was 1,594,890. The weekly average for
1838, 1839, 1840, was obtained by dividing the deaths in
the three years by 156.
General Register-office, Feb. 25, ]B4l.

Matiwaln—John Covey, to the Monarch.
Gunn7r—Wm. Conybear, to the Monarch.

Gunner's Mate—W: Sparkes, ofthe Excellent, to be
Acting Gunner of the Victory.

ROYAL MARINE ARTILLERY—First Lieutenant A.
Sava;:e, to the Exccrent, vice Holloway, to head
quait2rr. _

(From the Hampshire Independent.)
PORTiMOUTII, FEB. 14.—1 t i, reported that the
Queen, 110, will be forthwith completed for foreign
service, and despatched to the Mediterranean to relieve
the Princess Charlotte ; and that Admiral Sir E.
Codrington will shift his tlag to the St. Vincent, 120.
TLe Royal Tar steamer, arrived at Falmouth on
Sunday last, with the Peninsular mails.

There Nava been no movements amongst her Ma.
jesty's ships during the past week, nor has there been
a singl arrival or departure. The Indus and Tweed
both remain in the harbour, and the Pelican at Spithead.
Lieute iant Caffin, of the Excellent, has gone to Da-
vonport to inspect the gun carriages and ports of the
Royal Adelaide and ships fitting out there.
Wire rope has been directed to be fitted to the masts
of the Pelican for lightning conductors.

The Wolverine, arrived at British Accra, on the
10th of December from Ascension, and sailed again
on the 18th for Cape Cosst Cast'e. The Lynx
sailed on the Bch of December from British Accra on
a cruize.

At Spithead.—Pelican.
In Harbour—Queen, Victory, Escol'ent, Royal
George, Indus, Tvite3, Rapid, Sylvia, Alban, Echo,
and Finny tender.

FALLING OF TWO HOUSES IN

FLEET-STREET.

(From a Sunday Paper.)
A most awful casualty occurred last night, at half-
past t'n o'clock, in Fleet-street. A few weeks since a
fire took place at the hothe of Mr. Bundy, trunk-
maker, Fleet-street, two doors from the office of the

Weekly Dispatch newspaper, and the ruins were left,
as was imagined, in a state of perfect security. Ili!,
however, by the melancholy event which has just oc-
curred, appears to have been an error. Th 3 writer of
this account had been passing the evening in the house
of Mr. Simpson, the Kings and Keys, four doors from
the scene of the accident, and the first intimation of the
affair was gives,by Mr. Simpson, rushing Into the room
in a state of great agitation, exclaiming " Oh, my
God, a house has fallen down, and several people are
buried beneath the ruins." To deseribe the consterna-

tion of the company is impossible. All rushed into the
bar, which was fu ei with a cloud of dust, and were met
by Mr. Simpson and the other members of the fa-
mily bearing several females in a state border-
ing upon phrensy to the upper rooms of
the Kings and Keys, bitterly bewailing the loss of the
inmates of the fallen houses. For some moments it
was impossible to reach the door, the cloud of dust
prevented the possibility of doing so, and the confusion
that existed prevented anything Lite active assistance
being given. Mr. Simpson, in a state of despair, lament-
ing the want of power to render aid, from all his ser-
vants havinc, rushed to the scene of desolation. On
reaching the street, the scene that presented itself to
the spectator was frightful. There was a wide and

fearful gap of falling bricks and timbers, supported
by gable ends and ricketty boards, rendering the ap-
proach of aid a matter of the greatest danger. The
crowd that was collected—the fearful and hysterical
cries of passing females—the gathering together of
the police—the busy intermeddling of officious
strangers, rendering. abortive the well-directed
efforts of the local authorities, tended t, in-
crease the difficulties of the parties anxious to relieve
the sufferers who were buried beneath the ruins. The
parties taken in by Mr. Simpson turoel ont to be Mrs.
Calvert, the wife of the printer of the Weekly Dispatch,
her daughter, and servar.t. One policeman who was
seen a moment or two before tae accident has been
missed, and it is feare Ihe is kil'ei. As soon as it was
possible arrangements were made for clearing the ruins,
and a strong body of police and firemen were assembled.
No one was in the house of Mr. Bundy, but several fa-
milies were resident in the adjoining premises, occupied
by Mr. Dobson, a bookseller, but their fate is at present
unknown.

Soon after the accident Mr. Harding and Mr.
Ward, builders in the neighbourhood, were sent for
to examine the premises, as was also Mr. Elmes, the
City Surveyor, who sent for a number of builders, but was
not able to obtain their co-operation. A man named
Wm. Megson, a journeyman tailor, was let down by
ropes from the back room on the third floor of Mr.
Dobson's house, about a quarter-past eleven, and be
stated that he had been in bed about an hour when he
heard the crash of the timbers. He instantly jumped out
of bad, and endeavoured to open the door, but finding
it impossible to do so, he lighted his candle and dressed
himself, and remained standing upon half a foot of
board for nearly three-quarters of an hour, until he
was released by the police in the way just mentioned.
He also said that finding his room door going out of the
level, he frequently warned Mr. Dobson of the danger,
who, however, laughed at his fears. The polies state,
that about twenty minutes before the catastrophe they
observed that the houses were falling, and knocked at
Mr. Dobson's door, and succeeded in prevailing upon
him and his family to leave the house.
(FURTHER PARTICULARS.)

It appears that a fire occurred about a month since
at the house of Mr. Bundy, when the interiar of the
home was almost destroyed by the devastating element.
The premises were undergoing repair, and some com-
plaints existed that the house was not properly secured
while these operations were going forward. The house
adjoining belonged to a bookseller named Dobson, who,
with his wife and several children, fortunately had timely
notice of the impending danger. Police constable Dal-
ton, 366, was on duty during the evening, and he was
alarmed by the sound of a loud cracking, which, upon
closer investigation, he found proceeded from the walls
of Mr. Dobson's house giving way. The officer imme-
diately proceeded to the nearest station-house, in Week-
Horse-court, and apprised Inspector Foresby of the cir-
cumstance ; and within a few minutes he returned, in
company with a kerge ant named Taplin, of the city police,
the inspector, and a constable named Smite. Every
precaution was taken to arouse the inmates of the ad-
joining house to the perilous situation in which they
were placed, and the police having made a communica-
tion to Mr. Dobson, a hackney carria;ie was obtained,
and Mrs. Dobson, with four or five children (the state-
ments vary), were placed in a vehicle and driven to the
residence of a friend. At this time the cracking of the
tottering walls became more loud and fearful, and the
police observing the upper part of the houses bending
forward, raised a shout of "It is coming." The con-
stables took to their heels, and a c ib, which had just set
down its fare, was peremptorily ordered off. The driver
happily took the warning, and lost no time in leaving
the spot, which in a very brief space of time presented a
melancholy instance of the desolation thus creLt:d.