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

THE TOWER.

Wednesday.the visitors to the Tower of London,
for the purpose of viewing the ruins of the Ar-
moury., and making purchases of the relics
secured after the late fire, exceeded in number
those of the two preceding days, which is doubt-
less attributable to the more favourable state of
the weather. Although large bodies of soldiers
and labourers have been employed for the last
three weeks in clearing out the basement of the
ruins their task is not yet completed, a consider-
able quantity of fused gun barrels, metal, &e„
being still remaining in them. The western wall
of the Armoury has been condemned as unsafe
by the Surveyor-General of the Ordnance, and
a scaffold has been erected at that end of the
ruins for the purpose of pulling it down.
The Board of Ordnance have preremptorily
refused all applications, even iiicluding those of
the officers of the garrison, and the warders who
rendered such efficient service on the night of

the fire in saving the Crown jewels, &c., for
relics; and on Monday the following notice was
posted in the ruins :—" Numerous applications
having been made for leave to take away small
articles from the ruins, which the Board of
Ordnance did not think proper to comply with,
upon the principle of gratuitous distributions,
they have authorised the sale of them at mode-
ratc prices, in order 'that the desire to possess
them may be gratified.—R. BS nor, Secretary."
The sale alluded to is conducted under two mar-
quees, erected in the Small-arm Survey-room,
between the Bowyer and Brick Towers. The
prices affixed to the relics, so far from being
" moderate," aie most exorbitant; for instance,
6d. is charged for half-a-dozen old gun-flints,
the same charge is made for a small quantity of
burnt percussion caps. Pieces of fused iron and
other metal vary between Is. and 205., which latter
is the maximum price. The beautifid Maltese brass
gun, saved during the raging of the fire by Capt.
Davis, is exhibited to the visitors in Queen Eli-
zabeth's Armoury, the prison of Sir Walter Ra-
leigh. The whole of the large cannon forming
the Train of Artillery, were also placed in pro-
minent positions in the ruins for the inspection
of the public. In this Journal of the 27th ult.,
were shown the particular pieces of ordnance de-
stroyed by the fire, either wholly or partially.
The following are those which have escaped
injury—namely, a 42-pounder brass cannon,
fifteen feet long, brought from Java in 1811 ;
this was also saved from the fire at the Reposi-
tory, Woolwich, some years since. A brass
gun of the time of Charles 11., remarkable on
account of its extraordinary proportions. Two
1-pounder brass guns highly ornamented, pre-
sented by the Earl of Leicester to the young
Duke of Gloucester, son of Queen Anne, who died
in his youth in 1700; and the two brass mortars
taken at Cherbourg, 1758, weighing 2,8401 b. &c.
The new Jewel-house is ready for the reception
of the Crown jewels, and next Monday week is
the day appointed for their being again shown
to the public. It is a palace compared to the
coal.hole where they were formerly viewed.
The Board of Ordnance have subscribed 201.,

and the officers of the garrison have also entered
into a, subscription, for the mother of Richard
Wyvill, the fireman who was killed by the fall-
ing of the walls of the Armoury.