The Sun.
London, England, 1848-12-28 00:00:00

French people who are anxious for the preservation
of peace. Nor can such a course of procedure be in
accordance with the views and wishes of other
Powers. If France interfere in this case, there can
be no security against her intervention in the affairs
of other countries. If she dispatches her armies to
crush the Liberalism which has dethroned the Pope,
and compelled him to seek an asylum in another
land, what reason have we to suppose that she will
not, before the lapse of many months, find some pre-
text or other for interfering in the affairs of Austria ?
She has no more right to interfere with the Romans,
because they have overthrown the temporal sove-
reignty of the Pope, than she would have to inter-
fere with the people of the United States, should they
take it into their heads to repudiate a republic, and
declare in favour of a monarchy. Let the Pope and
his quondam subjects fight it out between them-
serves, in any way they choose. If Louis Na-
poleon have judicious and enlightened advisers, they
will not fail to warn him, that he will
have enough to do to maintain his own ascendancy as
President of the Republic, without seeking to uphold
the thrones of other Powers, or re-establish sovereign-
ties which, within the last ten months, have been
shattered to pieces. The stability of his own Govern-
meat,i is more dependent on its abstinence from in-
ter Terence in the affairs of other countries, than on
anything else that can be imagined. If he observe a
p—eeful attitude to other countries, and identify
himself with the maintenance of order at home, his
G ,•,,ernrnent may last; but if he heedlessly, as in the
ca,e alluded to, rushes into quarrels with other go-
vernments, and interferes, where he has no admissible
praext for doing so, in the affairs of other European
States,—his Presidenthip will be but of short dura-
tion. The day on which a French expedition starts
for Rome, will see the doom of Louis Napoleon's
Government sealed. But we hope better things of
the Prince. We trust he will not fall into so fatal
an error.

T lIE FATAL OCCURRENCE AT
THE VICTORIA THEATRE.
ADDITIONAL PARTICULARS.
Yesterday morning an inquiry was instituted by
the lessee and other officials of the theatre with a view
of ascertaining the precise cause of the disaster, and
for the adoption of such steps as should prevent the
recurrence of a similar calamity. From all that
could be ascertained, it appears that the heat occa-
sioned by the immense numbers on the stairs had been
for two or three hours before the occurrence took place
most oppressive, and those about the middle of the
st sirs were scarcely able to breathe, or to more an
in :h backwards or forwards. The noise occasioned
by the people shouting was most deafening, but as
such scenes are of frequent occurrence on the open-
ing night of a pantomime little notice of the affair was
taken by the persons behind the curtain. Those who
were waiting on the landings prevaricate considerably
as to the manner the deceased lost their lives. The
bey, Leonard Tickner, persists in his statement that
he was taken up by some man, and then thrown upon
those below; whilst another person, who was near
the same place, states that the man who did so had
no intention of injuring any one, but, on the contrary,
tried to rescue the led from the crowd. His opinion
is that when the boy fell it was by accident. Mr.
Beooks, one of the surgeons who attended at Mr.
S- veil's, is of opinion that the youngest of the de-
cal ,ed had died from suffocation, and had most pro-
ly been dead some time before he fell. The body
presents all the appearance of having been closely
we lged in, and if suireunded with grown up people
he would be as unable to breathe as if a pillow had
been put over his mouth. The other lad presents every
appearance of something heavy having fallen upon his
he 4 which no doubt stunned him for the moment,
and then falling down, was trampled upon and
selethered. The face looks as if it had been kicked
and trodden on by shoes with heavy nails in them.
Mr. Knight, the assistant to Mr. Sewell, states that
w'een Henry Frazer, another of the persons injured,
was brought to the surgery, he was perfectly insen-
si`.le and appeared to be dying. He, however, ad-
re;eistered stimulants, and he partially recovered,
vi :len some idea of the agony the lad must have been
in inay be formed from the fact that a 2 oz. graduating
gl ers used for administering medicine was bitten in
he:f by the unfortunate boy. This patient was kept
at Mr. Sewell's, where leeches and other remedies
w, re applied, but several hours elapsed before he re-
covered sufficiently to be removed to his own home.
U, on making inquiries yesterday, it was ascertained
th it the lad still remained in a very precarious con-
dition. The three other sufferers who were not dead
when brought to the surgery were all much bruised,
but fortunately no bones were broken.
During the forenoon of yesterday the bodies of the
deceased were identified by their relatives, when it
w is ascertained that their names were William Phil-
lii of 5, Turk's-row, Chelsea, about eleven years of
ace ; and John Castillo, aged 15, of 2, Plough-court,
Fetter-lane. Several hundred persons made applica-
tion during the day to inspect the bodies, and it was
not until they were owned that the churchyard could
be cleared.
Workmen were engaged during the day in repair.
ing that part of the rail which had been torn down.
It is now so constructed that it would be impossible
to force it down, no matter how strong the pressure
against it might be. It is also intended to have a
number of barriers erected on the stairs similar to
those at Her Majesty's Theatre, by which means the
public will be protected from extraordinary pressure.
Iladit not been for the exertion's of the police, it
is more than probable that several other persons would
hive lost their lives. So great was the crowd outside
the theatre that it required the efforts of between 30
and 40 police-constables, who were under the direc-
tion of Mr. Superintendent Rutt, Inspector Rogers,
and Sergeant Roales, to keep the people back, so that
the sufferers could be removed from the stairs.
The whole of the other persons injured were found,
upon making inquiries at their respective residences
yesterday afternoon, to be going on as well as could
be expected, and no fatal result in either case is ap-
prehended.

SINGULAR CHARGE OF ARSON.
LIVERPOOL, WEDNESDAY. -At the police court
to- day William Comforth Demain, a stationer and
paper ruler, lately occupying premises in
S sift's-court, in this town, was placed before Mr.
Rushton, on a charge of having wilfully set fire to
his premises in November last. The charge was pre-
ferred by Mr. Robinson, of the firm of Lowndes,
Robinson, and Bateson, solicitors, on the part of the
Yorkshire Fire and Life Insurance Company. The
case had been remanded from Fridly last, for the
pr )(luction of additional evidence.

Several witnesses, previously employed by the pH-
sc.ner, were examined, with the object of proving
that a fire, which happened on his premises, on
the 6th of November last, was caused by his own
hand.

Thomas Powell, who had been employed as an
errand-boy by the plaintiff, before the fire, stated that
he had, on two occasions, keen kept by his master
beyond his usual meal hours, to pull at a wire in the
lower part of the premises, the object of which he did
not understand.

Two witnesses, named Webster and Tomlinson,
apprentices of the prisoner, deposed to having disco-
vered a singularly-constructed wire, communicating
with a loft in the premises, in which were deposited
shavings, and other combustible materials, some time
before the fire. The wire came down the walls of the
premises to the outer door. And on the evening of
the fire, on closing the premises, they found a diffi-
culty in closing the door, and on shutting it, felt
th it they had broken some cord, or wire
which had been affixed to it behind. About
an hour afterwards they heard that the premises were
on fire. These two witnesses further deposed to hav-
ing had suspicions that the prisoner had set the pre-
mises on fire by the application of these wires; and
also that they told him of their suspicions, on which
he promised to set them up in business if they would
say nothing about the fire, and that he cancelled their
indentures, and gave them certain sums of money with
which to carry on business.
Other evidence went to prove that in the loft or
garret of the premises there was a box of lucifer
matches, sand-paper, and shavings, communicating
with the wires spoken to, and that on the night of the
fire the prisoner was seen to go into the loft, about 7
&clock, and afterwards leave the premises before the
apprentices left.
The case was then farther remanded to Friday.
a

A.ORRIIILE I.IUNDIR IN NORTHAMPTON.--YeSter-
u annldngeiintforrmartion was forwarded to the Metro-
politano ice Commissioners of a most hor-
rible murder hay' been perpetrated in the open streets,
at NorthamptonY.rn From the few particulars sent by the
telegraph, it ap earseve that a woman, named Mary Bed-
ford, on TuesTay
walking through the
street at Northamptontawlenwassahe was overtaken by a
man, supposed to be named Samuel Clayton, a shoe-
maker, who murdered her. suspected murderer is
d, scribed as being about forty y shoaf. age, stout made,
fire feet six inches high; dark len long whiskers,
of one s dent on the lower lip, and underg-drooping
eye-
lid. He was dressed in a black surtout-elanogatmaand black
waistcoat. He formerly worked with
out of Ratcliffe-high_
James, in Lower street, leading
way.
y He left Northampton at ten minutes before eight
la,t night by train for London. The moment the news
w,ls received the commissioners dispatched a number of
the detective and other officars to those portions of the
metropolis whither it was expected Clayton would re-
sort, and there is no doubt that before long he will be is
safo oustody.
According to advices from St. Dizier, of the 21st
inst., the metal trade of that place is in a very depressed
state. One communication says, "It ii impossible to
c( nceal the present position of the metal forges, which
extremely bad. The old markets do not pay. Irons
ar, selling at a depreciation of 30 per cent., and tins at
that of 30 per cent. We are informed that travell,,rs
accept any price they can obtain, although we quote
sheet-iron, at 240 f., and welded-iron, at 270 f., for deli-
very here.