The Sun.
London, England, 1848-10-16 00:00:00

FIRES.

On Saturday morning no less than four fires broke
out in St. George's-street, East Smithfield, three of
which are returned by the fire brigade authorities as
having been wilfully occasioned. The first fire was dis-
covered shortly before two o'clock, burning in the first
floor back of the premises tenanted by a foreigner named
Lewis Anthourietti, and used as a beer-shop and emi-
grant's lodging-house, situate at 167, St. George's-
street, East Smithfield. Immediate information of the
outbreak was dispatched to the engine-stations, and in a
very brief period the engines arrived. There being
plenty of water at hand, the firemen succeeded in getting
the flames in the first floor down, but before that was
oupletely accomplished, they found two other rooms in
different parts of the building on fire. Having subdued
the conflagration, the firemen, under the direction of
Mr. Braid wood and Mr. Fogo, made an inspection of
the premises, which left no doubt that the fires were
wilfully caused, but by whom is at present a mystery.
Mr. Anthourietti, the occupier of the house, it appears,
had gone to Germany, and had left the house in the
care of two females. These parties are of opinion that
some one must have entered the premises to commit a
robbery, and have fired them.
Between eleven and twelve o'clock considerable excite-
ment was again caused in the same street by the sudden
outbreak of a serious fire in one of the largest buildings
in the neighbourhood of the London Docks. Tho pre-
mises, which were ten stories high, including the base-
ment, were occupied for a threefold purpose, the base-
ment floor being used as warehouses by Mr. Goodbehere,
emigrant and troops fire hearth maker ; the ground
floor was occupied as a chapel belonging to the Seamen's
Evangelical Society, and the eight upper floors were let
out as cheap lodging houses to poor families. The
building was situate at 70, in the above-named street,
immediately facing the London Dock warehouses. When
the alarm was sounded there were between sixty and
seventy women and children in the building, and the
scene which ensued was most distressing. The poor
creatures rushed out into the street en masse, bewailing,
in a half frantic state, the loss of their humble furniture.
Before the engines could arrive, the flames shot through
the windows on the eighth floor, and completely en-
circled the floor above and also the roof. Owing to the
great height of the building, the firemen were under the
necessity of conveying the hose from the engines up the
staircase, but fortunately the East London Works
yielded a plentiful supply of water, which was judi-
ciously distributed over the burning mass, and pre-
vented the conflagration from descending to the lower
floors. Whilst engaged on the floors beneath, the roof
fell in with a fearful crash, which caused the men to
make a retreat.
EXTENSIVE CONFLAGRATION IN HATTON-GARDEN.—
Last evening, shortly before five o'clock, a fire of a se-
rious character, involving a fearful loss of property, and
throwing about forty or fifty men out of employment,
brokeetur
picture
-frame,
bthser,
om etpremiseser, anbde belonging ting oM
glassr. .j. Cetta,
p i
manufac-
turer, carrying on business at No. 40, Hatton garden.
i'he
mheiss tve.
through one of the windows in the factory, which was
earehdeispcoevrceerievdedbya'Ablor.dyCeotftailamWe sit-
tinglisihlsototingimmediately at the rear of the dwelling-house, and Lepa-
rated from it o ply by a very narrow passage. An in-
stant alarm was given, and in a very brief period the
brigade engines arrived. The firemen then found
the whole of the factory, from the bottom to
tlietop,
the d
in a generalgeneral blaze,
witha suchd the
e.
The engines,
w t
however, were set to work with an abundant supply of
water, and the first object sought to be accomplished
flames
ehrae at-
tackingt its
complete destruction appeared certain
was to preserve the private residence from total destruc-
tion. This was accomplished, but not without con-
siderable difficulty, as the back doors and lower part of
the house were in flames. The full force of water was
next directed upon the factory, but it was, notwith-
standing, completely gutted, the only portions remaining
being the mere outer walls. The factory was stored
with an immense number of picture-frames and valuable
looking-glasses, besides which there was a costly stock
of veneers and barometers, the whole of which have
been reduced to ashes. The origin of the calamity is at
present enveloped in mystery. It appears that the place
was closed at a late hour on Saturday night, and no one
had been known to enter afterwards. Mr. Cetta is in-
stared, but it is said not to half the extent of his loss.

MURDER IN WESTMORELAND.—An Irish drover,
who had driven some cattle from Borough. hill Fair, on
Monday morning, the 2d instant, to the Lancaster and
Railway station at Tebay, and was returning to the hill,
was attacked near Sunbergin, about four miles from
Orton, by two men wearing the garb of railway la-
bourers (whether for the sake of plundering the poor fellow
of what little money ho had got, or for some other cause,
is unknown), in a most brutal and ferocious manner;
and who, after they had, as they no doubt thought, de-
prived him of life, dragged him into a stone quarry, a
short distance from the road. The man's cries were
heard by a travelling medicine vender of the name of
Burnet from Kendal, who was about 200 yards on the
road in advance, sand who witnessed the brutal treat-
ment which he received; but the men's appearance
overawed him, and, instead of interfering and endea-
vouring to save the poor fellow's life, ran to Little
Asby, a village about a mile from the place, for assist-
ance. While he was away the navvies had decamped,
and the drover was found in the quarry in an insensible
state, with his head dreadfully bruised. Near him were
lying largo stones, and a thick stick, the weapons used,
all covered with blood and hair. Ile was removed to
Orton, where every attention was paid him; and a few
days ago he so far recovered his reason as to be able to
make his attendants understand that he was an Irishman.
But the partial restoration of his senses was only of
short duration, and he died on Wednesday evening, the
11th instant. The murderers, it has been ascertained,
were seen at Borrowbridge the preceding evening, and
again at Raisbeck that morning. They were pursued by
the police, and traced into Mallestang, leading into
Yorkshire, where the clue was lost. It is now supposed
that they are somewhere in the neighourbood of
Skipton.

. -
THE STATE PAPER AND PUBLIC RECORD OFFICES.
-It is reported that the suggestion of the Miscellaneous
Estimates Committee for consolidating the State Paper-
office with the Public Record-office has been acted upon
by the Government, and that it has been resolved that
the union shall take place immediately upon the retire-
ment of the keeper of the State papers, Mr. H. Hob-
house. This arrangement, as well as the transfer of
Admiralty, Treasury, and other papers into the charge
of the Public Record-office, shows that the Government
have resolved to make the Record-office serve as the
custos not merely of legal records, but of the records and
papers of the several Government departments—in fact,
become a really national Record-office. But these move-
ments make the necessity for providing a safe building
all the more urgent.