The Sun.
London, England, 1846-09-12 00:00:00

DREADFUL AND DESTRUCTIVE
FIRE.

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.
(Before the ASSISTANT JUDGE and the usual Bench of
Magistrates.)
ASSAULT UPON A POLICE•CONSTABLE.—On Friday
Challes Ruby was indicted fur assaulting Edward Driver,
a police-constable, in the execution of his duty.
The prosecutor said that he observed the defendant
standing over a woman who was upon the ground, and
that he interfered to preserve her from violence, when
the defendant exclaimed, " li's my wife, and I shall do
as I like with her." lie then turned upon him, seized
him by his person, kicked him in the side, and subjected
him to further brutal usage. The defendant was not
sober.

The defendant said that he was having a word with
his wife, and that he never in.ulted the prosecutor, nor
saw him before.
The jury found him Guilty.
The Learned JUDGE said that be must understand,
and he wished it to be undrrstood by every man of hi.
class of life, that whenever they made an attack upon
the privy parts of a constable they should be most se-
verely punished, for it might injure a man for life. It
was well for the defendant that he had not kicked the
constable there, or lie would 'have had a much heavier
sentence than he was about to pronounce, which was im•
prisonment with hard labour for four calendar months.
A TEETOTALLER IN TROUBLE.—James Manning was
indicted for assaulting George Andrews and several
other constables on the 13th of Anglia last ; and upon
another count with assaulting James Kelly, landlord of
the Red Lion public-house, upon the same day.
The assault complained of was committed, it appeared,
between ten and eleven o'clock on the night of the 13th
of August, when the defendant, with eight or nine other
men, came to the door of the Red Lion, exclaiming that
he would fight any man in Cow-cross. Ile attempted to
enter the public-house, but, upon being repulsed by the
landlord, he laid hold of him by the neck, and pinched
him so hard that he was speechless and almost breath.
less. A scuffle ensued, when, the constable Andrews
coming up, he was given into custody; but Andrews was
as little respected as the landlord, and was most un-
mercifully beaten, having had his truncheon wrested
from him by the defendant, who is a great, brawny
Irishman, and beaten ab.ait his head till he was sense-
less. Several other policemen who arrived to his as-
sistance felt the effects of his herculean blows, and it
was necessary to strap him down to a shutter before he
could be secured.

Mr. Kelly, the landlord of the Red Lion, said that as
the defendant was heartily sorry for wlfat he had done
while very much intoxicated, and as his wife was near
her confinement, he wished to withdraw the prosecution
as far as he was concern,d..
The defendant said that he had been a teetotaller for
three years, but having broken the pledge the effect upon
him was very serious.
Mr. HORRY, who appeared for the defendant, said
that he (defendant) unfortunately got drunk thmugh the
birth of his first child, the christening of which caused
him so much joy that it upset him, and he forgot the
pledge. He could receive a good character as a steady,
well conducted man,

The jury found him Guilty.
The Learned JUDGE said that the Court in passing
judgment would take into consideration that he was not
habitually a drunkard, and that there was nothing un-
manly in his conduct, inasmuch as he might have con-
sidered.that he was acting in self defence against the
police while under the influence of liquor. He would,
however, become a teetotaller again if he was a wise man.
The COURT pronounced a mitigated sentence of one
months imprisonment, for which the defendant ex-
pressed himself extremely grateful.
Sir Moses Montefiore has been present upon the bench
during this session, and in his magisterial cspacity has
had the pleasure of assisting in doing justice, in more
than one case, in which members of the Hebrew nation
were concerned.

_______...................mimenm
DREADFUL ACCIDENT TO A CHlLD.—Yesterday
afternoon as Mr. Perkins, a livery-stable keeper of Rus-
sell-street, Covent-garden, was proceeding alang High-
street, with a cart, a woman was standing in the middle
of the street talking to ancther, who had a little girl
about four years old playing by her side. The child in
running about came in contact with the wheels of the
cart, and before Mr. Perkins had time to pull up, the
wheel passed over the child's thighs, breaking one in two
places, and lacerating the other dreadfully. The little
stiffer was instantly conveyed to Middlesex Hospital, but
lecoTery is scarcely looked for.

kerom the Liverpool Mercury of yesterday.)
Since the awful ealaraity which destroyed the sugar-
works of Messrs. Brancker, in Harrington-street, Li-
verpool has not been visited by a fire so alarming in its
nature, and so destructive in its effects, as that which
occurred last night, and which has resulted in the total
destruction of the works of Messrs. Macfie and Sons,
sugar refiners. The building, which is now a blackened
mass of ruined walls, is situated in Bachelor-street, Dale-
street, and runs from Bachelor-street to Orange-street,
bounded at the south end by Hale-street. With the
exception of one sugar-house in London, which is en-
tirely fire-proof, this was considered the safest in the
kingdom. It was well and substantially built, and with
machinery, cost the enormous sum of 40,0001.
The fire broke out, as near as can be ascertained, about
half-past six o'clock. The workmen, we believe, had
either left the premises or were preparing to take their
departure ; and what renders the origin of the fire a
mystery is, that five minutes before the flames were dis-
covered, Mr. Thebaven, one of the managers, who re-
sides in the presmiscs adjoining, states that he went
through the works about half-past six, and at that time
he perceived no light, the men having left work at dusk.
It was not the practice to use lights in the top stories.
He then went into his own house, and in the course of
three minutes an alarm was given. Bushing again into
the works, he found them in flames. There was a hose
on the premises, but the flames had proceeded so rapidly
that it was impossible to connect it with the cistern.
Although not a moment was lost, and the engines
were soon got into play, such was the inflammable
nature of the materials inside the sugar-house, well
stored as it was with sugar and molasses, that the flames
had considerably progressed before any attempt could
be made to prevent their spreading. In a very few
minutes the roof fell in, and the flames rapidly extend-
ing forced their way downward from story to story with
increasing fury.
The building is seven stories high, exclusive of the
cellar; and as floor after floor burst through, the flames
roaring like a mighty torrent, rose to an immense height,
threatening destruction to every building in the imme-
diate neighbourhood. Explosions occasionally took place,
and were followed by the emission of dense masses of
black suffocating smoke, against which the poor firemen
struggled with more than prudent perseverance.
Of course it soon became apparent that nothing of the
building itself could be saved, and the only satisfactory
way in which the efforts of the fire-police could be di-
rected was in protecting the surrounding property.
Immediately opposite the fire, both in Orange-street
and Bachelor-street, are situated a number of low-built
houses, with cout is at the back. These are tenanted
by some of the poorest of the poor, principally Irish,
who are crowded together in very miserable-looking
hovels. The streets are very various and confined ; so
much so, that the operations of the firemen were much
impeded.
So alarmed were the poor people at the anticipated
spreading of the fire, and the consequent destruction of
what fragments of furniture they possessed, that they
shortly after the outbreak began to throw their things
into the street, those on the west side passing them
through the courts and over the wall into Moorfields.
The confusion and alarm which prevailed was great.
Women in desperation rushed into their houses, calling
for their offspring ; regardless of self, they passed
through thick clouds of smoke and burning cinders to
rescue their children, whilst their husbands tried, many
I of them in vain, to snatch from destruction a few articles
of bedding.
The whole of the streets for some distance off were
lighted up as at noon day. The face of the exchange
clock appeared as if illuminated, and even in Lord-
street the reflection of the flames was distinctly visible.
Occurring at an hour when the workmen were at
hand, a considerable quantity of property was saved.
Parties acquainted with the premises continued to work
as long as it was considered safe in the lower stories,
and a large number of casks of molasses were taken
away.
Too much praise cannot be given to the fire-police for
their great exertions. Mr. Dowling, the chief constable,
was early on the spot, exerting himself and directing the
energies of the force under him in the manner best cal-
culated to save life and property. Mr. Hewitt, who
may be considered the practical superintendent, was, as
usual, exceedingly active and energetic. Messrs. Whitt.),
Swinton, Boult, Barry, Daws-m, Brodie, and Sutton,
deserve special mention for the exertions used by them
on the occasion.
Mr. Macfie was also in attendance, and whilst the
alarm was sreading, that the walls were likely to fall,
he expressed his belief, so substantially were they built,
that they would stand. His expectations have been
realised in the result. He displayed praiseworthy con-
sideration for the poor fellows who were risking their
lives in preserving property, and urged the officers of
police to be exceedingly cautious, and not needlessly
throw themselves in the way of danger.
As we have before stated, the building and machinery
cost 40,000/. Taking its present value, however, at half
that sum, and calculating the stock at 40,000/., which we
believe to be pretty near the mark, it will require
60,000/. to cover the entire loss, to say nothing of the
destruction to the furniture of the poor people, and the
loss to the workmen (100 in number) who will unfortu-
nately be thrown out of employment.
We believe the premises, stock, and machinery, were
fully insured.
On no occasion do we remember seeing so many per-
sons crowded together to witness a fire. Moorfields,
where an excellent view was obtainable, was literally one
moving mass of persons, whilst Dale-street and Tithe-
barn-street, were perfeCtly impassable. In North John
street, a large concourse of persons was attracted by the
flames, which rose a great height above the lofty build-
ings on the north side of Dale-street.
Although, at one time, it appeared beyond the reach of
human power to protect the houses on each side from
the raging flames, we are happy to say that, at the hour
of writing, there is no likelihood of their extending be-
yond the building in which they were discovered. To
the stabiiity of the walls this must be attributed ; for,
had they given way, the vent thus given to the flames
must have proved destructive to the whole of the houses
on either side. The consequences of such a calamity
are too dreadful to contemplate.
Although there were several rumours of personal ac-
cidents, none of them, so far as we could learn, have any
foundation in truth, and this is very remarkable, consi-
dering the narrow space for the operations of the fire-
men, the men working the engines, and those engaged in
preserving the property from the flames.

RAILWAY SHARE MARKETS.
MANCHESTER, SEPTEMBER ate,.
Nottingham,
STOCK Excuaiwe.—The sales are —Ambergate, Nottingham, and
Boston, % dis.-11!ackburn, Clitheroe, &c., dis.—Blackburn, Dar-
wen, and Bolton, % dis.lioston, Stamford, and Birminghain, lls
dis.—Cambridge and Oxford, par—Goole, Doncaster, and Sheffield,
% dis.-114tdders.field, Halifax, and Bradford, 2% p.—Huddersfield
and Manchester Railway and Canal, 2 p.—Ditto, Extension, 9-16
p.—Lancashire and North Yorkshire, % dis. —Leeds and Think, 3%
Ms.—Liverpool and I:ury, 7% p.—London and York, -%
Extension, ye dis.—Mai.cliester and Leeds Extension, '2IA p.—Man-
chester and Southampton, %"dis.—North Western, 3s. 6d. p,—Old-
hail' Districts, % p.-L-Preston and Wyre, naives (l 1), 5-16 p.--Shef-
field and Manchester, 'Quarters, No. 3, 1-16 p.— Shropshire Union,
dis.—South-Eastern and Dover, Halves, No. 4, 11-16 p.—West
Lancashire Coast, % dis. —York and Carlisle, 2% dis..
LEEDS, SEPTEMBER 11.
STOCK EXcUANGE.—The sales are—East Lancashire, 81. 18s. 9d.
c. p.—Huddersfield and Manchester, 375. c. p.— Huddersfield and
Sheffield, 6% c p. - Leeds and Bradford, 414 c. p.—Leeds and
Dewsbury, 21. 16s. 6d. c. p.— Ditto, Branches, 245. p.—Ditto, Ex-
tensions, ss. dig. —Leeds and Thirsk, 3% c. dis.—Ditto, New, 2% dis.
—Manchester and Leeds Extensions, 2 4 p.—Newcastle and Ber-
wick, 12% c. p.—North British, Carlisle Branch, 58s. p.—Wakefield,
Pontefract, anti Goole, New, 5% p.—York and Newcastle, New, 9
—Ambergate, Nottingham, and Boston, 15s. dig. s. —Clitheroe Junc-
tion, 17s. dis.—East and West Yorkshire, 14 dis.— Grand Union, 15s.
dis.-Glasgofr .and Dumfries, 15s. 6d. dis.—Lancashire, Yorkshire,
and North Eastern, 1%. dis.—Leeds, Wakefield, and Midland, I ls.
6d. dis.—LeleeSter and Bedford, 7s. 6d. dis.—London and Manchester
(Rem.), 475. dis.—Malton and Driffield Junction, 15s. p.—Midland.
and Thirsk Junction, 17s. dis.--North Staffordshire, 31 p.—North
Western, 3s. p.—Sheffield, ROtherhain, and Goole, Ifs. s. dis.--West
Riding Union, 4/. 16s. 6d.

HULL, Skirl:Lamm 11.
STOCK ExenaNcfn.--The sales are- York and Newcastle (late
Newcastle and Darlington Junction), 10% -York and North Midland,
East. and West Riding, 13 -Ambergate, Nottingham, and Boston,
393. 6d.-Boston, Stamford, and Birmingham, 1 Is.-Buckingham-
shire, 7s. 6d. dis.-Leicester and Tamworth, 395. 9d.-North Western,
43.164. p.-York and Glasgow Union, &c., 125.-West Biding Union,
4/. 18s.-DerbY and Gainsborough, 15s. 3d.-Grand Union, 13s. 6d.
-Leicester and Bedford, 14s. 3d.
SHE rFIEL.b, SEPTEMBER 11.
STOCK ExcKANGE.-The sales are - Huddersfield and Manchester,
11. 14s. 64.-Sheffieli and Manchester, Quarter Shares, No. 3,3 s. p.
East Lincoinshire,-11s. dig. -Leeds, Wakefield, and Midland, 118.6 d.
dis.-North Western, 4s. 6d. p.-Sherlield and Lincoln, % dis.
YORK, SEPTEMBER 11 .
' STOCK ERCJIANCIE.-The sales are -Ipswich and Bury, 8% -Lon-
don and York, 21.-18-. 6d.-Malton and Driffield 'Junction, 2/. 18s.
---Manchester, Buxton, Matlock, and Midland, 3% -Newcastle and.
13erniek, 28-North British, Carlisle Extension, 41. 35.-North Staf-
fordshire, 5/. 165.-Wakefield, Pontefract, and Goole, New, 8% -
West
Riding Union, 4/. 18s.-York and Newcastles New, W. Is. 3d.
-York and North Midland (East and West Riding Extension), 13.
GLASGOW, SEPTEMBER 10.
STOCK EXCHANGE. -The sales are-Caledonian, New, 325.-
Caledonian and Dumbartonshire -Extension, 233. 6d.-Dundee and
Perth, 25%-Eastern • Counties, York Extension, 455.-East Indian
Railway, 1G4.-Glasgow and Belfast Union, 4)5.-Glasgow, Kilmar-
nock, and Ayr, 775¢ cum new-Ditto, New, 41% cunt new-Ditto,
Halves, 6% p.-Glasgow, Dumfries, and Carlisle, 365.-Glasgow,
Kilmarnock, aid Ardrossan, 323.-Glasgow, Airdrie, and Monklands
Junction, 405.-Great .North of Scotland, 165.-Great Indian Penin-
sular, 0.-Manchester and Southampton, 245. 6d,-North British,
Extension to Carlisle, 835.-South Midland, 555.

THE BUTCHER AND THE .ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.
—One day last week a rough-spun country butcher,
whose travelling companion was a dog, took a ticket at
one of the stations on the Midland Railway for Binning •
ham. It was shortly afterwards ascertained- by tho
officials that he had a dog in the carriage with him. On
being remonstrated with, and told that he must -pay for
the dog, he refused, and a regular row commenced, in
the course of which the butcher got out of the carriage,
and the dog followed. Here the disturbance was re-
newed, and the war grew fiercer, when all of a sudden
the train started. The butcher, forgetting his indigna-
tion at the parties, turned round and jumped into his
place again, followed by his dog. The train went on,
the burley man of beef laughing as though his ribs would
crack at having "done the beggars," told the whole
affair to the passengers with glee, and concluded by
saying that they might " tallyscope about him, he
didn't care ; he had done 'em, and they couldn't tell 'em
at Birmingham before he got there, he was sure. On the
train arriving at its destination a gentleman in a blue
buttoned-up-to-the throat livery, with trousers, and sun-
dry hieroglyphics on his collar, touched the butcher on
the shoulder, and said, " Sir, you have a dog with you,
for which the fare has not been paid ; you must eithee
fob out the needful, or I take you into custody." Tnr
" tallyscope," as the butcher called it, had arrived at
Birmingham first, and the- poor fellow's feelings
may be better imagined than described.—Nottinghana
Mercury.
FINED FOR CONTEMPT OF THE CORONER'S COURT.
—Yesterday, at, an inquest held at the Elephant and
Castle, Camden Town, Mr. Tiffin, the summoning officer,
reported to Mr. Wakley, that an egg-salesman, named
John George Wickham, Pratt-street, had repeatedly re-
fused, though properly summoned, to serve in the
Coroner's Court as juror. He did so again on Thursday
evening, when summoned in the presence of a policeman
to attend the present inquest, saying that he had more
important business to look after. Mr. Wakley swore
Tiffin to the truth of the the statement, and said that he
should not be discharging his duty towards the jurors
who served, if he did not punish one who refused to do
so in such an improper and contemptuous manner. He
should fine him 405., and when the proper notice was
served upon him, if he did not pay the fine, proceedings
of a more serious nature would be taken against him. It
was the first fine he had inflicted since his occupation of
office, and he regretted that the aggravated circum-
stances of the case should compel him reluctantly to vin-
dicate by punishment a contempt of his Court.
HORSE STEALING BY A RAILWAY SUB-CONTRAC-
TOR.—On
Thursday the police received information that
au extensive robbery had been committed by John Dean,
a railway sub-contractor, well known in the counties of
Cambridge, Essex, Norfolk, and Sussex. From his sup-
posed responsible situation, he had no difficulty in bor-
rowing horses from various farmers for railway work,
but at the termination of the engagement for the use of
the horses, neither Dean nor the horses borrowed could
be found. A reward is offered for his apprehension.
ATTEMPTED SUICIDE AT LONDON-BRIDGE:Last
evening, about six o'clock, as police-constable 30 M, was
on duty on the Surrey side of London-bridge, he was
informed that an old man was attempting to drown him-
self at the bottom of the boat steps near Tooley-street.
He immediately ran to the spot, and just got to the
bottom of the steps in time to prevent the old man from
s'nking, as he had jumped in between two boats. He
obtained assistance, and conveyed him to the police-
station, when he gave his now Winger, gad statei
that ha Was a pen loner.