The Sun.
London, England, 1848-04-22 00:00:00

SUN,

AL SOC: lETY FOR THE PRO-
TECTION OF LIFE FROM FIRE.
Wednesday a. general meeting of this society was
the Coot sell Chamber, Guildhall, for the purpose
ing the I.• spot e, of the committee for the past year,
,ributing met leis and rewards.
. chair was ec aupied by the Right Hon. the Lord
Mayor, who (Tensed the proceedings by pointing out the
strong claims whi ch the society had on the general sup-
port of the commilt ity.
The SECRETARY' then read the report, from which it
appeared that duri qg the past year three new stations for
the " fire escapes "' had been established, thus making
in all twenty-five, at distances varying from half to
three-quarters of la mile from each other, all main-
tained solely by' the society, with a conductor
at each throughiout the night. The number of
fires attended silece the re-establishment of the
society in 1843 'was 548, and the number of lives
saved by means of the society's, escapes, was 48. The
report further stated that the funds were less than the
expenditure by al iou t 2001., and urged the friends of the
society to increasisd exertions so as to place the machi-
nery and operations in such a state of efficiency as the
committee deemed essential to the proper development
of tin, objects of t tie institution.—(Cheers.)
DAVID W. WIJIE, Esq., moved the adoption of the
report. lie said .he perfectly agreed in the judicious
remark of the Load Mayor, that it was a sacred .duty
that devolved on every man to do everything in his
power for the preservation of human life under the
sudden calamities of fire.—(llear, hear.) Clustered as
they were altogether in a large city, with narrow and
confined thoroughdares, no human foresight or pru-
dence could guard against that destruction which
the carelessness of a neighbour or the slightest
inadvertence might in a moment inevitably envelop them.
—(Hear, hear.) It was hardly necessary, then, to argue
that those who devised a means of escape from such hor-
rible calamities deserved well of their country, and were
entitled to the cordial and unanimous support of the
community.—(Cheers.) lie did think, however, that
such an institution stiould not be dependent on the casual
bounty of the public, but that it should be made a branch
of their social economy, and attached either to the
police or some other puLdic establishment, by which the
facilities of its application and increased usefulness
might be obtained.—(Hear, hear.) Until, however, the
public were fully impressed with a sense of its advan-
tages, and that a law was passed to compel parochial
authorities to adopt it, it was highly necessary that
this society should be maintained in a state of effi-
ciency. There was this difference between this
society and the Royal Humane Society, that in the
latter the accidents occurred generally when the parties
were awake and vigilant, and means of rescue were
ready and at hand, whereas in cases of fire the calamity
almost always took place in the stillness of the night,
when all were asleep and unprotected. He trusted that
an appeal would be made to the Corporation to take up
this subject, and that the Corporation would go to the
Legislature and ask them to make it compulsory on
parochial authorities and other public bodies to adopt
means of escape from fire.—(Cheers.)
Mr. BACON seconded the motion which was adopted
unanimously.
The LORD MAYOR then proceeded to the distribution
of silver medals, certificates, and small rewards to
various parties who had been instrumental in rescuing
human beings from destruction.
Mr. Luke Prettyman, of 49, Poultry, was presented
with a silver medal for rescuing the life of his servant

at the risk of his own.
A poor girl, named Mary Cromer, was presented with
a certificate and 11. for heroic and intrepid oonduct., in
bringing a child out of a room on fire. Her own night-
dress and hair were burnt in the endeavour, and she had
suffered very considerably by her humanity.
Mr. HOLT drew the attention of the Lord Mayor and
the meeting to the case of this poor girl, who was at
present out of a situation. He hoped that something
might be done for her.
The other parties presented with rewards and certi-
ficates consisted chiefly of police constables and the
company's servants, each of whom was addressed in a
feeling and complimentary manner by the Lord Mayor,
and encouraged to further acts of courage and hu-
manity.
George Abbot, sen., and George Abbot, jun., were
presented each with a silver medal, for saving the life of
Mrs. Ryan, at Enfield.
SAMUEL UNNYIN, Esq., then moved a resolution to the
effect that the meeting, deeply impressed with the in-
creased usefulness of the institution, was desirous of re-
cording its opinion that it merited general' support both
from individuals and from parochial and other public
bodies, in order to increase its efficiency for the preser-
vation of human life.
Mr. Deputy BEDFO/tD seconded this resolution, which
was adopted unanimously.
Mr. RICHARD TAILOR proposed the next resolution,
recommending the adoption of a respectful application
to the parochial authorities in each parish of the City
for subscriptions, to be continued annually at the vote
of each vestry.
Mr. HoLT seconded the resolution, which was agreed
to, as was also a vote of thanks to the Vice-Presidents
and Committee for the past year, with a respectful soli-
citation to continue their services.
Thanks were then voted by acclamation to the Lord
Mayor, and the meeting separated.

BRITISH ORPHANS FROM PARIS.

On Thursday a general meeting, t,l the subscribers
was IKld at the Fetna'e Orphan Asylum, in Westmin-
ster*idge-road, for the purpose & f taking into comae-
ratien a tommuldeati(bn Which had tacn r ceived hem
'bad Astiley, under these circumstances:—lt appeared

that, previous to the late revolution iu France, there
was an a• ylu,n in Paris for orphan children burn
,Earpis? in connexion 'with the Episcopal
'hurcti\of which Reverend Mr. Lovut was
the pastor. The asylum was entirely supported by
the 13riti,h residents at I'aris ; but the greater number
of the English having left that capital in consequence
of the late events, the resources of the asylum were
altogether cut off, and the orphan children, fifteen
hues and nine girls, were compelled to leave.
The Society for the Assistance of Distressed
Workmen sent from France, of which Lord Ashley
is chairman, defrayed the expense of bringing the
children to England, and on Thursday last a letter was
addressed by Lord Ashley to the committee of the
as luin, rcquestiug that the orphans removed from France,
under the circumstances stated, should be provided for
in the asylum. As, according to the rules, all orphan
children are admitted by election at stated periods, as
is usual in such institutions, a general court was apes
eially e:tlled for this day, to take the case communicated
by Lord Ashley into consideration.
The chair having been taken by his Royal Highness
the Duke of Cambridge, and the circumstances under
which the meeting was called having been mentioned, it
was communicated that upon inquiry, it had been ascer-
tained that the children had for the present been pro-
vided for, tome of them having been received into other
charitable institutions, and that therefore it was unne-
cessary to take the letter of Lord Ashley into consider-
ation.
His Royal Highness expressed his gratification at the
c l lar communicationci
r c st
awnrchei cs h had
orthese
been
h es
epo
omr ade.
orphan
a nUnder
children,
he phee-
should certainly, had it been necessary, have rendered
every assistance towards obtaining their admission into
the Asylum. As he understood, however, that the
claims of the destitute children of their own poor were
very pressing, he was glad that the necessity had not
arisen.

After some conversation on the subject which the
meeting had been called to consider, it was moved and
unanimously agreed to, that the cordial thanks of the
meeting should be given to his Royal Highness the
Duke of Cambridge for his kindness in attending to
take the chair, and for the interest he had expressed in
the object which had called them together.
The Duke of Cambridge having returned thanks, tho
meeting separated.