The Sun.
London, England, 1870-04-25 00:00:00

FIRE AT THE PAST-END.

A fire broke out yesterday evening at about nine
o'clock in the premises of Messrs. Merton, Mew, and
Sons, sugar-refiners, Christian-street. St. George's-
in-the-East. Engines were promptly on the spot ; no
less than a dozen, including six land steamers, being
soon called into operation. The large building was,
however, soon entirely enveloped in flames, and the
efforts of the firemen then became directed to pre-
venting the flames from reaching the adjoining pre-
mises. The fire was not entirely extinguished at
noon to-day (Monday), and several land steamers
were at that time in active operation. Owing to the
time the fire has been burning a far greater amount
of property has been destroyed than was at first
anticipated, and it is believed that £BO,OOO will not
cover the loss. During the night one of the heavy
walls gave way and nearly killed ten of the brigade-
men working under it. Unfortunately one of the
volunteers belonging to Mr. Hewitt's corps, from the
Larkhall-lane Brewery, was so seriously injured that
he was obliged to be removed to the hospital, and it
is feared that the injuries he has sustained will prove
fatal. This is unquestionably the largest fire that
has taken place in London for some years.

THE HALFPENNY POSTAGE.

The Echo has received the following letter with reference
to the issue of the halfpenny stamp :—" Sir,—ln reply to
your further letter of the 21st instant, I have to inform
you that it is proposed to commence the reduction of the
postage on newspapers and printed matter on the Ist of
October next, by which time the halfpenny postage-stamp
will, of course, be issued.—l am, sir, your obedient
servant, A. BENTHILL. —General Post Office. London,
April 22."

There are now six vacancies in the representation
of Irish constituencies—Dublin, Cashel, Sligo, Mallow,
Longford, and Mayo. This is unprecedented, except after a
dissolution of Parliament.

Lady Franklin arrived at Panama on the 28th ult.,
having made the trip from England via the Straits of
Magellan, and left per Colorado on the 29th ult. The late
discoveries made by Captain Hall in the Arctic regions
leads her, it is said, to seek an interview with him.

Two great sales of hunters take place next week—
one of the horses belonging to Mr. C. Newton, the late
master of the Cambridgeshire hounds ; and the other of
Mr. Henry Chaplin's horses, at Lincoln April Fair, on
Tuesday, all of which are represented to be of a first-class
character.

runp South London Courier retails a bit of clever
bait offered by a shrewd tradesman. At the recent meet-
ing of the Lambeth Board of Guardians, the sugar con-
tractor sent an intimation that, in consequence of the
reduced sugar duty, he should reduce his contract price
2s. per cwt. One of the guardians said he was a " fool for
his pains !"

Dr. Tyler Smith, under whose care Lady Mordaunt
has been since the late trial, writes to say that the fol-
lowing paragraph in the Lancet is erroneous, but in what
respect it does not state :—" Lady Mordaunt continues
in much the same health she has had for many months,
her mental condition being neither perceptibly aggravated
nor perceptibly relieved."