The Sun.
London, England, 1848-04-21 00:00:00

APRIL 21, IB4B.

EXTENSIVE FIRES.

Lest night, shortly before eleven o'clock, two ex-
tensive fires broke out in the eastern portion of the
metropolis, which were not extinguished until early
this morning, and not until a ruinous amount of
property had been destroyed. One outbreak occurred
upon the spacious pile of premises of Messrs. Nissen
and Parker, stationers and printers, in Tower-street,
City. The discovery was made by the servant-girl
perceiving a dense smoke issuing from the upper
part of the building. She immediately ran into the
street and informed the police. The constable, upon
entering the house, found the whole of the top work-
shop in a general blaze. He sounded an alarm in the
usual way, and sent a messenger for the engines.
In the course of a few minutes several parish
engines, with about a dozen belonging to the Lon-
don Establishment, with Dir. Braidwood, arrived, as
well as that of the West of England Company, under
the command of Mr. Cunnorton. Plenty of water
having been obtained, the engines were, without
delay, set to work ; but although only a few minutes
had elapsed, the flames by that period were rushing
through the roof; and were ascending so high
into the air that the surrounding houses appeared
doomed to be destroyed. The hose of several engines
were carried up the staircase, and by that means
the firemen were enabled to scatter the water
in the right position ; notwithstanding the flames
continued to progress; and it was not until that por-
tion of the premises in which the outbreak began was
burned out, and the lower part severely damaged by
water, that the fire was extinguished. The
total loss will be very considerable to Messrs.
Nissen and Parker, besides which the premises
occupied severally by Mr. Bell, baker, and Mr.
Henry (private) are seriously injured' by water. The
origin of the disaster could not be ascertained. An
escape belonging to the Royal Society for the Pro-
tection
of Life from Fire was early at
_the scene, and
although not wanted to sainvee
keeperslife, was of great as-
sistance to the parish-en
ladder for them to carry theirf hose up
in forming a
The other fire took place in the premisesup to the
ofro o
Folly, B
Bethnal-
green. Ir..
james, beer-shop. keeper, at Twig ena
green. It began, from some unexplained
upper part of the house.lmmediatelynnwiinthorilnlation
was forwarded to the fire-stations,
sible expedition the parish engines, with thoseaofPthe
London Brigade, from Whitecross-street, Jeffrey-
square, and other stations, when the firemen found
the flames issuing through the windows androof
with the greatest impetuosity. The engines having
been set to work the firemen laboured incessantly
until past twelve o'clock this morning, when they at
length got the mastery over the fearful element, but
not until the upper part of the premises was de-
stroyed, the roof burnt off, the contents consumed,
and the lower part of the house seriously damaged.
During the excitement which prevailed it was im
possible to learn whether any of the sufferers were
insured or not.

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.
THE RESERVE STEAM SQUADRON.—The Sphynx,
1,056 tons, 500 horse power; the Phoenix, 809 tons, 260
horse power; and the Rattler, 888 tons, 200 horse
power, the two latter screw propellei vessels, arrived at
Portsmouth, from the Thames, yesterday, and joined the
advanced steam Equadron in ordinary at that port, in
pursuance of the orders issued by the Lords of the Ad-
miralty recently.
The liasting4, 72 guns, Captain Morgan, flag-ship for
Rear• Admiral • Sir Francis Augustus Collier, after a
thorough examination and repair of her bottom, was
taken out of dock at Portsmouth yesterday.
The Arrogant new steam.frigate, of 46 guns, received
her jury masts at Portsmouth yesterday, preparatory
to being navigated to the Thames to have her engines
fitted.

The steam bridge, which connects by quarter-hour
passages the towns of Portsmouth and Gosport, incurred
some damage to her machinery on Wednesday, which
precluded its running the whole of yesterday, causing
most serious inconvenience to the inhabitants on either
chore, railway travellers most especially, who were
compelled to use the watermen's wherries. The guard
of honour for the Prussian Prince was obliged to be
carried to and from Gosport in flat-bottomed boats.
The Fantome, 16-gun sloop, Commander Hardy, re-
cently from the Mediterranean squadron, was put out of
commission at Portsmouth yesterday, after being dis-
mantled.

The Ganges, 84, Captain Smith, fitting at Sheerness,
has entered two-thirds of her reduced complement, and
is expected to be ready for sea service about the second
week in May.
The Powerful, 84 guns, Captain the Hon. R. S. Dun-
das, at Portsmouth, is still in want of men.

APPOINTMENTS.
Master—J. S. Pritchard to the Coast Guard service as
chief officer.

Mate—G. Elliot, to the Prince Regent, 92 guns, at
Cork.

Chaplain—The Rev. W. L. Onslow, M.A. (1846), to
the Hastings, flag-ship for the East India station, fitting
at Portsmouth.

Engineer—J. W. Husband (second class assistant), to
the Fisguard, flagship at Woolwich.
Midshipmen—W. Spark, to the Waterwitch brig,
fitting at Chatham; E. T. Nott, to the Hastings.
Master's Assistant—George Nixon, to the Hastings.
Naval Cadet—E. W. Wilkinon, to the Hastings.
Clerk's Assistant—Edward Cooper, to the Hastings.

THE H.AYDBOOS OF ANGLING. Seccrid

Edition . By Ephemera.
Spring is now advancing so rapidly that the green
herbage is already breaking through the clods of
winter, and the trees are beginning to burgeon with
a promise of the " leafy season." At this time the
angler is preparing himself for excursions to the
beautiful river-scenery of England, and in a snug
corner of his knapsack we commend him to pack this
very portable encyclopedia of " the gentle craft."
On noticing its original publication, we awarded the
work that meed of approval to which by its merits it
appeared to us to be tolerably well entitled. Since
then our approval has been very significantly con-
firmed—the book is already reprinted, with additions
and emendations. Under its new guise, the Second
Edition of Ephemera's " Hand. book" seems to us
but little removed, if at all, from completeness. It is
the very epitome of the sport; and the conversational
but decided tone of the advice contained in its pages
proves the author to be a proficient and no mere pi e
tender. " Let us sit under this sweet briar hedge,"
says . o'd Intik in one of his pleasantest moods, " and
discourse, while this shower is falling." Without an
actual companion at his elbow t 3 wile away half-an-
hour in agreeable goss:p, the angler may find in this
volume, by Ephemera, a companionship neither dis-
tasteful nor unprofitable. There is in it all the ani-
mation and bonhommie of goodtellowship. Listen, for
instance, to his recommendations anent "dibbing for
chub." " There is the angler," says he—" You see
that he is hiding himself as much as he can ; and
thinking that there are fish peering from beneath the
leaves on the surface of the water, he drops his bait
first on one of those leaves, and then by a sliding
motion causes it to slip off and fall on the water. The
fish, taking this fall for a natural one, is not scared
but seizes the bait boldly." Or listen again to his
hints to a beginner as to the best mode of " throwing
the line and flies." After other preliminary sugges-
tions he proceeds thus :—" Hold your rod up almost
perpendicularly, and pointing rather to the left side.
"rake the tip of the line between the forefinger and
thumb of your left hand. Poise your rod loosely and
easily, and see that it balances freely in your right
hand. Be devoid of that fear which begets awkward
ness. What injury can you do? You are not going
to explode a mine. You are merely going to throw a
thin line with a limber rod upon the water. What if
you shiver them to pieces in the attempt? The
damage can be remedied." Leigh Hunt might have
written that, and relished it too as he wrote it. Each
of the three branches of angling—Fly-fishing, Trol-
ling, and Bottom-fishing—is described with a zestful
accuracy, but the preference is of course awarded to
Ply- fishing. Here it is, we conceive, that Ephemera's
skill as an angler is particularly evidenced ; for, al •
though his chapters on the art of trolling and bottom-
fishing are capital, those on the different peculiari-
tieson striking, on hooking,
and knacks of fly-fishing—on dibbing or daping,
superiority. The
the
on fly-dressing and
fish, and on landingon playing, on humouring
them—are of indisputable
chapters,the
monthlymoreover,
list onof
artificialartifi c i a
flies
for
to the Complete An improvement
n on Cotton's appen-
dixfor the season, are' a
on the natural history agnedr.genl enrahtiisoenla elaborate treatise
treatise
on the natural history and generation of the "Sal-
wfeaeptearcaeeilvneirtehdattthhreonaguhtht7 has availed himself
omfonth,"e
extraordinary ex-
periments of Mr. Scrope, Mr. Shaw,
the
descriptionsoity for this
The " Handbook" would be valuabwle
the
portion of the contents. Several of
of
the personal appearance and peculiarities of
vari-
ous, species of freshwater fish towards the close of the
volume are admirable—Ephemera writing in the
spirit
of a fascetions Buffon. Thus of the Perch, he
says—" Though somewhat misshapen, his dress is
handsome ; but he seldom dresses better than in the
Dutch-oven or frying •pan." Of the _Dace—" This
little yellow silvery carp serves as a practical primer
to a young angler : he is a reckless little fellow and
will snap at your worm, gentle, or paste near the bot-
tom of the water, or jump at your fly on the surface
with equal avidity." Of the Barbel—" This bluish
white carp is a lazy wallowing gentleman, and the
Launcelot Gobbo of the subaqueous pantries and
cellars ; the sound of the smacking of his lips tells
you how fond he is of a good morsel." Of the Chub
—" This silvery bluish carp is an exceedingly fine
splendid looking fish ; but in him is fully realised the
proverb, all is not gold that glitters ; he is to all
intents and purposes, save in appearance, what
the French call him un villain, that is, a downright
chawbacon or clod-hopper." Here, however, is the
best calotype of them all—

THE PILE.

" The pike, commonly called jack when under
three or four pounds in weight, is a well-known fish ;
like many of us, better known than trusted or treated.
He is a greedy, unsociable, tyrannical savage, and is
hated like a Blue-beard. Everybody girds at him
with spear, gaff, hook, net, snare, and even with pow-
der and shot. lie has not a friend in the world. The
horrible gorge hook is especially invented for the tor-
ment of his maw. Notwithstanding he fights his
way vigorously, grows into immense strength despite
his many enemies, and lives longer than his greatest
foe, man. His voracity is unbounded, and like the
most accomplished corporate officer, he is nearly
omniverous, his palate giving the preference, how-
ever, to fish, flesh, and fowl. Dyspepsia never inter-
feres with his digestion ; and he possesses a quality
that would have been valuable at La Trappe—he can
fast without inconvenience for a se'nnight. He can
gorge himself then to beyond the gills without the
slightest derangement of the stomach. He is shark
and ostrich combined. His body is comely to look
at ; and if he could hide his head—by no means a
diminished one—his green and silver vesture would
attract many admirers. His intemperate habits, how-
ever, render him an object of disgust and dread. He
devours his own children; but, strange to say, likes
better (for eating) the children of his neighbours.
Heat spoils his appetite, cold sharpens it ; and this
very day (30th December, 1846,) a friend has sent
me a gormandising specimen, caught by an armed
gudgeon amidst the ice and snow of the Thames, near
Marlow. I envy the pike constitution."
Ephemera has written throughout in a felicitous
vein, and has done yeoman's service to angling by
his " Handbook."

LEVEIN AND THE FURNI-

TURE WOODS OF NEW ZEALAND.

Our friends in New Zealand will be pleased to learn
that Mr. Levein has recently executed a new commission
for the King of Prussia, with which his Majesty has
been so much pleased that he has conferred upon him,
in addition to a special appointment as cabinet maker,
the gold medal awarded by the Prussian Court to persons
of distinguished merit in the arts, in which rank many
of Mr. Levein's productions in the furniture woods of
New Zealand are well entitled to claim a place. We
formerly mentioned that Mr. Levein had received an
appointment from her Majesty in consequence of similar
productions; and we understand that the exquisite ma-
terials furnished by the colony have also attracted the
notice of other Foreign Ambassadors than Chevalier
Bunsen, and that Mr. Levein has orders in progress for
other Courts than that of Prussia.
We trust that this wide appreciation of the furniture
woods of New Zealand will make the colonists alert as
to a highly valuable export, and anxious to preserve
what must eventually become b
of great importance to the
colony, instead of indiscriminately destroying the mac,-
nificent forest trees which supply a material of so great
value. They must resort to the same method as was
practised by Mr. Levein himself when in the colony,
viz., to select with great care only the most valuable
specimens of wood, and to export it in the log, not in
the slab. It is the Letter
in practice, together with the
want of care in the selection, which has led to disap-
pointment the woods which have been thus carelessly
exported from the colony. Many specimens are now
lying in the docks which cannot find a purchaser, and
no wonder, for they are not worth half the amount of
freight for bringing them from New Zealand. This
alone has been a serious injury to the reputation of the
woods. It does not follow that because wood comes
from the colony it must be of fine quality; there
is as much inferior timber there as else-
where. Like all new articles in the market,
the furniture woods of New Zealand met with
much opposition in their introduction into this country,
and it is solely owing to the perseverance of Mr. Levein,
and the countenance shown to him by the New Zealand
Company, that they have become so favourably known.
Now almost any price might be obtained for really fine
specimens. Some two or three years ago, a specimen of
totara and inau was shown by the editor of this paper to
a cabinet-maker of celebrity. He was struck by the
beauty of the wood, but dogmatically pronounced that it
would not retain its colour. This is the general im-
pression with regard to new woods from most countriesn,
and it is generally true; but experience has now show
their
that not only do the New Zealand woods.rea
colour, but that they increase in richness with
o r -
the finer specimens of mahogany and other t
we have just
age,
like
ods
in
dinary use. The cabinet-maker of
"
now obtain it. h
spoken would give a high price for the article could he
We should have mentioned that Mr. Levein as
sale of cabinet work
h west-en o London, in
from New Zealand woods,
atatree in the immediate vici-
opened an establishment for the
Davies-street, Grosvenor-sqewu
nity of Mivart's

NT INSTITUTION.—Yester-
dayo directors of the
the board f
evening a meeting
day
"Innistitution was held at the committee-rooms, in
above
Paternoster row, to transact general business. The
BOOKSELLERS' Pn°NolfDE
laid before the subscribers by the directors was
report
highly satisfactory,
the funds being rapidly on the in-
crease, an.
d the anxiety for the institution since its for-
mation (eleven years since) remains amongst the mem-
bers of the trade unabated. During the past year relief
has been bestowed upon six retail and twelve booksellers'
assistants, and three widows of each of those classes, to
the amount of 2.621 15s. 4d.; five persons included in
the above statement being permanent annuitants—making
a total, since 1837, of nearly 1,3001. thus distributed.
The whole expense of the institution during that period
has not averaged more than 801. per annum. There are
now on the books 476 members. Upwards of 1,0001. has
been added to the permanent fund during the year,
which reaches above 17,0001.

.•

MEETING or MIDDLESEX

MAGISTRATES.

The Magistrates of the county of Middlesex met
at the Court-house, Clerkenwell-green, yesterday, for
the dispatch of county business. Mr. Pownall in the
chair.