The Sun.
London, England, 1851-06-26 00:00:00

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dated to so soft a wafer. To obtain \pc( full advantage
'of its great coolness in the hot summer months, the sup-
ply would require to he constant, and the house•pipe to
commucommunicate directly with the main. But although this.
nicate
is desirable on other important grounds, it is not
indispensable to the first introduction of the softened
chalk spring water.
The water recommended appears to approach most
closely to the standard of all that is excellent in a town
supply, and is worthy of the greatest efforts and grand-
est works to procure and convey it. But the sources are
rear at hand, and the water is attainable without diffi-
culty or great expense. With such a noble application
of the chalk spring water in view as the supply of
the metropolis, it would be a desecration
to permit that water to be wasted on other uses, and
most impolitic to allow the possession of it to pass into
private hands. It is our deliberate opinion, which we
would enforce in the strongest terms, that the much-
th•sired "and most necessary improvement in quality of
the London water is associated with these sources of sup-
ply, and ill depend upon their proper application to
the uses of the public.
We have the honour to b., Sir, your very obedient
servants,
THOMAS GRAHAM.
London, June lt. W. A. MILLER.
A. W. HOFMANN.
To the Right Hon. Sir George A.
Bart., her Majesty's
principal Secretary of State for the Home Department.

METROPOLITAN ER
QUESTION
COIIIIIIITTEE.
Yesterday this Committee re-assembled
in a MOTO
commodious committee-recur. Present—sir
James Gra-
hem (chairman), Sir J. Hamner, Mr. Sanders Mr. Ellis,
and Mr. Becket. ,
Mr. H. C. Beloe, accountant to the _Liverpool corpo-
ration, was examined at considerable length by Mr.
James, Q.C., on behalf of the promoters of the Bill re-
lative to the results that had arisen from the consolida-
tion of the water companies in Liverpool, and from
placing them under the management of the corporation.
The result had been generally advantageous to the torn
and ratepayers. Though there had been no particular
change in the quantity or quality of the water supplied,
there had been a considerable reduction in the rates,
and the supply was better regulated for police and
domestic purposes. Prior to the consolidation, com-
plaints as to. the supply were general. The works in
the hands of the corporation were now self-sus-
tainieg, and met the burthen which their purchase had
entailed,. The purchase money had been raised by
bonds on the security of the water rates, and last year
the Corporation of Liverpool pledged its credit for the
completion of the works to the extent of 500,0001.
The witness on cross-examination admitted that the total
bonded debt of the corporation was 802,0001., but that,
oven with this amount of outlay, the water supply of
supplied Liverpoolby
wasindepe
notgridreeantt companies
bpaetntieers.than in 1846, when
the rate-payers before paid gos. they noWwhoeurley, l o
paid 365.
Mr. Joseph Heron, town-clerk of Manchester, gave
similar evidence as to the results that had followed trom
the consolidation of the water companies under the cor-
poration in that city, before which the public complaints
of irregular and insufficient supply were very frequent.
The works for the water supply of Manchester were as
yet unfinished, but would be completed at a cost of
1,050,0001. The transfer both of the water and gas
supply of Manchester into the bands of the municipal
Corporation had been attended with advantage generally.
The committee at four o'clock adjourned to Thursday
(this day) at twelve.

THE GREAT FIRE at LONDON-BRIDGE.
(FURTHER PARTICULARS.)
Nothing transpires yesterday to clear up the mystery
respecting the origin of this conflagration. The surveyors
of the insurance-offices interested and several prac-
tical gentlemen long experienced in the progress of fires
in the metropolis and the provinces made a careful in-
spection in the course of the day of the position and cha-
racter of the warehouse that last took fire, marked " D,"
with the view of ascertaining bow far it was possible for
some burning flake to have been wafted into the upper
floor from the B warehouse. The state of the wind
favours the impression that it could not have been oc-
casioned by any flake from the B warehouse, as it was
blowing direct west, and right away from the building.
It was also rendered very apparent that no fire could
have passed through the C warehouse, as all the floors
were occupied by firemen and labourers, in order to
guard against such a circumstance. Presuming that
these inferouces would lead to the conclusion that at
least the second fire was the work of some incendiary,
it is difficult to conjecture what could have been the
motive for so diabolical an act.
With regard to the fire at Messrs. Hollingsworth's rage
stores, in building A, the labourers employed there have
been subjected to an examination as to the cause, and it
would seem that up to an hour before the outbreak the
place was seen to be perfectly safe. The doors of the
„stores were locked, but the main entrances of the ware-
house were free of access, and any person maliciously
Aisposed might have thrown some combustible material
on to the hales of rags through the lattice work which
divided the stores from the staircase. As for the pre-
sumption that it arose from spontaneous combustion,
that has been set at rest by the fact that most of the rags
were clean white linen, and in themselves it appears
they ate not liable to self-combustion. The firm are said
`tois have lad about 12,0001. worth of rags in the ware-
` ?E'.-- , a
n ale.-atikisf one of the former fire'?in te immediate
neighourhood, some three or fcur years ago, it was
thought that it must have arisen from some " shoddy"
which had been stored in the warehouse, and the jury,
at the inquest convened to inquire into the cause, recom-
mended in their verdict that so dangerous a material as
" shoddy," which so readily heats and ignites, should be
excluded from the warehouses. Mr. Humphery fully
acquiesced in the suggestion, and from that time it has
not been permitted to be stored within the buildings.
Is is true that oils, &c., are shipped at the wharf on the
opposite side of the way, but they are always deposited
in the alderman's extensive vaults under Wellington-
street, where some 4,000 or 5,000 tuns are stored.
Beneath the warehouses are spacious vaults extending
the full length and breadth of the buildings, and they all
communicate with each other. Among other stores they
contained between 3,000 and 4,000 firkins of butter,
upwards of 3,000 barrels of flour, several hundred cases
of cheeses, and other provisions, the property of Messrs.
Alien and Anderson, provision merchants, of Hibernia-
wharf. The substantial brick arches of the vaults re-
sisted the pressure of the ruins of the gutted warehouses,
and the fire was entirely excluded from them. The
water, however, got down through the brickwork, and
partially inundated the floors of the vaults, particularly
the western portion under D warehouse,
where 3,000
barrels of flour were piled, which for the most part is
supposed to be partially damaged. Its value is fully
covered by UR insurance.
A survey of the warehouse marked C showed that,
with the exception of the floors being saturated with
water, the building itself sustained but very little injury
by fire. Its preservation, wedged as it was between two
tremendous blezieg piles, is considered to be most extra-
ordinary.
The scanty supply of water obtained from the mains
in the locality during the progress of the fire has formed
the topic of much comment. It is thought that the nu-
merous fires which have occurred in the locality during
the last 15 years, and their disastrous extent, which vette
generally attributed to the insufficient supply of water to
work the engines, might have at last induced the pa-
rishioners to secure some greater protection to their
property in this ill-fated quarter.
At eight o'clock last evening the fire was -aaging
within the ruins, end from appearances it will be some
days ere it will be suppressed. Very little salvage is
anticipated.
The lofty walls fronting the water-side premises have
been shored up in order to prevent
arlY disastrous
accident.
On inquiries being made at the hospital respecting the
and -
Burch,a
unfortunate engineer of the brigade, Ear, •we
were informed that he continued in ..e
condition. He is shockingly burnt about his face, head,
neck, and arms.
pet
Several daring robberies were
er an unfavourable
rated during the
flYoaa that
height of the fire on the Sueee Pside of .London-bridge
by a gang of desperadoes
known as the Mint. notorious place
(ADDITIONAL PARTICULARS.)
Yesterday a most searching inquir y was made by Mr.
Humphery, Jun., as well as by ,the officers of the fire-
offices interested in the immeese amount of property
destroyed,
whether the disastrous conflagration originated acci-
for the purpose of finding out, if possible,
dentally or Was wilfully occasioned.
A
young man, named Finley, who works on the pre-
mises canine- the warehouses destroyed, in answer to Mr.
numphere °stated that on the afternoon of Monday last
he had been talking to a man immediately opposite
Messrs. Hollicgsworth's rag warehouses, and, having
had occasion to step as far as the arch of the bridge, he
was t 1 the act of returning, when his attention was
unusual flickering light at the window nearest
directed to the second floor from the ground by perceiv-
ing an
Bridge-house Hotel. Feeling convinced that a fire
thehad broken out, he called to Brown, one of the work-
-003, to get the keys, so that they might unlock the door
of the warehouse and ascertain the extent of the mis-
chief. Upon opening the door they found a large body
of fire in the eastern side of the warehouse, burning
amongst the rags. He immediately called for buckets of
water, but before sufficient time had elapsed to procure
them, the whole or greater portion of the floor became
one great sheet of flame. The fire then rushed through
the wainscot which separated the compartment from the
passage. At the time he noticed the flame through the
window no one was in the floor, and the door was looked.
- Mr. Humphery,
premises during the day of a suspicious character?
jun.—Had you seen any one enter the
Finley—No, sir. I had been in the road the whole of
the day, and did not see any one looking at the premises
that in the least degree excited my suspicions. .
Mr. Humphery stated, that were so many persons
were continually passing to and fro, it was almost im-
possible for a single individual to look at every one who
passed by.
Finley then informed Mr. Humphery that when he
saw the fire was spreading so fiercely he sent for the en-
gines. His opinion was, that had he had a few pails of
water at hand when he first entered, he could have ex-
Itinguithed the flames,
or have kept them under until the
arrival of the engines.

THE SCOTTISH lio,,PlTAL,—Yesterclay a quar-
terly court of the governors and supporters of the Scottish
H
ojnital was held in the hall of the corporation, Crane-
court, Fleet-street, to receive the report for the past quarter;
Pr. Webster, a governor, in the chair, Major Adair, the se-
cretary, read the report, from which it appeared that the re-
ceipts aracunted to 1,8021. 2s. 5d., which, with the last ba-
lance, included ,3631. 17s. ; annual subscriptions, 393/. 16s. Gd.
and 687/. 18s. 3d. interest of stock. There had been paid
in charity, 1,3251. 195., and after discharging all claims,
there remained a balance in hand of 1721, 14*, sd. The re-
port was received.aud adopted.,