The Sun.
London, England, 1856-04-03 00:00:00

THE MILITIA.

The North Down Militia, 600 strong, arrived in Dub.
lia from Belfast on Tuesday, en route to the Camp at the
Carragh.
The ceremony of presenting colours to the let Regi-
ment of Ro) al Cheshire Militia took place yesterday OR
the race-course at Caester, in the presence of a large
number of spectator•. The colours having been conse-
crated by the Bishop of Chester, the Marchioness of
Westtninister presented them to the regiment, after as
appr.priate address. Lieut.-Col. Cholmondeley returned
thanks on behalf of the regiment.

DESTRUCTIVE FIRES IN LONDON.

FLEET STREET.-OFFICIAL REPORT.

Mr. Superintendent Braidwood describes the damage
done as follows :

" Tuesday, April 1, 1856.—A fire broke out at 7.45
p.m., in the premises of Messrs. Dobbs, Kidd, and Co.,
wholesale stationers, No. 134, Fleet•street, and Shoe-
lane, City. The contents were insured in the Sun,
Phoenix, Norwich Union, and Hand-in-Eland Fire-offices.
The fire is as extinguished by firemen, with the aid of
224 hired auxiliaries, and water from the New River
Company's mains. Engines that attended—five of B,
two of A, one of 1), and that of the West of England
office. The warehouses and manufactory behind burned
down, and houses in Fleet-street and Shoe-lane seriously
dam 47,d by fire, water, &c.

" No. 135, in the fame street—Miss L. Davis, artifi-
cial flower maker. Contents damaged by water from the
engines. Insured i❑ the Sun Fire-office.

"No. 131, in the same street.—Mr. C. 11. Law, book-
seller and publisher. Contents insured in the Pncenix
Fire-office, but the building is unknown if insured or not,
The stock i❑ trade greatly damaged by water, and sky-
Ight4 broken.

"No. 132, in the same street—Mr. D. M'Millan's
photographic depot. Considerable damage to contents
by wat,ff, &c. Imurtd in the Union PLre ofii e.
"No. 8, Peterborough-court (unoccupied). Cupboard
burned out and roof damaged by fire, and under part by
water. Insurance unknown at present.
" No. 2, ditto—J• K. Chapman and Co., printers.
Insured in the Unity Fire•office. Contents damagel by
water, and P kylights broken.

"No. 103, Shoe-lane—Mrs. A. Watts, cooper. Con-
siderable damage to content! and building by fire and
water. The contents and building were insured in the
Hand-in• Hand office.

" No. 110, in the same lane—Miss M. A. Pattie,
bookseller. Contents insured in the Monarch Fire-
office. The stock and trade damaged by firs and break-
age.
"No. 112, ditto—G. Brett, baker. Considerable
damage to stock by water, and back blieds by fire and
breakage. Insured in the Alliance. The building un-
known whether insured or not.

No. 113, ditto—Mr. George proprietor of
the Herald coffee-house. Premise, damaged by water,
and skylights broken. Uoinsured."

CLERKENWELL.—WhiIst the above -fire was raging,
another one took place on the premises of Mr. G. Teale,
a furniture-dealer in Compton-street, Clerkenwel'. The
engines of the parish and London brigade quickly at-
te•:ded, but, in spite of the exertions of ad present, the
it tales could not be extinguished until the ground flo
the staireA.e, and upper rooms were burned out., and
the rest of the house seriously damage! by fits and
water. The sufferer was insured in the Liverpool nod
London fire-offices. The origin of the misfortune is un-
known.

AVE MARIA-LANE.—Last night, at a few minutes to
11 o'clock, an extensive fire broke out on the premises
of Messrs. Marlborough and Son, the publishers and
news agents, of Ave Maria-lane. The fire was disco-
vered by a servant of the Messrs. Marlborough, whose
attention was attracted by a stifling sensation and a
strong smell of smoke. The alarm having been given,
and the engines of the London Fire Brigade and West
of England having arrived at the spot, a delay of aearly
half an-hour occurred in consequence of a want of
water. During this time the flames were raging a
height of 50 feet about the burning premises, and
the Paternoster Coffee-house and the Daniel Lam-
bert public-house had commenced to ignite ere the
firemen were enabled to get fully at work. It was an
hour before this estimable body of men were able Lo ob-
tain a mastery over the fire. Messrs. Marlborough and
Son, who had but just despatched their monthly parcels,
are insured for both premises and stock. The damap
susta'ned, both from fire and water, by the adjacent
premises, are also fully provided for. The loss is calcu-
lated at 13,0001.

WESTMINSTER.—Yesterday morning, at half-past 7
o'clock, a fire broke out on the extensive premises of
Messrs. W. and J. Freeman, stone merchants, No. 27,
DLllbank•street, Westm a ter. The fire wai discovered
by some of the labourers in the yard to be issuing from
the stables, which were of considerable extent and of
ancient date, and for the most part constructed of 1; 90 1.
In the rear there is a court called Freeman's-cour►, con-
sisting of a number of wooden houses, occupied by
labourers and their families. In a very short period the
stabling was in one mass of flames. The engines of the
London Fire Brigade from Chandos-street, King street,
Regent-street, and Crown-street, were pronept;y on the
spot, and, with a good supply of wafer, got to work
under the direction of Mr. Staples, the district engineer,
but the stabling was burnt out and the adjoining houses
damaged by fire and water. Cause unknown•

The circulation of carriages having, according to an-
cient usage, been prohibited in the streets of Madrid,
between six o'clock on the morning of Holy Thursday,
and the same hour on the following Saturday, the Alcade
ha.. ordered the Infant Don Francisco, and the Ministers
ZAblla and Escosura, to pay a fine of 560 teals each,
for having broken the law.
PUBLIC PETITIONS.—There are now 4,859 petitions
against
opening the Museum and galleries on the Lord's-
day,s99,s7o persons,
signed by and 110 in favour of
doing so, signed by 19.139 persons ; 228 petitions
against the abolition of Church-rates without providing
an equivalent, signed by 12,855 persons ; 44 fe favour
of the Church-rate Abolition Bill, -signed by
5,555 per-
sons ; and 12 for a repeal of the Maynooth Act, signed
by 2,085 persons. There are also 162 against the new
Police Bill, signed by 29.900 persons, and 13 fora re-
peal of the Scottish Public-houses Act, signed by 6,117
persons. The list before us includes a long petition
from 3,015 " women of Great Britain, married and
sirgle." The pt Wien is headed by the signatures of
Mary Howitt, Anna Jameson, and Jessie Merriton
White.