The Sun.
London, England, 1851-03-27 00:00:00

SALES OF ENCUMBERED E‘TATES

The Meath estates of Mr. Charles Henry Smith,
owner and petitioner in the case, producing a profit rental
of about 4001. per annum, were set up for sale yesterday,
in three lots, before two of the Commissioners, and
realized in the aggregate a sum of 5,4001., being some-
thing like 121 years' purchase. An extensive property
in the county of Tipperary, the estate of Mr. Hems-
worth, the rental of which was estimated at a little over
.1,0001. a year, was offered in nine lots, the whole of
which, atter considerable delays, owing to the kck of
competition and various other causes, was disposed of for
the sum of 10,150 L Lord Cremorne, the petitioner in
the matter, was a purchaser to the extent of half the
amount produced by the sales.
THE Flll'iDS.—Three per Cent. Consols, 96i 96;
Three-and-a-Quarter per Cent. Stock (shut), 91
ditto for Account, 974 4; National Bank Shares,
22/. 10,7. paid, 18i; City of Dublin Steam Company,
50/. paid, 25; Consumers' Gas, 5/. paid, 6,-f. Dublin and
Belfast Junction Railway, 451. paid, 264; Dublin and
Drogheda, 75/. paid, 40; Dundalk and Enniskillen, 301.
paid, 9; Great Southern and Western, 501. paid, 434.

FATAL AND DESTRUCTIVE FIRES.
The metropolis was yesterday morning visited by two
fires, one of which unfortunately destroyed the lives of
two human beings—a man and his wife.
One fire broke out at a few minutes before four o'clock
at 31, John-street, Harper-street, New Kent-road, in the
joint occupation of Mr. H. Richardson, a type founder,
and Mr. Samuel Potts. Police-constable, No. 779 of the
A division, kept the door of the premises closed until
assistance came up, when he started for the fire-engines.
The engines and firemen of the Southwark-bridge-mad
and Waterho-road stations, and those of the West of
England office, were soon on the spot, and plenty of
water being procured the engines were set to vi erk, but
the flames had previously penetrated the roof, and were
rising so high as to illumine the whole neighbourhood.
The firemen, however, soon got the flames extinguished,
when they entered the premises for the purpose of look-
ing after the two persons who were known to be in the
building. On approaching the front room window a
shocking spectacle presented itself, for lying cn the floor
were the lifeless bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Potts, burnt
almost as black as a coal, every article of furniture in
the place being consumed, and not so much as oven the
trace of a bedstead being left.
The other fire broke out in the Grand Janction Canal
Company's dockyard, No. 18, Wharf-roed, City-road,
and although the firemen had been actively engaged for
six hours, the flames were not entirely extinguished at
seven o'clock. The stores were burnt out, and the ad-
joining buildings are also much injured by fire, water,
and breakage. The heat from the furnace flue was the
cause of the outbreak. The Royal Society's fire escapes
with Mr. Inspector Braddelly were soon on the spot, bat
fortunately their services were not required.

LATEST PARTICULARS.

A most painful sensation prevailed the whole of yes-
terday throughout the extensive parish of Newington in
reference to the melancholy loss of life which occurred at
31, John-street, noticed above. The house consisted of
only three rooms, and from the ground floor to the roof
was, probably, not more than 12 or 14 feet high. Mr.
Richardson, who with his wife lived in the parlour, on
being awoke by the smell of smoke, and on finding that
the house was on fire, made his escape as quickly as
possible. The policeman, while waiting at the corner
of the street for his sergeant, was suddenly alarmed by
loud cries of " Police," and "Murder," proceeding from
the premises. As soon as he reached the door Mr.
Richardson and his wife emerged from the house,
and, not knowing that any one else was within,
he closed the street door to prevhennitlditnhge
udraught
hhetnhedispatched him to
afrrormivaflorocfinghisthse eserflgaemant, twhhroougt
factnot otifllthafeteprootlriemeaffincer
and had
h
his
call the engines.
departed that thebecame known. T
in the upper room h
wile being
ten.
dering it impossible for any one to enter. The Bri-
fl:arwfuals
flames then had enveloped the room in question,
gado and West of England engines were on the spot
in less than ten minutes after the alarm was given,
and by another quarter of an hour the fire was safely
extinguished.
Shells having been procured during the morning the
mangled remains were removed to the dead-house, to
await a coroner's inquest.
Tho Brigade authorities during the day instituted a
very searching inquiry for the purpose of ascertaining
how the melancholy event happened, the result of
which leaves no doubt that both Mr. and Mrs. Potts,
when they arrived home, were intoxicated, and it is
suspected that in retiring to bed they dropped a spark
on to the bedding, which being unperceived must have
smouldered until it broke out in a flame. The poor
creatures were by that time so overcome with the
liquor they had drunk that they were unable to assist
themselves.

In the Lord Mayor's Court, yesterday, was heard
a case of great interest to parties having claims upon
foreign
Baron de Haber had, at his private bankers, is London, a
Governments. As far back as the year 1834, the
considerable sum. The Government being pressed for money,
compelled the banker to surrender it for their use, and the
Baron received assurances that the amount would be re-
turned. From that day until the present not a sixpence has
been refunded, and accordingly to obtain some settlement of
the claim, im amounting, with arrears of interest, to about
the moneys lodged by the Portuguese Financial
agency here with the London Joint Stock Bank, have been
attached. The merits of the case as regards the seizure
were not before the court, but simply the rights of attach-
ment, and this was held not to exist, because the amount
does not belong to the Queen of Portugal, who, it is alleged,
has no control whatever over it when once remitted to Eng-
land. The difficulty, of course, in these cases is to deter-
mine the party to whom the money really does belong. No
doubt the case will, in a new shape, be followed up, and if
Baron de Haber is unable to recover of the Government,
we presume his banker will be liable. If any justification
of the seizure is to be made, we shall then probably have it.
The public debt of Prussia which bears interest
amounts to 155 millions of thalere, to which must be added
18,333,000 thalers of provincial debt. The debt of the State
has increased 26,599,006 thalers since 1850.