The Sun.
London, England, 1834-10-22 00:00:00

PRIVY COUNCIL.

The Lords of
ki the • the Council as again yesterday,
Their listendance was nearly as numerous as on Monday.
sielock, i!rdshiPs, however, broke up shortly after four
takip,„ " consequence, as we understand, of the proceeding
0,44! a most unexpected and most important turn, the
'44" which
`afterne givebelow.
of parer several witnesses connected with the two Houses
Wri,lajent had been examined, whose testimony went
I)a".Y to corroborate that given yesterday by Mrs.
111%1 ti,and others, respecting the unusual heat observed
tll, ia noose of Lords, previously to the breaking out of
the Cl s, James Cross, the man who was employed by
aka r erlis of the Works to burn the Eitehequer tallies,
Nfealled, and his further examination nits continued at
ktt ength• We understand that he persisted in his
kkt-e,r,statetnent—viz., denying being repeatedly. cautioned
_
Ikale danger of continuing to burn the tallies in so rapid
td tier. The boy Reynolds, whose duty it is to answer
0,,50r-bell for Mrs. Wright, the housekeeper, persisted,
ever, in his statement of having been sent no less than
times with a message from that lady, to the effect stated.
thee omitted to mention yesterday, that Mr. Cooper, of
NI tin', of Cooper, Hall, and Co., stove-manufacturers, of
the pane, who had the superintendence and repairing of
ti
ne nes in both Houses entrusted to their charge, was
te
Proved' The effect of that gentleman's evidence went
that
o as0;1 that the stoves, &c. were calculated to bear
wede heats, and that the accident could not well have
fi.„„,
' neglect ""' any defect in that department, without some
1,
e'da
'gilled, 3 Mr. Hall, the partner of Mr. Cooper, was exa-
the fir 4.4(1. this
gentleman's testimony was, it is stated, of
imPortance. We understand that he was in Biz.-
tq " 444 On Thursday night, when the fire occurred, and
kr°4ned their Lordships that he heard it publicly stated
,Ilstis:,raireniPanies in that town which he named, that the
w"as°3 Lords and Commons were. burnt to the ground.
Nen, 4 early as ten o'clock at night. This astoundingr
eoliect Ppeared to astonish every one, as it will be
fire
was disc as past six o'clock in the evening before the
dent 41vered by those on the spot, and it is quite
qatis,444llat even steam communication could not have.
Nihf`ted the intelligence nearly 120 miles in such an in:
space of time. The Lords of the Council
questions to this witness, as to his being cer-
tll4. Thursda was the day to which he alluded ; but
4441 Point WI.. Hall was positive, as it was a circum-
411' k'ieh he could not mistake, for he returned to town
isach:3ll,Saturday morning by the Shrewsbury Regulator
hi4t.cl ci'anieh left Birmingham on Friday at noon. The
ocellor here suggested the absolute necessity of
,It1:1:11 Rt" guard of the Shrewsbury coach before them,
;,`tesde;,s,engers were immediately despatched to procure his
tho but the result of their endeavours to carry
,4tille,°"dsliipi' directions into effect, was the discovery
e
t"s re,;? Were several guards, and the one whose en
"41.11 t, agl;irriec+l.ll INas then on his journey, and would not be in
otto-morrow.
tttkil: these circumstances, and the Lord Chancellor 's
41. folit Ace, being required at another place, their Lordships,
ch"'Nek, terminated the inquiry for the day. The _
however, shortly afterwards returned, and
ii? ?Se 'graslt.ted that both the Noble Lord and Lord Mel-
r exert; Particular instructions to the messengers, that
tihe k.:IIS should be omitted to procure the attendance
E vast who left Birmingham on the Friday. .
kn.;l;',' 'eal of importance is attached t.o this informa-
it'se, if Mr. Hall is not labouring under some
4340ttie Clearly proves that the late disastrous catastrophe
It'sida so Much the effect of accident, as, up to the pr
inquir was so generally believed.
SColl\BqUelletleof his Majesty coming to town to-morrow
.1431) for purpose of holding a council at St.
Palace, to receive the Recorder's report, their
Babelt‘,44l64l:pterestearranged tomeet as early as
.eleven o'clock
4,h_al ieve no witness will be examined before the
ilir"--one o'clock
increases every hour, as the inquiry proceeds.
el,TheilnllB LATE HOUSE OF COMMONS.
C4,1)e1, 4111.ese of Commons was formed within St. Stephen's
14 by a floor raised above the pavement, and a
thitaxiderably below the ancient roof. Between these
esea,w,as customaryto accommodate ladies with sittings,
kt—
bear, through apertures for ventilating the house,
k'°rder e'.B in debate upon extraordinary occasions. By
shy of
the
house t
he presence
of females in the gallery
n It does not appear in what manner the
sss ofas originally fitted up as the Commons'
t. On the.. great seal of the
i' l
Pestry
;eath, in 1651, the walls appear hungt with
Si plaintl'revious seals represent them
.o have
ChristoY-I,w4nscoted They remained tapestried until
thetin er lAr Wren .rep 'red the house and fitted it up
reign repaired
queen Anne. Mr. Onslow,
eLgPbeaeikner' Washeard too say he remembered tapestry
to be R op, that with every new Parliament. a set
Or . Provided, and that on these occasions the ho_use-
th4ltertal.rned the old hangings as her. perquisite. Very
r °lens were made from that time until 1800, when.
tt ekes,
it:t%ed f ntatives of the people in. Parliament were in-
rOin .558 to 658 by the Union with Ireland, and
tiers tiD'se Was ordered to be enlarged.
t 1,4 examinin the original side-walls between the
1044 ii LpeY, Were foundg to be three feet thick ; and the re-
ement was effected by erecting, on the same
ipt'l.t44rliaar‘vgall of one foot thick, which ranged with the
extremity of the walls. On removing the wain-
W;:. discovery was made on the old stone walls, of
t 541,4 roarkable paintings and works of art, which.. had
ieesstit„ltile ancient chapel. Some of the paintings r
0, with angels, about five feet high, in a standing pos-
ste ith
win s of peacocks' feathers, each holding be-
-4-1101 firth
a Piece of drapery, bearing devices of doves,
engles, elephants
sad. astles griffins or dragons, and
tlie,bll,44B4'haOthers. were Scripture subjects, with legends of
rttsty h"; 4 verses over. Under the windows there were
t1,14s lelintings in compartments, many of them containing
hc;11 l2 figures, besides 16 subjects at the east end,
kicl4 iards of 100 figures of angels, knights, and youths,
eillsdh,42 statutes 6 feet high, sculptured in stone, and
_
aC riA °ll brackets. Some of the paintings were remar
, others, meaner in execution, seem to have been
ably Y
.hidden by hangings.
.The colours were re-
t'Q itlt vivid, and the gilding retained its lustre. The
ti°t4t.ls
aLor of the edifice was covered with ornaments.
tO ill- "n 8 and grotesque supporters mingled
.through-
II 41.11 ct ass of embellishments. It has been imagnintevdiethatst
tliltity ate, at the time of its erection, could u
etti 4nd
ttlar,,era -s.aucence. All the walls were of free-stone,
aii Caen-stone.,, the columns and. seats around Purbeck
*V?e tie" the freizes and carved parts, Roch-abbey stone.
C:titi had at the upper end of Westminster-hall,
ieltrt.,,q,the Court of King's Bench on the left, and the
't4tC hair Chancery on the right, when those Courts stood
'pew Years ago, was made on occasion of the trial
0.0 Lords Strafford, in 1680, for the more ready access
klt;tt' 1, from their house to the body of the hall,
satt.4tio4": ic)rnied a Supreme Court of Judicature. This
110 is stated in the account of Lord Straffor'sltriael
" All things being in readiness, and ai atregr.
tito broken through the upper end of Westm ns
of
tfpt;lB th the room which was heretofore the Court
Lordships passed from their house first into
14311,9:"' Chamber, then through that called intothat
',tck.qttle,stk thence turning on the left hand
`llrCdo,,,- "urt of Wards, then entered.-at the
anddoor sod
,),, as aforesaid, into Westminster-hall,passed
),° I°rlg gallery placed between the King's Bench
1:14114?'4 Ileety Courts into this (their) new erected
estminster-hall." Subsequently Westminsthear--
fOrish,r'ned nn each side with shops for booksellers,
441' remand Persons conducting light businesses, w
44.11teatIti;Y-oustorners in the lawyers and their clients
shop' whoab o the Courts, and a multitude of people of both
ms
resorted to Westin' t hall as a mart for
Nae, 1752, when Parliament-street was formed,
he
fit;rsibst °eßan to be erected the only carriage avenue t.o
'l43' alt-hall and the Houses of Parliament was through
." narrow passage of King-street.

. . -
~_1)1,,,,_. ill. LATE CONFLAGRATION.
Itlr°l°,,,,rll'iletoolleprizeoegresTs
The
ef tfihrestfirweaathraeheonetxphloaslfi-opnass
l'Nen 41. liell .
I,,iitl,,;e't:lll,baaamtyh'es
hapartments,
tandhe wcaosr sotyloaund that the
"ode 1-11 e laads outside the great window ofd to
another
s West-
ategvuenn
4's, a'all, ins-stall-fly dropped them,
the' and instantly
in the n
hi ie 11,0 °st of the persons . The second,
t,„(41 Iv 'nett supposed, for their lives.
anAalrlailnedd,owasnththeye
from the
I.liht:e:loftlasrl::l:otrut.nineo'cick, was much.loudeer than the
heard at a considerable distance
itt,i:te or
colouctlon. It. also appeared to be near the
IN all Lour
Nt) tellerall attift:rillsv'aasrds.thd.\t,laheenthtifide,
fiwhichrstw
atook
heardp lhaacidet
4kie tUti 3' suPPosed that Mr. Bellamy might. have
)ItiCl.!d a <P,Tvder in his apartmenttso,nhtehebeeitrnegomwshtaatneies
%ttetilllelltio-1,137.ng gentleman," bumr.
443, in tli,t le in the morning to
4')Y of. Lis txtiiele%;as totally ignorant of tßheelrleamhay;injugnbehene
tltiltiattthereex,,,siorsiso:artments, nor could he account for
134 who b rnarkable circumstance that out of all the pi‘eirr-.
140tay, :,`ie been sufferers one only is insured,
Fire -1
tto t)il' It halls insured h 1 the British Office for
,<,
,11
the Leen ascertained that the stock ofv,wi.nes,
''' i'''bci'.3' Nutle,eleloB.lrs, is uninjured. Mr. Bellamy -0..1.1
hilti-kQk i.. the' ered for the safety of three cats wine
Wk, it oer: , cellars ; but yesteTa.raisy they were seen
and some food
1-101,44:eree the
.. be rickwork of the
db
kid's eofreno.tn rn. Mr.Howar., 'the'. proprietor of
' '''use, has wines and spirits to the value

of 1,4001. in his cellars, but he has not yet been able to
ascertain whether or not they are safe, some of the ruins
having fallen over the entrance to them.
Th following is a list of the engines in attendance on
the night of the fire :
Belonging to the London Fire Engine Establishment 13
Float
County, British, West of England, and Norwich
Union Fire Offices, one each 4
St. Margaret's Parish 2
St. Martin's ditto
St. John's ditto
The Speaker's yard 2
Messrs. Elliott, the brewers at Pimlico 1
Hyde Park Barracks 1
Exchequer Office 1
Admiralty 1
St. James's Palace
Victualling Department, Deptford ...... .........

The engines belongini, to Government—with the ex-
ception of those from Deptford and the barrack engine—
were very much out of repair ; and the engine belonging
to St. James's Palace, which was a very large one, had
no hose.

Throughout yesterday the number of persons who visited
the scene of devastation was as numerous as on any of the
previous days. About twelve o'clock it was considered ne-
cessary, in consequence of its beiug in a most dangerous
state, to pull down the remainder of the wall near the Bi-
shop's Entrance. A rope was accordingly thrown over it,
and after two pulls it fell into Palace-yard. Some of the
engines still remain in attendance in case of the fire break-
ing out again, the coals in the cellars still burning furiously.
A great number of workmen were employed throughout
the day in clearing the rubbish from the Commons' en-
trance, which they accomplished about four o'clock, piling
the burnt timber together inside the hoard, and sorting out
the lead, &c.
Sir Robert Smirke, attended by the Usher and Deputy
Usher of the Black Rod, and assisted by the Clerk of the
Works, &c., was engaged the entire morning in examining
the flues, which it is supposed was the cause of the fire.
They are placed immediately under a floor of common
paving-stone, which, when heated to a certain extent,
breaks into a thousand pieces. When the house was re-
paired some years since the oak floor was placed about a
above the stones, and on their giving way the fire easily
communicated with the wood, as they communicated
almost instanter to the whole of the interior of the house.
This, there can be no doubt, was the cause of the fire.