The Sun.
London, England, 1833-08-31 00:00:00

REPLY.

" A thousand, thousand thanks for your recollection !
My son has just brought me your letter. With what
eagerness I read it ! and yet I was very slow; for not a
word in it but brought tears into my eyes. But they
were tears of joy !—My whole heart is mine again—such
as it has ever been, such as it will ever he. There are
sentiments which form one's existence, and end only with
our lives.—l am grieved that my letter offended you. I
cannot call to mind its exact tenor; but 1 know that the
vexation arising from your silence produced a painful
feeling in my mind. I wrote to you en quitting Malmai-
son ; and a thousand times since have longed to write
again. But I felt conscious of the motive of your silence,
and feared to be importunate. Your letter was blame to
my soul !—Be happy l—happy as you deserve! My whole
heart expresses itself in these few words. You have just
awarded me a share in your happiness; nothing—nothing
can be so gratifying as a proof of your remembrance.
Farewell, dearest (mon alai). I thank you, again and
again, with unalterable affections.

" JOSEPHINE."

GIBBON somewhere says that immorality of
conduct kept pace with the multiplicity of moral philoso.
phero.
SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.—The fatal Ist
of September is fast approaching ; the birds are numerous
and thriving, and capital sport may be expected. Hares,
however, are net so plentiful ; and it is doubtful whether
that animal will not, ere long, become, like the phoenix,
extinct. We have been led to make these remarks, from
having already seen, this season, a hare running about
with the poacher's spring round its neck. We may safely
affirm, that thousands of hares will be killed a day before
the first of the next month, and ready for the London
Market. So much for the boasted efficacy of our Game
Laws. But our business is now with the young Sports•
man, who perhaps snakes his first essay this season ; let
him, therefore, procure at once a copy of the " Field
Book," a volume replete with every information that can
arouse or instruct the Sportsman. This work has al-
ready bad an extensive sale.

EXPLOSION OF GAS.—On Saturday after-
noon,
between 5 and 6 o'clock, an explosion of gis oc-
curred in a furnishing shop in West Nile-street, which
was attended with nearly fatal, and, as it was, with very
serious results. During the day there was a disagreeable
smell, and a smith was sent for, who examined and re-
p,ir,(l what portion of the pipes he considered required it :
but the nauseous odour did not cease, and again was the
mechanic set to work, when it occurred to him that the
.scape might be from the main pipe under the floor. Ac-
cordingly, one of the deals was edeed up, and a lighted
paper unthinkingly held to the opening, when a flame,
that requited pailfulls of water to extinguish, and which
threatened to set the premises on fire, furiously burst forth.
At this juncture nothing more serious took place; but in a
few minutes after, just so soon, it appeared, as the air had
got time to generate and mix with the gas, a light was a
second time applied to the same spot, when the consequence
was an explosion, which was heard at the distance of 200
yards, which completely demolished the window, frame-
work and all, and blew its contents, dolls, drums,
squibs, skyrockets, and crackers, " high in air," which,
with the; force of a cannon, tore the flooring from its
fastenings, and sent the smith and the unlucky mistress
of the shop with such a fearful force against the ceiling,
as fairly to indent and considerably damage it, to the
serious injury of their own limbs; the former, either in
his ascent or decent, getting one of his arms broken,
and the latter, we have been told, one of her legs, which
upset the counter heavily upon a little girl, overturned a
fourth person, and as if to show its irresistible strength,
stuck firm and fast in the ceiling the crow-bar with
which the opening in the floor had been made, So
sudden was the shock, that, although it alarmed the
neighbouring inhabitants, they could not perceive what
was wrong, till on entering the ill-fated shop, they found
it .
tne state we have attempted to describe, with the
inmates lying ingloriously, one above the other, covered
with dust, and so horror-stricken as to be unable to assist
themselves out of their miserable plight. A little girl
who was in the street at the time, had a very narrow
escape. The damage done to the premises is considera-
ble. Such accidents, although happily of rare occurrence,
ought to teach the public the propriety of observing the
utmost caution under similar circumstances, and employ-
ing such men only as, from their experience in the line,
are enabled to go about their operations without danger
to themselves, or the property and persons of other indi-
viduals..., Glasgow Courier.

DREADFUL FIRE-FIVE PER SONS

BURNED TO DEATH.

On Wednesday night last, about half-past eleven
o'clock, a most alarming and destructive fire broke
out in the house of Mr. Josephs, hatter and general
salesman, living at No. 19, Monmouth-street, Seven
Dials, which burned with such fierceness and rapi-
dity that the safety of the surrounding neighbour-
hood was for a long time in imminent danger, and
we regret to state the melancholy fact that the lives
of five persons fell a sacrifice to the devouring ele•
ment, and that three others are missing, who, it is
much feared, have shared a similar fate.

The following account we have gleaned from the
neighbours and others who witnessed this lament-
able occurrence :—At about half-past eleven o'clock
on Wednesday night Mr. Spencer, bricklayer and
plasterer, residing at No. 73, Monmouth-street, was
just retiring to bed, and was in the act of fastening
his window, when his notice was suddenly attracted
by a dense smoke issuing from the front of Mr. Jo-
seph's shop. He directly crossed over, and on
examining the premises found the shutters so heated
that he could not bear to hold his hand to them.
Feeling convinced that the house was on fire, he
gave an alarm, and a number of persons having
quickly assembled, they succeeded in forcing down
one of the shutters, but the moment the rush of
fresh air was admitted, the whole of the internal
part of the shop burst into one body of fire, and
blazed forth with such violence that the flames
reached half across the street. Every effort was
made to arouse the inmates ; but the progress
of the devouring element was so rapid that in
lees than five minutes from the commencement
it had reached the first floor, and was quickly
extending itself to the upper stories. In a few
seconds after this a female in her night clothes
with an infant in her arms, made her appearance at
one of the second-floor windows. She threw up
the sash, tittering the most piercing shrieks for as-
sistance, at the same time holding her child out at
arm's-length to save it from the heat, and calling to
the persons in the street to rescue her. On per-
ceiving the wretched parent thus ,imploring pro-
tection for her offspring the crowd below stood hor-
ror struck, and no endeavour was made at the mo-
ment to procure a ladder or rather convenience to
assist her escape from so perilous and appalling a
situation. The dense cloud of smoke which shortly
afterwards arose from the lower part of the premises
obliged her to retire from the window, and in less
than a minute afterwards the whole apartment was
filled with flame, and the unfortunate women was
seen by the neighbours opposite struggling with her
babe in her arms, until she sank on the floor, ap-
parently in the greatest agony, which a most hor-
rible death in a few moments terminated. The
most painful anxiety was then felt as to the fate of
the other inmates, as the whole of the house was
let out to lodgers, two or three families occupying
every floor, and there being no means of escape but
from the top of the house. The Phoenix engine
speedily arrived, and was quickly followed by seve-
ral others belonging to the London Fire Company;
but, owing to some mismanagement, either respect-
ing the water or some other cause, the roof of the
house was in flames before they could bring any one
of the engines to play upon it. The efforts of the fire-
men were t hen directed to prevent the adjoining houses
catching fire, which they, with very great exertion,
succeeded in doing, and in about an hour the fire
was sufficiently got under to prevent any further
mischief occurring. A large body of police con-
gregated on the spot on the first alarm, and ren-
dered very effectual aid by co-operating with the
firemen, and keeping off the crowd. A scene of a truly
heartrending description was witnessed amongst the
lodgers, some of whom having missed a child, or
orther relative, were to be seen running about the
streets half frantic, making anxious inquiries of
every one they met, while others were only re-
strained by force from again entering the burning
premises in search of those who were absent, al,
though their death by so doing was inevitable. At
present the exact number of those who have
perished has not been ascertained ; but yesterday
morning, about nine o'clock, five bodies were dug
out of the ruins, so dreadfully disfigured, that
scarcely any vestige of a human being remained
distinguishable about them. They were conveyed
to St. Giles's workhouse, and have since been
identified as those of a family occupying the front
room on the second floor, consisting of a man
I named Collins and his wife, who sold fruit in the
street (the same female who was seen at the window
and who had only lain in 13 days), her infant, and
her husband's brother, a very fine young man ; the
fifth is that of a female who occupied the back room
on the second floor. Three other persons are now
missing, and there is no doubt but they have met
with a similar fate. Various rumours are afloat re-
specting the manner in which the fire originated,
but it is generally supposed to have been caused by
he gas having been negligently attended to.