The Sun.
London, England, 1860-08-28 00:00:00

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.

SID CASE.—A FIT OBJECT TOR A REFORMATORY.—
John Sadlier, a boy of 13, was charged before Mr. Beadon
with robbing his father, John Sadlier, formerly an hotel
keeper, but from misfortune reduced to the position of a
waiter, and living at 13, Bear-street, Leicester-square, of
four sovereigns.

The father said on Friday morning about six he had his
purse safe under his pillow containing the money, and he
then left to go to the hotel where he was employed; and
on his return, he having only left his wife, who was in a
dying state, in the room, and the prisoner, he missed from
the purse four sovereigns. The prisoner had then absconded,
and he saw no more of him till the previous (Monday)
night, he having been given up by the person with whom
ha was staying.

The boy said he took the money, having been told to do
so by other boys.

In answer to Mr. Beadon, the father said he (prisoner)
had robbed him several times before, and he could do
nothing with him ; he had tried his utmost to reclaim him,
and given him a good education, but all to no purpose. He
was willing to pay for him to be kept in a reformatory, so
as to have him from his five other children.

Mr. Holden, inspector of the C division, said the boy had
been sent by the father to a boarding-school, and the boy's
mother was dying.

Mr. Beadon said it was a sad case, and remanded the
young scapegrace for the purpose of seeing what can be
done with him.

THE GREAT FIRE IN LONG-ACRE.

LATEST PARTICULARS.
Yesterday (M onday) morning, at an early hour,
Mr. Hunt, the inspector of risks, together with Mr.
Closs, the surveyor to the Sun Fire-office, and Mr.
Timms, of the County Office, proceeded to the scene
of the fearful catastrophe, with a view of ascertain-
ing how the fire took place, and the extent of the
damage done. The result of the above gentlemen's
inquiries led to the unmistakable conclusion that a
far greater destruction of property has occurred
than was at one time apprehended. The St. Mar-
tin's Hall was six floors high, and the entrance was
beautifully decorated with pictures and statuary,
some of great value, the former consisting of por-
traits of Francis Joseph Hadyn, bearing date 1752,
1819. The next picture of any importance was
that suspended over the grand staircase, one dated
1817, containing a portrait of Felix Mendelssohn.
These works of art have fortunately escaped the
ravages of the fire, but the damage done to them by
the scalding water is incalculable. The statuary and
other ornaments in the different entrances have also
escaped the fury of the flames, but they are notwith-
standing severely injured by the heated water.
From the inquiries made during yesterday morn-
ing there seems not the least doubt but the fire com-
menced either in the painting rooms on the upper
floor of Messrs. Kesterton, the coach and carriage
builders, or else in the varnishing houses of the
same range of premises. From all that can be at pre-
sent ascertained there seems little if any doubt that
the fire was the result of the spontaneous ignition of
some oily rags used in drying up the oils spilt
in the preparation of the different paints. This is
to a certain extent borne out by three police-officers
of the F division, viz., 57, 109, and 22. These offi-
cers had their attention called to the top part of the
buildings by the smoke pouring out of the top win-
dows nearest Hanover-street. From that point the
flames seem to have seized upon the warehouses on
the right and leit of this floor, and in a very few
minutes a space covering over 170 feet on the
uppermost floor presented a regular blaze, and as
the fire reached the roof it shot through and ignited
sundry other compartments, including the fitting-
up shops, the dressing and polishing rooms, the
furnishing houses, as well as the general stores, in
which property of great value was deposited, in-
cluding the elaborate fittings of various carriages
belonging to members of the nobility. The cushions
and appointments of the different carriages were
roughly estimated in value at £2,000, and the furni-
ture, musical instruments, and organ in the St.
Hartin's Hall, were considered to be worth about
£5,000 more than the amount insured upon the
property. From the particulars furnished by the
surveyors to the different fire offices, it appears that
there was only the sum of £8,500 effected in the
Sun Fire-office on the St. Martin's Hall, and £8,500
on the stock, and there was another item of £6,000
insured in another office. There was an insurance
of the contents of Messrs Kesterton's manufactory,
and another of £5,000 in the Sun Fire-office, and a
sum of £4,000 on the building. There was also an
insurance of £5,000 in another office, and what is
still better, an insurance of £350 was effected on
the workmen's tools, but who have lost over £l,OOO
worth. The sum deficient there is no doubt will
be made up public subscriptions, and by the neigh-
bours in the district.
The beautiful stone Corinthian pillars of the Hall
are blistered, and they now look as if fretted by old
age ; the iron pillars are also reduced to misshapen
masses ; but not a vestige of any of the galleries,
boxes, or pit seats, remain—the whole are totally
consumed. The immense heavy beams of timber
that stretched across to support the roof can be seen
lying in terrible confusion amongst the debris in
the ground-floor of the hall. All the decorations,
which were so much admired by the habitues of this
popular place of musical instruction are "clean gone
for ever," not a vestige remaining intact. The valu-
able music works, of which there were some thou-
sand books, of our ancient masters are to be seen
scattered over the ruins in dire confusion, scarcely
a book being perfect.
At the time of the outbreak, Mr. Edlin, the secre-
tary of the St. Martin's Hall, was at Southwold, in
Suffolk, and Mr. Hullah was at Hythe, in Kent,
and it is to be regretted that his loss is so much
more than the amount of the insurance effected on
the premises as his private property.
In the grand music-hall were 148 gas-burners,
and the whole of the fittings have gone, not one re-
maining entire. The ribs of the different galleries,
and the ,orchestra at the east end, capable of hold-
' ing so many instrumentalists and vocalists, have
been reduced to ashes.
To tell the exact amount of damage done would
be impossible, but it is considerably greater than
was on Sunday supposed. The flames, which were
expected to have been extinguished in the course of
a few minutes, speedily seized hold of and fairly
enveloped the two immense buildings. The extra-
ordinary exertions of the firemen of the London
Brigade, and the police under Mr. Superintendent
Durkin, were instrumental in saving the houses in
Hanover-street, Wilson-street, and also those in
Charles-street. The stand cocks of the New River
Company having been drawn the water was thrown
during the whole of yesterday (Monday), but in
spite of which the conflagration was not extin-
guished until most of the houses abutting upon the
music hall and the carriage factory were nearly
burned out.
The powerful steam land engine by Shand and
Mason, of the Blackfriars-road, on this occasion
saved an immense amount of property.
The Royal Society's fire escapes, under Inspec-
tors Badeley, Gordon, &c., were early on the spot,
and the escapes were of great assistance as being
the means of taking the hose from the different
engines to the tops of the houses, some of which
were 100 feet high, and by that expedient much
property was saved.

s. d

The Russian journals mention the discovery of a
large lake in one of the provinces of the Amour. It bears
the name of Nor-Naissan, is situated between 47 deg. 50
sec. and 48 deg. 30 sec. N., and 90 deg. and 106 deg. 30 sec.
E., to the south of the chain of the Altai, in the Chinese
Djeingarie. The length of this piece of water is 136 kilo-
metres (five-eighth of a mile each), and its breadth varies
from 16 to 24 kilometres. It is frozen from November to
May. The immense abundance of its fisheries immediately
attracted a great number of Russians to its banks, and by
means of arrangements entered into with the Chinese
authorities they have definitively established themselves
there, and live on the most friendly terms with their neigh.
bows.