The Sun.
London, England, 1866-03-10 00:00:00

ALARMING FIRES.

About one o'clock this morning a fire of a very
alarming nature, and attended with considerable
loss of property, took place in the victualling esta-
blishment belonging to Mr. Strowd, 17, Ferdinand-
street, Kentish Town. The inmates having been
aroused they happily effected a safe retreat. Con-
ductor Douglas attended with the Royal Society's
escape, and numerous engines of the parish, the
metropolitan brigade, and the land steamers by
Shand, Mason, and Co. Plenty of water having
been procured, the firemen went to work, but they
were unable to get the fire extinguished until the
bar was burnt out and the other portions of the
building much damaged. The origin of the fire is
unknown.

Another fire took place in the premises belonging
to Mr. More, a basket Manufacturer, carrying on
business at No. 45, Webber-road, Waterloo-road.
In the course of a few minutes, the flames, owing
to the highly inflammatory nature of the stock in
trade, spread with amazing rapidity, and very
speedily the fire shot high in the air causing great
alarm amongst the inmates of the Magdalen
Hospital and the surrounding streets. Conductor
Garner and Sell, promptly arrived with two of
the Royal Society's escapes, and also head engineer
Medcalf, followed with one of Shand and Mason's
land steamers. Numerous others of the Metropolitan
Brigade followed, and water having been procured
from the Lambeth Company, the firemen went to
work in an admirable manner, but they were unable
to get the conflagration extinguished until the whole
of the workshops and their contents were consumed,
One of the firemen bad a narrow escape, by falling
into a pit of water used for wetting the twigs, and
he became immersed up to his neck, and one of the
escape men also beeame immersed up to his
stomach. The origin of the fire is unknown.
A strong body of police, under Mr. Superinten-
dent Webb, rendered great assistaace to the firemen
by keeping a great crowd out of danger.

SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE.—This Day.

LONDON, March 10.—Wind this-day at .noon—North-
Easterly ; moderate breeze, and fine weather, but rather
cloudy.

PORTSMOUTH, March 9.—Wind N.E.—Arrived—General
Lee, from Belfast for Rotterdam, with slight damage to
air pumps.

LIVERPOOL, March B.—Wind E.—Arrived—Aldersons,
from Pomaron.

LEITIr, Marck 9.—Wind N.W.—Sailed—Warren, for
Trinidad.

PLYMOVTII, March B.—Wind N.N.E.—Arrived—lm-
manual Langesand Mirella, from Shields for Shanghae,
with damage.

BRISTOL, March 9.—Wind S.W.—Arrived.—Avoca;
from Mauritius.
FALMOUTH, March 8. —Wind S.W.—Sailod Redgaunt-
lot, for Calcutta ; Roina, for Rio Grande

Lltit ELECTRIC TELEGRAM.
GRAVESEND, Saturday Morning.
Arrived, March 10—Belgium, from Ostend; Leo, from
Antwerp.
Sailed, March 10--Panther, steamer, for Boulogne ;
Velocity, steamer, for Calais.

DEAL, Saturday Morning.
Passed, March 9—Daniel Webster, from London for
New York.
Sailed, Mardi 9—Cella, for New York ; Racehorse, for
Madras.

The Marquis of Hastings and the Hon. Mr.
Foley, M.P., have left the St. George's Hotel.
We have to announce the death of Sir William
Gore Ouseley, K.C.8., D.C.L., late hor Majesty's Minister
Plenipotentiary to the Central States of America. Sir
William, during a long career, has filled many important
diplomatic positions. He leaves a widow and an only
daughter, married to Lieut. the Hon. J. T. Fitz-Maurice,
R.N., fifth son of the Earl and Countess of Orkney.
ABDICATING WITH DIGNITY.—It is said that when
Prince Couza and his wife left Bucharest, they were, to all
appearance, as unconcerned as if they worn about to take a
holiday trip. Both the prince and princess had cigars in
their mouths when they entered their carriage.

A brother-in-law of Hughes, the negro minstrel,
who was recently murdered in Montreal, has received in-
formation that Hughes and an English captain got into an
argument as to the relative merits of the Northern and
Southern people in reference to the late rebellion. Words
ran high, and an ex-rebel officer interfered in the quarrel
and made use of insulting epithets, whereupon Hughes
knocked him down. On the latter regaining his feet ho
fired at Hughes with a revolver, the ball passing through
from the right to left side and piercing the lungs.
Mr. J. T. Hart, the sculptor, now in Florence,
writes that his statue of Henry Clay, designed for the
Louisville Court-house, will be soon completed.
ONE HUNDRED MILES INaTIVEIgTY HOURS.—A
pedestrian, named Smalley, recently undertook to walk
100 miles in 20 successive hours, and on Monday the task
was commenced in the New Vauxhall Grounds at Bir-
mingham. Smalley completed the 100 miles in one hour
and ton minutes under the specified time.

THE IRISH CHURCH ESTABLISHMENT.—Sir John
Gray's motion on the Irish Church, which is to bo dis-
cussed next Tuesday, is couched in the followinz terms :
" That the Church Establishment in Ireland grievous
wrong to the people of that country, and its continued
maintenance prevents them from having confidence in the
justice or in the wisdom of the Imperial Parliament."
DESPATCH OF THE BRAZILIAN MAILS.—SOUTH-
AMPTON, Friday.—The Royal Mail Company's steamship
Oneida, Captain Woolcott, sailed this afternoon with tho
monthly mails for Lisbon, St. Vincent, Bahia, Pernam-
buco, Rio de Janeiro, Montevideo, Buenos' Ayres, &c. She
took out 54 passengers and a general cargo, including
£5,000 in gold, £B,OOO in bar silver, £1,025 English jewel-
lery, and £5,702 French jewellery.
ACCLIMATISATION. The inhabitants of several
cantons of Switzerland aro now occupied with the idea of
acclimatising the reindeer. For that purpose they have
already procured several pairs from Norway. A society
has been formed to promote that object.
The Houston Telegraph of late date says that
many of the planters declare that their hands never accom-
plished so much work before, were never more obedient or
better disposed, and, the wind and weather favouring, they
will make more cotton this year than they ever made in
any one year before. It thinks this can be made the ex-
perience of all, if matters are properly managed. What is
wanted is attentive employers and a certainty of reward for
labour. It says :—The demand for labourers on the plan-
tations is greater than the supply, and we seo scores of
planters seeking freedmen. Many of the planters pay a
premium for every labourer obtained, and some men are
doing a thriving business in securing them. We met a
planter from Grimes County yesterday, who informed us
that he would plant more cotton this season than in any
one season prior to the war, and would employ thirty per
cent. more labourers. He informed us that many of his
neighbours will do the same thing, and this is the cause of
labourers being,so scarce. Nearly all the planters have
been stimulated to raise cotton the coming season on ac-
count of the high price the staple brings, and many argue
that the price of cotton will not be less than twenty-five
cents per pound for several years hence, and as the
majority of the planters have sufficient farming utensils
to last them some time they have gone to work to retrieve
their lost fortunes in negro property.

The Niagara (Canada) Mail announces that the
American Government has taken the necessary precaution
to put a stop to Fenian or other raids which may be
attempted by giving instruction to the officers stationed at
Fort Niagara to be on the alert, and fire upon parties who
may make any attempt at a raid on that side of the river.
The other side of the river is regularly patrolled by effi-
cient guards, and the Mail says should any attempted raids
take place the parties concerned will have a warm recep-
tion, both back and front.
A gentleman who has just returned to Mobile
sn
bile
from a trip among the planters in the river co uio
Central Alabama reports that since the
hlsvte been taken
of January
negroes have been anxious to contract,and
by planters at fair prices, and that the
hearer
s
demaand for labour
eiSfSao
singlegreat tuhnreOmligphlnythedatfsreectionanthat he
duringhis
did
not
see oru
mb t Numbers
going to
of negroes have voluntarile;l:niloft Mobile for the purpose o
work upon plantations in the cotton-raising dis
tricts of the State. •
THE PRESIDENT'S LAST SPEECH. TIIC New
York Times maintains that the President's speech
—in its general tone, in the leading thought
and principle which it asserts —is one which
will arrest the attention and command the assent
of the great body of the American people. Its
language is strong, direct, manly, and such as no
inan can mistake or misinterpret. It adds, " The
President lays aside all the factitious dignity with
which his high office invests him, and talks, directly,
frankly, and with the powerful emphasis of unmis-
takable sincerity, to the people of the dangers which
menace the country, 'and of the duty which de-
volves upon them to avert them. And the people
everywhere will respond heartily and zealously to
these noble and patriotic declarations. They know
the sincerity of the man who makes them, and
they will stand by him in his determination to
carry them into effect."