The Sun.
London, England, 1850-02-08 00:00:00

THE FIRE IN LAMBETH

" Messrs. Grissell's premises on the opposite side of
this street, at present unoccupied, are damaged by fire
and water, the parapet of the building being burnt and
the front much scorched.

" YORK-ROAD.
" No. 2. Mr. James Heath, livery stablekeeper—
Stock and furniture slightly injured by removal.
" Nos. 3,4, 5, and 6—Similarly damaged.
" Nos. 7 and 8, occupied jointly by Mr. Miskin, sur-
geon—The back front very much burnt, and roof and
window frames destroyed, and furniture damaged by
fire and water. Insured in the Sun-office.
" No. 9. Mr. Brownsmith-.The back windows and
roof wholly destroyed, and the house very much injured
by fire and water. Insured in the Sun-office.
" No. 10. Mr. Miller—The house has slut tined pre-
cisely similar injury to the last. The occupant is un-
insured.

" No. 11. Mr. Hartley—Similar injury, and also un
insured.

" No. 12. Mr. R. Wardle, superintendent of Messrs.
Grissell's workmen at the new houses of Parliament—
SiroilAr injury. Insured in the Norwich Union office.i
" No. 13. Mr. Dawson, surgeon—The back front of
the house, which forms the corner of Guildford-street, is
only slightly burnt, but the furniture has been much
injured by water. _

BELVEDERE-ROAD.
"No 2. Mr. Hutchinson—The back front much
burnt and window frames destroyed. Insured in the
County-office.

" No. 3. Mr. Swansden.—This house has sustained
similar damage. Uninsured.
" No. 4. Mr. Harris—Similar injury. Uninsured.
" No. 5. Mr. GlanYill, house agent—Similar injury.
Uninsured.
" No. 6. Mr Farewesther—Similar injury. Unin-
sured."

CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.
Cape of Good Hope papers of the 15th of Dec.,
with private letters of that date, have just come to
hand, being seven days later than the journals pre-
viously received. The following private letter em-
braces all the news transmitted from that colony:—
" Cape of Good Hope, Dec. 15, 1849.
" Everything here is in a most deplorably dull state.
Trade quite at a stand, owing to this convict agitation.
The Anti-Convict Association are just hanging by a
thread, waiting the news from England for the disposal
of the convicts, as they find they could do nothing to-
wards crippling the Government by cutting off our supplies,
which we get better and cheaper than we did from our
late contractors, who we are making pay the penalties of
throwing up contracts by choice. Then the difference
between the highest price we have paid for supplies and
the contract price, which up to the period of their con •
tracts will be a very large sum, exceeding 1,0001. and
their bonds alone amounted to 1,2601, all which the as-
sociation are bound to pay for them, and to enable them
to do so they have called for collections in all the
churches at the Christmas Sacrament; but the Dutch
are too fond of money, I think, to hand out for the folly
of this association to pay Government for their improper
and illegal proceedings, besides having to pay the prose-
cutions of private parties. Commodore Wyvill is here
in the Castor, with the Geyser steamer. The Neptune
convict ship still remains, with a part of the convicts on
board the Seringapatam. The Orestes is at Mauritius.
The Pantaloon and Dee in the Mozambique, whither
the Commodore will proceed as soon as
i the convict agi-
tation ceases, and the Governor will go n the Geyser to
Algoa Bay, on his way to the frontier."

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, Feb. 7.
EXEMPTION OF HOUSES OF SMALL RENTAL
FROM TAXATION.

Mr. POULETT SCROPE rose, amidst much turmoil,
to move for the introduction of a Bill for the exemption
of small houses from taxation; but said, that in the
present temper of the House he did not expect to get a
hearing. Those persons who had read the reports which
had been presented to Parliament for the last few years
would agree—he would appeal to the reports of the
Poor-law Commissioners, of the Board of Health, and
above all, those able letters which had appeared in
the columns of the Times under the signature of
"S. G. 0.," would agree with him that there was a great
deficiency in the cottage and house accommodation in
this country. The consequences of this were net only
physical suffering in the masses but also moral degradation.
Legislation had hitherto been confined to drainage and
the supply of water, but though he did not undervalue
these advantages, they would be insufficient unless more
accommodation and space were provided for the dwellings
of the poor. lie did not ask the Legislature to provide
better sites for there dwellings; but he thought? it
might with propriety be taken into cousidera
floe, whether or not the restrictions which
pressed upon them could not be done Taway with.
The mode which he would adopt for removing the evil
would not be so much by any specific legislation as by
removing restrictions which were imposed by the build-
ing of houses, for then the principle of supply and demand
would be sufficient to remedy the evil. The law of
settlement, for instance, was one of the main causes of
the evil which he was now bringing under the considera-
tion of the House; and he, therefore, proposed that a
certain class of houses should be exempt from local
taxation, believing that the poor would be relieved
thereby in the same manner as the abolition
or removal of any other tax upon articles of

The following is a copy of the official report of the
damage, rendered by Mr. Braidwood, the chief superin-
tendent of the brigade force, to the several insurance
offices:—

" PEDLAR'S-ACRE.
" Mr. George Myers' building and timber yard—
Offices, sawmills, workshops, and stables, with their con-
tents (including four horses), wholly destroyed. In-
sured in the West of England and Phenix Fire-offices.
"Messrs. Walter Cosser and Son, timber merchants—
Premises injured by fire and stock damaged. Insured
in the Phoenix Fire-office.
"GumnroßD-STREET.
" Messrs. Christopher Nickels and Co., patent india-
rubber web manufacturers—Warehouse and manufactory
burnt down, and contents wholly destroyed. Insured in
the London and other offices.