The Sun.
London, England, 1868-12-07 00:00:00

FEARFUL SCENE AT A FIRE.

On Saturday morning, A fire, nearly attended with
the loss of six or seven persons, was discovered by a
police-officer of the N division, in the premises belonging
to Mr. Chalton, a linen draper and silk mercer, carry-
ing on business in Andover Terrace, Hornsey-road.
At the time of the outbreak the whole of the inmates
were in their beds fast asleep, and it was a work of no
little difficulty to make them aware of their impending
danger. That was, however, at length accom-
plished ; but the flames by this time had not only taken
possession of the front shop and warehouse, but also the
staircase, and were approaching the doors of three other
rooms, in which Mr. Charlton, his children, and his ser-
vants were. To descend by the staircase was therefore
an impossibility, and as a dernier ressort the affrighted
persons make for the front windows, and there
being a sun-blind over the shop-windows, the same was
pulled out, and two of the children were thrown out of
window on to the blind, and they rolled down and were
:aught by the people below. The servants, with the pro-
prietor and his wife, next scrambled down in the same
manner, and, fortunately, not one of them received the
least injury.

Mr. Benjamin Whitworth, M.P. for Drogheda, nas
been personally served in Manchester with the petition of
Sir L. M'Clintock against his return.

Lord Strafford is reported to be very seriously ill

In the event of his demise Lord Enfield would go to the
House of Peers, and we should thus have another election
for Middlesex.
There has been an affray at Alacroom, county Cork,
between the military and the inhabitants. The soldiers
conceived themselves insulted, and fourteen of them—of the
Ond Regiment—took off their belts and rushed at the crowd,
who replied with stones. Ultimately the soldiers beat off
their opponents.

A FRAUDULENT PAYMASTER. —The result of the

:ourt-martial on Paymaster Lawes 11. M.'s 90th Regiment,

is that he has been cashiered, sentenced to two years'
'mprisonraent, and ordered to refund 2723, for fraudulently
misapplying money belonging to her Majesty's army, and
making false statements in reference to his accounts.

A petition against the return of Mr. Sergeant
Cox, the Conservative member for Taunton, has
been presented, on the ground of bribery, intimidation

treating, and other corrupt practices. A sub-committee of
the Taunton Liberal Working Meu's Association have been
engaged for the past fortnight in collecting evidence, and it
Is reported that they have obtained quite a volume.
The United Service Gazette intimates that the sud-
den resignation of Ministers has postponed—" perhaps in-
definitely"—a most comprehensive scheme of administra-
tive reform, which, it says, would have not only remodelled
the War-office, but would have placed the relations of
that department and the Horse Guards upon an entirely
now footing.

Counsel's opinion has been taken on the subject of
the Natal grant. A proposal for a grant of money without
the initiation of the Standing Committee is pronounced ille-
gal. The Standing Committee agree to recommend to the
.special meeting on Dec. 8 that the sum of £2,000 be granted
for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge in the colony
of Natal; such sum to bo expended by the Standing Com-
mittee.

The IVenagli Guardian reports " an incident among
he strangest in the history of the English police force."
Tee Earl of Fosse, accompanied by his brothers and some
friends, when returning from shooting, were arrested within
a mile of Parsonstown Castle, by constables of the Annah
police station ; and it was only when brought before the
sub-inspector that the mistake was discovered and a release
obtained. This " constabulary escapade" is to form the sub-
ject of an investigation.

RUMOURED ARMY REDUCTIONS.—The air is filled
with rumours as to the parsimonious intentions of the
incoming Ministry with respect to the army. This much is
certain, that whatever reductions do take place, will be
their work, as not a single estimate had been prepared
when Mr. Disraeli resigned office. It is said that two
companies will be docked from the strength of each regi-
ment of the line, but that the cavalry, always favourites,
will not be touched. The money swing is expected to be
about half a million, an immense equivalent for the
national insecurity which is sure to be produced by this
decimation of our national defensive force.— United Service
GaLate.

A SAVAGE.—Another shocking tragedy has just
taken place in an adjoining district to that of Jarrow,
where a murder, arising from jealousy, was perpetrated
a few days ago. Two men named Dolan and Ward
lodged at Sunderland, in the house of a woman
named Keshan. Dolan and Kesban lived together
as man and wife, and the former, it would seem,
having read the events of the Jarrow murder, began to
entertain jealous suspicions as to Ward, and talked of
there being other cases before that of Jarrow could be
brought to trial. On Thursday night, however, the two
men were drinking together, apparently on friendly terms,
and on returning home sat down to finish their revels over
another quart of ale. A quarrel then arose, in which Ward
was deliberately stabbed in the abdomen and elsewhere by
Dolan. The injured man lies at the hospital in a hopeless
condition, and Dolan is in custody.

WONDERFUL CAPACITY OF THE RHINELANDER'S
FOR WINE.--The wonderful capacity for drink of the
Rhinclanders is amusingly illustrated by Goethe in his
journals. "The Bishop of Mayence," he says, "once
delivered a sermon against drunkenness, and, after paint-
ing in the strongest colours the evils of over-indulgence,
concluded as follows But the abuse of wine does not
exclude its use, fur it is written that vine rejoices the
heart of man. Probably there is no one in my congrega-
tion who cannot drink four bottles of wine without feeling
Any disturbance of his senses ; but if any man at the
seventh or eighth bottle so fo►;gets himself as to abuse and
strike his wife and children and treat his best friends as
enemies, let him look into his clscie2ce, and in future
always stop at the si::th bottle. Yet, if after drinking
eight, or even ten or twelve bottles, he can still take his
Christian neighbour lovingly by the hand, and obey the
orders of his spiritual and temporal superiors, let him
thankfully drink his modest (sic) draught. He must be
careful, however, as to taking any more, for it is seldom
that Providence gives any ono the special grace to drink
sixteen bottles at a sitting, as it has enabled me, its un-
worthy servant, to do without either neglecting my jes
jagipg mY tvpvere.'l