The Sun.
London, England, 1850-04-01 00:00:00

MONDAY EVENING, APRIL 1, 1850

Lambeth Company's mains, and vast torrents were
thrown upon the burning mass ; but upwards of an
hour elapsed ere the firemen could get the fire extin-
guished. So great was the hea°, that at the bottom
of the court any one could light a piece of paper from
the wall. It was therefore exceedingly fortunate that
the clothing of the children playing there did not
come in contact with the place, as if it had they
might have been burnt to death.

FLEE AT A LICENSED VICTUALLER'S.—A fire,
nearly attended with the most disastrous consequences
to life and property, broke out yesterday morning in
the premises belonging to Mr. Creech, licensed vic-
tualler, carrying on business at the Gun Tavern, No.
55, St. John-street, Clerkenwell. When discovered
the flames were raging under the cellar stairs, and so
dense was the smoke that the inmates had the greatest
difficulty in escaping from the premises. As it was
they were nearly suffocated. The Royal Society's
escapes, with numerous engines of the London Bri-
gade and parish, attended. Plenty of water having
been obtained the engines were set to work under the
direction of Mr. Colf, foreman of the district, and the
fire was, happily, soon extinguished. Had the dis-
covery not been so opportunely made, there is no
doubt but that the whole building would have been
destroyed, as the heat was so great that the gas-pipes
became incited. The accident was owing to a spark
flying from a lighted candle amongst some baskets
under the stairs.

FIRE AT A CHEMIST'S.—About the same hour as
the above fire happened, another broke out at No. 4,
John's-row, Brick-lane, St. Luke's, in the occupancy
of Mr. Cox, a chemist. It commenced in the shop,
at which time the inmates were in their beds asleep.
The various parties having been aroused they escaped,
and in a very brief period the engines attended, and
the firemen succeeded in confining the fire to that part
of the premises where it commenced.
FIRE NEAR MANCLIESTER-SQUARE.—About two
o'clock yesterday morning a fire broke out at No. 50,
Duke-street, -Manchester-square, belonging to Mr.
Charles Cook. It was caused by a spark falling into
a bed and setting it in flames. Timely assistance
having arrived, the flames were extinguished before
much damage was done.

FIRE AT LISBON-GROVE.-At half-past four o'clock
yesterday morning a fire broke out at 65, Earl-street,
Lisson-grove, belonging to Mrs. Mary ',lngham. It
was caused from a chimney taking fire on the previous
evening. The flames were discovered in the second
floor front, but were fortunately prevented from ex-
tending further.

THE FOREIGN AND COLONIAL

MAILS FOR APRIL.

The following are the dates on which the foreign
and colonial mails will be made up at the General
Post-office during the present month, and when the
return packets will be due at Dover, Southampton,
Liverpool, and Falmouth :—For the British and fo-
reign colonies in the West Indies (except Honduras,
Nassau, Bermuda, and Havannah), Venezuela and
Jacmel on the mornings of the 2d (to-morrow) and
17th inst.; Bermuda, Nassau, New Orleans, Mexico,
Honduras, and Havannah en the morning of the 2d
only ; Madeira, Grey Town (San Juan de Nica-
ragua), New Grenada, Chili, and Peru on the
morning of the 17th inst. only, by steam packets via
Southampton ; next packets clue on the 7th and 22d
inst. The Severn steamer will convey the mails of
to-morrow. For Madeira, Brazil, and Buenos Ayre:
on the evening of the 4th inst., by her Majesty's brig
Linnet, via Falmouth; next packets due—her Ma-
jesty's brig Seagull (overdue) and her Majesty's
brig Penguin, on the 27th inst ,at Falmouth. (Let-
ters and newspapers must be prepaid.) For British
North America and the United States on the evening
of the sth inst., by the America steamer, via Liver-
pool; Halifax and Boston on the evening of the 12th,
by the Cambria, to New York ; on the evening of the
19th, by the Canada, to Boston ; and on the evening
of the 26th inst. by the Niagara steamer, for New
York ; next packets due at Liverpool—the Canada
on the 4th instant, from New York, and the Niagara
on the 17th inst., from from,
From April to De-
cember the mails will be made up every Friday even-
ing, and from December to March inclusive every
alternate Friday. The branch packets for Newfound,
land will be dispatched from Halifax on the arrival
at the latter port of the homeward packet from Bos-
ton, and the branch packet fur Bermuda will be dis-
patched from Halifax on the arrival at that port of
the outward packet for Boston. Newspapers intended
fur the United States are liable to a postage of ld.
each, which must be prepaid ; that on letters optional.
For Vigo, Oporto, Lisbon, Madeira, via Lisbon,
Cadiz, and Gibraltar, on the evening of the 6th and
mornings of the 17th and 27th inst. by steam-packets
via Southampton ; next packets due on the 6th, 16th,
and 26th inst. For the Mediterranean, Malta, Egypt,
Aden, Ceylon (Mauritius on the 24th inst.), India
Hong-Kong, and China, on the evenings of the Bth
and 24th inst., to be forwarded by the fortnightly
overland closed mails via Marseilles, due in London
on the 3d and 23d inst.; for Gibraltar, Malta,
Greece, the lonian Islands, Egypt, Aden, Ceylon,
Mauritius, India, &c., on the morning of the 20th
inst., by steam-packet from Southampton; next
packet due on the 28th inst. at Southampton. For
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, Van Diemen's
Land, and New Zealand, by ship letter bags, as ves-
sels may sail from Gravesend, Liverpool, &c. (Ar-
rangements have been made by the Admiralty for a
monthly conveyance by steam packets, which are ex-
pected to come into operation in June.) Newspapers
for the above colonies must be paid ld. each, or they
will not be forwarded. For France, &c., twice daily,
morning and evening (except Sundays), by her
Majesty's mail packets, via Dover and Calais; due
twice daily (except Sundays). Belgium, &c., every
evening (except Sunday), by steam, via Dover and
Ostend ; (rue daily. Hamburgh, &c., on Tuesday
and Friday evenings ; due Tuesdays and Saturdays.
Holland, dsc., Wednesday and Saturday mornings;
due Mondays and Thursdays ; by the General Steam
Navigation Company's packets, via the Thames.
Mails for Madeira &c.—Mails for Madeira, St. Vin-
cent (Cape de Ve;cl Islands), and Sierra Leone, will
be made up this evening, the Ist instant, to be con-
veyed by her Majesty's sloop Lily, which is appointed
to sail to-morrow morning from Devonport. Letters
for Madeira and St. Vincent will he liable to a post-
age of ls. 10d. per half-ounce; newspapers 2d each,
which must be prepaid. To Sierra Leone, letters le.
per half-ounce ; newspapers free; both must be spe-
cially addressed "By her Majesty's slooop Lily," if I
intended to be sent by this vessel.

CLOSED MAIL TO LUBECK, VIA BELGIUM

AND PRUSSIA.

The following notice hasiustbeen issued by the
Post-office authorities :

" General Post-office, March, 1850.
" Oa and after the Ist of April next, all letters for
Lubeck (excepting such as may be specially ad—
dressed by Hamburgh packet') will be forwarded
from this office in the closed mail transmitted daily,
Sundays excepted, to Hamburgh, via Belgium and.
Prussia.

" The postage upon letters for Lubeck sent in the.
closed mail will be as follows, viz.:—
" On a letter weighing under a j ounce, British,.
Prussian, &c., ls. ; Belgian, 2 ; total to destination,
ls. 2d. ; on a letter weighing 1 ounce and not ex-
ceeding ounce, British, Prussian, &c., ls. ; Belgian,
4d.; total to destination, ls. 4d. ; on a letter weigh-
ing ounce, British, Prussian, &c., ls. ; Belgian, 6,1. ;
total to destination, Is. 63. ; on a letter exceeding
and under ounce, British, Prussian, &c., 2s. ;
6d.; total to destination, 2.i. 6d. ; on a letter
weighing Ft ounce and under 1 ounce, British, Prus-
sian, &c., 25.; Belgian, 81 ; total to destination, 2s.
Bd. ; on a letter weighing 1 ounce, British, Prussian,
&c., 25.; Belgian 101 ; total to destination, 2s. 101.;
on a letter exceeding 1 ounce and under 11 ounce,
British, Prussian, &c., 4s. ; Belgian, 101.; total to
destination, 41.104.

"'The postage on the letters for Lubeck may be
paid in advance, or the letters sent unpaid, at the
option of the sender; but payment of the postage
for a portion of the distance only will not be per-
mitted.

" Letters for Lubeck, special] y addre3sed to be for-
warded by Hamburgh packet,' will be liable to a
postage of 93. the ounce, as at present."

lIOCUSSING IN A RAIL WAY
CARRIAGE BY LOZENGES.

ANOTHER ATTEMPT IN MANCHESTER.

On Saturday morning, the 16th instant, a man re-
siding at Handsworth was travelling by railway from
Edinburgh to Birmingham, and when between Car-
lisle and Preston, two men in the same carriage offered
himself and a fourth passenger a lozenge each. The
fourtk man ate his lozenge and slept all the way to
Birmingham. The Handsworth man did not eat his,
nevertheless he fell asleep for a few miles, and on
awaking found that he had been robbed of 121. He
accused one of the lozenge-givers of robbing him ;
but of course the man denied all knowledge of any
robbery. Strange to say, he made no effort to have
the men apprehended, and the two " hocussers" left
the train at Crewe, in order to go to Manchester.
The Handsworth man describes one of these men as
about 25 years of age, five feet eight inches in
eight, pale complexion, dark hair ; \N caring black
surtout and trowsers, and a strong gold guard chain.
The other, he says, was about 40 years of age, not so
tall as the first, rather pale complexion, decayed
teeth, and wearing whiskers. The men had a leathern
portmanteau with them. We imagine that the
liandsvvorthman did not at first connect the lozenge
giving with the robbery, as he only gave information
of the matter to the Birmingham police on Wednes-
day last; probably after seeing some account of
similar hocussing in a newspaper. It will be recol-
lected that in January last two men gave some poi-
sonous lozenges to a young woman in a cigar shop,
which rendered her unconscious for a week and ill for
more than a month. Since the above was in type
wa have received an anonymous communication,