The Sun.
London, England, 1850-04-09 00:00:00

there was blazing somewhere by Landbeach or Cot-
tenham. I went to the door, and certainly it was a
glorious fire, for, although some miles distant, it cast
shadows quite plainly at my feet. Though rather tired,
I thought for once I would see a good fire, so off I

set. For half-a-mile from the village the roads were

crowded with cattle and pigs, and it required some
judgment to pass them without driving them
back to the fire, fur which, with their charac-
teristic obstinacy, they seemed to entertain
a great affection. I entered at the lower
end of the village, which was almost blocked
up with carts, &c., containing furniture
and crowds of men, women, and children, from all
the neighbouring places. Having passed through
these, 1 came upon the fire, which had already de-
stroyed all the upper end of the town, and was stea-
dily working downwards. I had come to the most
interesting spot ; for the wind having changed, all the
houses and farms which before seemed doomed were
now placed in comparative safety, with the exception
of this part. Oa the one side of the road a large open
space had checked the fire ; on the other, where the
houses were built close together, the flames were
making slow but steady progress. At the back of
these houses were a number of hay and straw sheds,
stacks, &c., &c.
When I arrived, the fire had gat to within 100
feet of a rather large farm, which, if once ignited,
must hare caused the destruction of many houses
round it, and endangered the lower end of the town.
Between the fire and this farm the buildings were
small and the stacks few. It was evident that here was
the place to make an effort to stop the enemy.
I had gone over with the determination of baring
nothing to do with the affair, but simply to have a
look at it and then return. How little we are
masters of our own actions is shown by the sequel I
The only way to save the farm, &c., was by
making a gap, so as to break the connexion of the
flames. Near it was a long low wooden building,
partly a barn, partly a dwelling-house, the end of which
was almost in flames. This must come down first—
so I thought, so thought some of the undergraduates
who had arrived from Cambridge—to the number at
this point of about twenty—of whom five or six
went to work "con amore," the rest looking on and
aiding occasionally, and aided by some of the country
folks (who worked in the hopes of beer), when lo
forth came the proprietor, and declared the building
should not be destroyed. We said that it should, and
it was, but before it had been half broken up
the fire had obtained such a firm hold of it as to ren-
der it impossible to remain inside. Out came the
destroyers and commenced knocking it about from
without, with beams, poles, &c. One side at length
gave way, but the other, the one next the road, re-
sisted all their efforts, and as the heavy beams which
supported the roof would take a long time to burn
through, it was feared that the house next to it, which
was not more than ten or twelve feet distant, and
partly built of wood, would catch also. All this while I
was only looking on, and, of course being in ne way
excited, had plenty of time to deliberate as to the best
mode of proceeding, and I thought that, although no
use was to be made of the minds or activity of the
country folks, still their weight might be brought to
bear; and I remarked to a very energetic undergra-
duate who, with the tails of his gown tied round his
waist, had been working at the end of a beam, but was
now looking on rather out of breath, that if we could
get a rope made fast to a particular corner, and force
were applied there, all would give way. He agreed
with me, and after some delay, a rope was procured,
and then a ladder, up which a Johnian, with great
coolness, mounted. The place by this time was one
mass of fire; but on endeavouring to swing the end
of the rope over, and to fasten it (being a little put out
by the smoke and fire, I suppose) he contrived to get
one end entangled somehow out of his reach lower
down (the building was not more than twelve feet
high), and in this extremity, finding that no one
seemed disposed to assist him, he requested my aid
with an adjuration which I could not resist. He then
came down, looking rather- smoky and hot. There
was then " a pull, a long pull, and a pull alto-
gether," and down it all came crash, and blazed up
for a minute or two to the heavens, and then settled
down into a smothered, smoking ruin. I can no
longer describe this part of the affair as a calm wit-
ness, but rather as an active agent. I now looked
upon it as a problen—a match against the fire, and
felt a strong desire to conquer. Although the first
object was gained, it was one step only. " Water,
water !" was now the cry, but it could not be found.
At last a man told me, that within 20 yards of
where I stood, in a certain yard, was a pump. We
forced the door ; and having, with great difficulty,
obtained a few buckets and pails, and having formed
the country people into lines to help to pass them, we
succeeded, in the course of about two hours, in en-
tirely checking the fire, during which period I have
a vague notion that I was sometimes on the top
of a ladder, pouring water down small holes
in the tops of barns, or else inside of
them—destroying and turning out inflammable
matter—exhorting men to pass water, and not empty
pails—throwing water over stacks, houses, fire—now
here, now there, &c.,&c., until the last barn, which
was half burned, was put out of all present danger,
and required only an occasional pail or two of water,
to keep others from catching. I then, at about two
A.M., seized upon a rustic, and inquired if he knew of
any "public" which had not been burnt? He told
me of one ; but it was full of furniture, and closed.
At last I found another, and seized the first pot of
beer I met, and drained it. (Cottenham is remark-
able for having the worst beer in Cambridgeshire.)
But I never tasted any which I enjoyed more. I re-
turned to the village, and there met some men of our
college and others. About this time the engines
arrived! So ends act one.

I then proceeded to view the town. It presented
rather a romantic appearance; whole streets had been
consumed, and you might see rows of chimneys
where but a few hours before houses had stood—
all the ruins sending up lurid flames and smoke,
which nearly choked the new comers ; but I was
seasoned, and after the fire thought nothing of the
smoke. For any one of a feeling disposition it would
have been a fine scene—hero sat a group of house-
less wretches on the remains of their goods, weeping,
and looking perfectly miserable; there a party of
boys and men sleeping quietly in the straw, close to
the expiring embers of some one's home (not their's,
so they did not care). I dare say one could fill a
great deal of paper with all that sort of description,
and yet fail to give an adequate idea of the scene.
In one place there was a bed of potatoes, over which
the barn had been burnt—and many supped on
these baked potatoes ! Several amusing incidents
occurred. At one place a house was burning,
but the woman, who, with three small chil-
dren, were the only occupants, refused to leave
it until her husband returned ! and was car-
ried out vi et artais. At another, while some under-
graduates were endeavouring to save the valuables
from a burning house, they lit upon—what? A
cask of beer ! It would have been a sin to leave it to
be burnt, so, as there was not time to tap it in the
ordinary way, it was set on end and the head knocked
in, and the contents drank out of a washhand basin
and jug!
We had much trouble in getting the live
stock out, there being a great number in the yards
at this time of the year, and the heads of oxen and
pigs, at no time very bright, grew duller in a fire,
for, instead of rushing out of it, they, by moving in a
circle, contrived to keep in about the same situation I
However, it gives me great pleasure to state that one
pig acted with much discretion, for, scorning to be
guided by his fellows, he rushed through the flames
and ruins," nor paused his rapid race" till he reached
the open country !
I arrived at my domicile between six and seven in
the morning, had breakfast, and went to bed, I Con-
fess, rather done up. So mueh for going to see a fire.

MR. BUNN AT BATH.—An intellectual treat of I
very high order was provided for the public on Tuesday.
On that evening Mr. Bunn delivered a " Literary and Dra-
matic Monologue," which we confess far surpassed our ex-
pectations. Whether as regards the matter introduced, or
the manner of the lecturer in its delivery, we have never
been present at a more agreeable or instructive entertain-
ment, and we hope Mr. Bunn will, on an early occasion, re-
peat his clever Monologue.—Bath
INCREASE OF SHIPS AT SHIELDS.—Though the
first quarter of the year has not yet expired, no less than 46
Sih3i;eltdos t
os innsc et
oNtei:
vessels havembaekeinngaadndeincletroeasteheotponretaortl'y
Year's-day,
previous tonnage of the young port, a considerable part of
which are new vessels and other ships that have recently
been purchased by our fellow-townsmen, the remainder con-
sisting of vessels that have been transferred from the port of
Newcastle. Should this immense accession of tonnage to
the port continue in a corresponding ratio with that of the
last twelve months, we shall soon be able to raise our
Customs' establishment to a second-class port.—A.Yewcazik
piper.
eARISLI OF ST. BRIDE.—Last night a meeting of
the rate-payers of this parish was held in the vestry-room,
for the purpose of taking into consideration a resolution
passed by the guardians of the West London Union at their
last meeting, to the 'effect that the board should forthwith
present a petition to the House of Commons, praying that
the House should pass a Bill recently introduced by Shaf to
Adair, Esq., entitled, " A Bill for the more general distribu-
tion of the charge for the relief of the poor ;" and, also, that
the provisions of the said Bill might be altered and amended
so as to include within its operation the parishes comprised
in the West London Union, in the City of London. Mr. T.
Cottrell, presided, and, after a lengthened discussion, the
following motion was carried :—"'That in the opinion of this
meeting the junction of the parishes forming the West
London Union into one body, for the purpose of being sub-
jected to a uniform rate for the relief of the poor, would in-
crease the burdens of this parish unjustly, and therefore this
meeting requests the guardians of this parish to oppose .311 Y
petition being presented by the guardians of the West Low. lea
Union to the House of Commons for that 11.11i011 bei;tg '-
eluded in Sir Shaft° Adair's Bill."