The Sun.
London, England, 1850-03-23 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

PLYMOUTH, Menem( 21.—Her Majesty's ship Superb,
80, Captain Edward Purcell, hove in sight round Penlee
Point, at half-past two o'clock this afternoon, from
Queen's-town.
Wind, southerly.
CHATHAM, MARCH 22.—The Nankin, £0 guns, which
was taken into dock on Monday last to be brought for-
ward for service, has a great number of hands employed
on her to expedite her fittings; but as she has neither
her bulkheads nor other fitments put up, it will be full
three months before she is out of hand.
WooLwicix, MAncrt 22.—A very pretty little vessel
has been constructed at Chatham from the launch of the
Vernon, 50-gun frigate, and was brought round to Wool-
wich on Friday last. To-day the vessel was taken up
to Greenwich, to be rigged by the boys there. She has
been painted to represent a frigate, and has a neat bust
of the Prince of Wales in his naval costume for a figure-
head. The general impression is that this miniature
frigate is intended for his Royal Highness the Prince of
Wales.

VIE ARCTIC EXPEDITION.
The Intrepid, sister screw steam-vessel to the Pioneer,
was taken into dock at Woolwich yesterday, and all
hands that could find room to work put upon her, to
take out and re-adjust her engines and boilers. The
shipwrights, under the directions of Mr. Laing, are also
most actively at work, as if the getting the vessel ready
depended upon the individual exertion of every person
employed upon her. The Commodore-Superintendent
has ordered that the greatest exertions should be made
in all the departments to expedite the vessels fitting for
the expedition, and Captain Austin and Captain Um-
manney have been in constant attendance at Woolwich
for several days past in personally superintending the
preparations for their voyage.
A number of convicts were brought down the river
to-day in a steamer to be put on board the Blenheim,
hired convict-ship. NIT'. Molison master. The vessel is
tmh(elorcehdaorfepoosfitesathe rgeolino2s,al Arsenal,
up,rintyn and willdontc. under
Fuller.
The destination tf the convicts is Van Diemen's Land.

GREAT FIRE AT MANCHESTER.
DESTRUCTION OF UPWARDS OF £lOO.OOO
worati OF PROPERTY AND LOSS OF LIFE.
MaslcuksTEn, MARCII 22.—At midnight last night
one of those dit,astrous and destructive fires which have
frequeatly visitA this manufacturing town, broke out
in the warehouse of Messrs. Wood and Westhead, small-
ware manufacturers and general dealers. The premises
were situate in Piccadilly, one of the great thorough-
fares in Mauchester, and precisely opposite the Royal
Infirmary. The flames were first discovered about a
quarter before twelve o'clock, issuing from the packing-
room, which is on the ground fhor. Very few mi-
nutes had elapsed before the fire was seen issuing
from the top .of the building, which was six stories
high. The alarm was soon given, and the firemen
with the engines were soon on the spot, but the de-
vouring element raged with such fary and rapidity
that before any effective resistance could be made
to its progress, the whole of the building and its valuable
contents were totally destroyed. The activity of the
firemen, aided by an abundant supply of ss ater, pre-
vented tbo flames from extending beyond the warehouse
itself, and, therefore, the only damage done to the
adjoining property was confined to the blistering of the
wails and the charring of the window-frames and doors,
occasioned by the intensity of the heat. The stock con-
sisted of small wares, hardwares, silks, satins, ribbons,
lace, and hosiery of every descripticin, and was of great
value, amounting to nearly 100,0001., the whole of which
was entirely consumed. So rapid was the fire, that the
whole contents of the building, together with every fluor,
no'', &c.. were totally destroyed in about an hour and
a half. In fact, by half-past one the fire had so com-
pleted the work of devastation, that there was nothing
ist. for further destruction.
The workpeople were at work in some part of the
warehouse till half-past eleven, when the doors were
closed and all appeared safe. The stock was insured for
84 0001. The building was insured to near its value, but
in what offices did not transpire.
From the time the fire was got under, at about two
o'clock, the men were engaged in clearing away the
fallen ruins, and 'preparing for the recovery of the sal-
vage; which work went on with great spirit till about
one o'clock at noon to-day, when the eastern gable came
down with a tremendous ci ash, burying six of the fire-
men beneath the ruins. The shrieks of the crowd were
at this moment heart-rending, but after a short pause all
hands were at work, to relover the unfortunate men,
whose lives were despaired of, and by the most praise-
worthy exertions of the people and the firemen, five were
taken out alive, but one of them so severely injured as
to leave but little hope of his recovery; his name is J.
Naylor. The sixth was taken out dreadfully mutilated,
but died shortly after; his name was Charles DPGary.
The other four were not so seriously injured as to render
their recovery a matter of any doubt. They were all
taken to the Infirmary, where every attention is being
paid to their respective cases. This disaster will throw
at least 150 young men out of work for a time.
The walls that are still standing appear in a dangerous
state.

EXHIBITION OF INDUSTRY, 1851.
A meeting of the Royal Commission for the promo-
tion of the Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all
No a tti oboes , toe bew held
Palacein tohfe yearivea
tlmBsi
s,
two
ra.s held
The yesterday
Commis-
sioners i
present were the Earl Granville, Lord Over-
stone, Sir Robert Peel, the Right Hon. H. Labouahere,
the Right lion. W. E. Gladstone, Mr. Bazley, Mr. Cob-
den, M.P.. Mr. .T. F. Gibson, Mr. Gott, and Mr. Pusey,
M.P. Mr. Stafford Northcote, secretary of the Com-
mission, attended. Sir Henry T. De la Beebe and Dr.
Lyon Playfair, of the committee on the mineral king-
dom, were present,
Colonel Reid (chairman), Mr. 11. Cole, Mr. C. W.
Dilke, and Mr. F. Fuller, attended on behalf c,f the
Executive Committee, with the secretary, Mr. Digby
Wyatt.
The following Mayors, Provosts, Bailiff+, and High
Constables were present with the RoyalCommissioners:—
Mayors—Dublin, Bradford, Winchester, Wolverhamp-
ton, Kendal, Bury St. Edmund's, Carlisle, Bucking-
ham. Worcester, Manchester, Bridgewater, Salisbury,
Warriqgton, Dover, Portsmouth, Canterbury, Newport
( Monmouth), Launceston, Leeds, Leiceser, Birmingham,
Nottingba u, Preston, Coventry, Gravesend, Tiverton,
Brit-Ipr, Halifax, Limerick, Cork, Waterford, Bolton,
Stockport, Southampton, Oxford.
P 1 ovo,ts—Edinhorgh, l'a,sley, Glasgow, Leitb.
Bailiff,—Jerset , Guernsey, Stoke-apon-Trent, Dar-
lington.
High Con st shles—Bri ghton, Huddersfield.
Returning Officers—Knaresborough, Blackburn.
The principal topics of discussion between the Mayors
and the Commissioners referred to tho appointment of
local commissioners, and the best means of establishing
a practical and satisfactory means of communication be-
tween the local committees and the commisionrrs. It
was felt that the result ot the present interview WA•I such
its would tend greatly to dissipate any prejudice that
could exist on the subject of carrying the principle of
centralization too far.
The question of the selection of articles engaged
considerable attention; and after a full examination Sir
Robert Peel drafted a later, which he suggested should
be issued by local committees, and which received unani-
mous approval. Lastly, the subscriptions, and the ne-
cessary amount to be raised, were alluded to, and the
best feeling prevailed towards using the greatest exer-