The Sun.
London, England, 1844-01-08 00:00:00

111ABLBOROUGII.STREET.

A summons having been applied for and obtained against the
coachman of Count Polio'', the Sardinian Minister, f,r re-
fusing to pay the reward adjudged to the firemen who attended
to extinguish a fire which occurred at the Sardinian Minister's
stables, the following note was received by Mr. Hardwick, the
sitting Magistrate, yesterday
" '1 he Sardinian Minister presents his compliments to the
sitting Magistrate, at Marlborough-street police-court, and has
the honour to acquaint him, that in the exercise of his privilege
as a Foreign Minister accredited to this Court, he has ordered
his coachman, Richard Doyle, not to obey the summons he has
received to appear this day at the Marlborough-street police-
office, in consequence of the demand made upon him of the
sum of 175., the amount of .the reward given to Frederick
Berryer, engine-keeper, for bringing his engine to Count
Pollon's stables on the 27th of December ult.

" Should this demand be founded on right, the Sardinian
3linister would not have resisted it ; but he will claim his righ
to resist it, as he is convinced of its injustice.

" POLLON.

" No. 11, Grosvenor-street, Jan. 5, 1844."
" Richard Doyle, coachman to the Sardinian Minister, has
been returned as being part of his establishment on the annual
list delivered to the Foreign-office for insertion in the Sheriff's
book, ancLis, in consequence, protected against arrest for debt."
Lacy, the messenger of St. George's, Hanover-square, was
called in and made acquainted with the contents of his Excel-
lency's note.
Lacy said, the fire was a very bad one, and when application
was made.to the coachman, Doyle did not mention that he was
Count Pollen's servant ; on the conti ary, he said the stables
were his own, and the furniture in them.
Mr. HARDWICK said the fact must be taken from the Sar-
dinian Minister's note. • The coaehman was part of the estab-
lishment, and, as Count Pollen had pleaded his privilege as a
Foreign Minister, the summons must be cancelled.
Lacy, the St. George's messenger, begged to state that,
since the passing of the Act requirin3 machinery to be only
used for the sweeping of chimneys, the number of firs in
chimneys had very greatly inerea.sel. This he attributed
principally to the inefficiency of the machinery employed in
this service. If a chimney was not used for a short time the
soot became damp and then adhered like mortar to the sides of
the chimney. The machine would not fetch this off, and as
soon as the chimney was used the cake of soot would become
dry and burn like turf. All the soot that lodged in the elbows
or holes in chimneys was left untouched by the machine, and
the consequence was that a spark from the fire when cooking
was going on was sure to set the chimney in a blaze. Many
complaints
,had been made to him from gentlemen who had
suffered from this cause, and this was not the only circum-
stance, for the fires themselves were now of a more dangerous
character than before, and in many instances endangered the
safety of the house.
Mr. HARDWICK said it would be as well to ascertain whether
a larger number of fires had occurred in chimneys since the
passing of the new Act than had occurred within a similar
period before the alteration. He would recommend Lacy to
procure a return o f the rewards paid by his parish in the two
periods, and this would perhaps lead to attention in other quay
ters to this important subject.
A donation for the indigent of 10/. is thankfully acknow
ledged.