The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1852-09-14 00:00:00

YESTERDAY,

Yesterday, at the time appointed, a number of share-
holders interested on the respective sides of the question
assembled, when the Chairman of the Board of Directors
read to the meeting a letter from Mr. Darkin, the secre-
tary, to the effect that the scrutineers would not be ready
until half-past four o'clock. The meeting was accord-
ingly adjourned to that hour.

On the re-assembling of the shareholders at half-past
four o'clock, several gentlemen were again in attendance.
Amongst them were the chairman and directors, and a
large body of shareholders, on the one side, and Mr. Mon-
roe, and several shareholders in favour of the removal of
the directors, on the other. The respective parties re-
mained, waiting for the report of the scrutineers, until a
few minutes after six o'clock, at which hour (there ap-
pearing no probability of the appearance of these gentle-
men for some time), the Chairman announced the further
adjournment of the meeting until a quarter past seven
o'clock.

In the meantime a notice was posted on the doors of
the room where the meeting was held, to the effect that it
was adjourned until a quarter past eight o'clock. The
chairman, however, again arrived at a quarter past seven,
and stated that he did not recognise the adjournment
beyond a quarter past seven. A letter from Mr. Darkin,
the secretary, was then placed in his hands, which he read.
It was to the effect that the scrutineers had found their
labours more difficult than they imagined, and that they
were still unable to present their report. After reading
this letter, the chairman declared the meeting further
adjourned until to-day, at twelve o'clock.
It was believed in Chester last night that this delay is
mainiy to serve the tactics of Mr. Gutch, who is acting as
scrutineer for the shareholders favourable to the London
and North-western alliance.

The most intense interest is manifested as to the result ;
but it was last night confidently stated that the proxies
show the directors to be in a majority of 1,600.

FIRES AND LOSS OF LIFE.

On Sunday morning a fire of a very serious character
broke out in one of the large warehouses numbered 30 in
London-wall, occupied conjointly by Messrs. Brown and
Co. the extensive drysalters • Messrs. Gibbins, Brothers,
varnish manufacturers •, Mr;Thomas Tarn, carpet weaver;
Messrs. Springfield and Co., silk merchants; and Messrs.
Dobson and Co., ale and porter merchants. The pre-
mises, which had a frontage of 60 feet, were almost as
deep. and four floors in height. At the time of the out-
break there were in Messrs. Gibbins's stores upwards of
4000 gallons of prepared varnish, besides an immense
stock of other articles, almost of as inflammable a charac-
ter. In Messrs. Springfields' warehouse was a stock of
silk, roughly valued at £2OOO, while Messrs. Brown's
compartments were filled with nearly every description of
goods used in their business. The top floor was occupied
by Mr. Tarn as a factory, and was fitted up with sixteen
large looms, filled with yarn, for weaving carpets, and
other valuable pieces of machinery. The engines were
soon set to work, and it was expected that the fire would
be extinguished in the course of a very few minutes, and
before much damage could be done. Unfortunately such
was not the case, for while the firemen were actively em-
ployed in pumping the water, the flames rushed through
one of the windows at the back, a distance of several feet.
The draught thus given by the broken window caused the
destructive element to extend almost with the rapidity of
electricity, and, having travelled up the staircase, it took
complete possession of the second floor, used by Messrs.
Gibbins as one of their warehouses. Fortunately the
principal stock of varnish and other inflammable articles
was not in that part of the premises ; but, upon Mr,
Superintendent Braidwood finding that so large a stock
was in the ground floor, he at once sent off for the assist-
ance of his engines in the Southwark-bridge-road, Far-
ringdon-street, Holborn, and Chandos-street stations.
By the time this extra aid arrived, the flames had ascended
to the staircase, and were working into Mr. Tarn's carpet
manufactory. Fortunately the water furnished by the
mains was most abundant, and, in the course of a couple
of hours, had the effect of entirely extinguishing the
flames. The damage done, however, is very considerable;
but when the extent of the premises, and the vast stock
of combustible matter therein, are taken into considera-
tion, the " stop," as it is technically called by the firemen,
mly be described as being cne of the best that has been
effected fora considerable time,

On Sunday afternoon, about 20 minutes to 2 o'clock,
a most destructive fire, caused by an ignition and explosion
of gas, and attended with loss of life, took place at the
house of Mr. White, linen-draper and hosier, 65, Middle-
sex-street, Somer's-town. It appears that about the time
in question, the servant girl went into the shop with a
candle, and the gas, which it is believed had been impro-
perly turned off on Saturday night and filled the place, at
once ignited and exploded, setting fire to the combustible
stock and premises. So rapid were the flames that the
upstair lodgers, who were seated at their dinner at the
time, had great difficulty in effecting their escape by the
windows. On the second floor lived a man named Bantam,
with his wife and four children. Some of them were

thrown from the windows and caught by the police. The
poor man Balham, having lowered his wife, clung for
some time to the window-sill, with, as he thought, the
last child in his artns,until arrangements were made below
to catch him safely, the floor of his apartment by this
time being in flames. It was subsequently discovered
that Henry Balham, a child of 31 years old, was missing ;
and the remains of the poor little fellow, frightfully
charred, were subsequently found in the ruins. The entire
of the house No. 65 was destroyed; but, by the exertions
of the firemen and police, it was prevented from extending
further.

The total loss of property by this disastrous event is very
considerable. Mr. White, who was absent from home
when the occurrence took place, was insured in the Royal
Liverpool Fire Office ; but Mr. Balham and none of the
neighbours, we understand, were insured.

A TRUE STORY.—Not long ago, a jolly tar returned to
Arbroath, from a long and perilous voyage, to pay a visit
to anxious friends, and on his arrival, to his great delight,
found that an aged relative had bequeathed to him several
thousand pounds. On getting the cash " among his
fingers," and in conformity with the motto and character
of the sailor, " let me spend all my money and work for
more," he commenced a career of prodigality happily
seldom paralleled. With the view of getting rid of the
" slider" as quickly as possible, he resolved upon "taking
to himself a wife ;" and we need scarcely say that his
courtship was but brief. On passing a certain dwelling
one day, he saw her " at the window with her fixings on ;"
he saw her who was soon to be his bride ; he was capti-
vated; he stared in wonderment awhile; his heart throbbed
'aim him ; he bolted in, " popped the question," was
Three days passed not over his head when he
was a married man, she a wedded wife. They scoured
the country for a while ; the " silent bank notes" flew
like dust in a thousand ways, through a thousand channels,
till we have to say of our friend, who not twelve months
ago was left an ample fortune, that he is once more poor
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