The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-02-21 00:00:00

YESTERDAY.

(Before JOHN }IOLMES and FR HEYWOOD, Esqrs.)
William Crosbie and Thomas Cooper, two newly-enlisted
recruits, were placed at the bar, charged with having altered
a billet, with the intention to defraud Joseph Parry, of Lam-
beth-street, beer-seller.
Francis Featherstone, a clerk in the billet-office, said that
yesterday (Wednesday) he brought an order for the two pri-
soners to be billeted previously to leaving Liverpool. A
billet was issued upon Parry for their accommodation for
one night only.
Sergeant Young said he 'took the order for the billet to
the office, and that the names of the prisoners were written.
upon it. He received, altogether, 61 billets, and delivered
theirs to the prisoners. 11F was sure it was for only one
night. The one was written in letters, and not represented
by a figure.
Mary Parry, wife of the beer-shop-keeper, said that the
two prisoners brought the billet to her about four o'clock
yesterday afternoon. It was for their accommodation for
four nights. She mentioned to them that it was very strange
another billet should be so soon issued, especially as the last
was for four nights. She paid them Bd., on condition of
their finding accommodation elsewhere, and told them that
if they would come the following day, at any time, she
would give. them 2s. for the other three nights. She gave
the money to Cooper, but in the presence of Crosbie. When
her husband came home she sheaved him the billet, and he
discovered that an alteration had been made in it—that the
figure 4 had been inserted with different ink to the other

parts of the document. He went to the billet-office, where
he fraud was immediately detected, and the prisoners were
given into custody.
The Billet-master said that frauds of this kind had become
so frequent that an arrangement had been made by which
billets were now granted to recruits for one night only. In
one case, which occurred last week, the offender escaped,
owing to his being marched off before he could be appre-
hended.

Cooper made no defence ; Crosbie said he never had had
the billet in his hands.
The Court told them they had committed a very serious
offence, for which they were liable to severe punishment.
They should, however, be remanded till to-morrow [this
day], for the purpose of their commanding officer being con-
sulted.

LIVERPOOL ADDRESS TO THE QUEEN AND
PRINCE ALBERT.

The following are the addresses of the Corporation of this
town to her Majesty and her illustrious Consort :

ADDRESS TO HER MAJESTY.
To the Queen's Most Excellent Majesty.
We, the Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses of the borough
o' Liverpool, in Council assembled, hasten to offer your Ma-
jesty our dutiful and heartfelt congratulations on the occasion
of your Majesty's auspicious marriage.
While we rejoice in this happy union which promises to
much to your Majesty's domestic felicity, an union springing
not less from your private attachment than from a desire to
gratify the wishes of your faithful subjects,—we beg to ex-
press at the same time our ardent hopes, that a reign so aus-
piciously commenced, may be marked by every blessing
which your Majesty's benevolent heart can desire, and that
under your Majesty's beneficent and enlightened sway, this
natiod may witness the increase of our prosperity, the firm
establishment of our civil and religious liberties, the spread
of knowledge, the removal of injudicious restrictions upon
the springs of industry and commerce, and the return of
social happiness and individual comfort amongst all classes
of your Majesty's subjects.
Deeply grateful for that unqualified expression of your
Majesty's spmpathy with the feelings and wishes of your
people, which has secured to your royal person their love
and admiration, entertaining the sincerest sentiments of
loyalty and attachment to your Majesty and to the illustrious
object of your choice, and with our fervent prayer that, un-
der the .Divine favour, your Majesty may long enjoy a glo-
rious and happy reign, we now lay this, our humble address,
at the foot of the throne.
Given under our common seal this seventeenth day of
February, one thousand eight hundred and forty.

ADDRESS TO PRINCE ALBERT.

To His Royal Highness Prince Albert of Saxe Coburg and

Gotha,

We, the Mayor, Aldermen,and Burgesses of Liverpool,
in Council assembled, begged to offer your Royal Highness
our cordial welcome upon your arrival in this kingdom, and
our warmest congratulations on the celebration of that aus-
picious event, which has so closely connected your Royal
Highness with the best interests and wishes of the nation.
We rejoice that her Majesty's choice has fallen upon a
Prince, not more illustrious by his historical descent than
distinguished by those personal qualities ar►d accomplish-
ments which are so well calculated to insure the domestic
happiness of her Majesty. Trusting that every earthly bles-
sing may attend our gracious Sovereign and her Royal Con-
sort, we respectfully present to your Royal Highness this
address, sincerely expressive Of our high esteem and regard.
Given under our common seal this seventeenth day of Fe-
bruary, one thousand eight hundred and forty.

TOTAL DESTRUCTION OF A CHAPEL BY FIRE.

We regret to state that on Wednesday morning the Inde-
pendent Chapel in Great George-street, of which the Rev. Dr.
Raffles is the minister, was totally destroyed by fire. The
following are the particulars, from which it will be seen that
this was an instance of the most complete and rapid destruc-
tion by fire ever known. _ _ _

It appears that about eight o'clock on Tuesday night, the
two large stoves connected with the apparatus for heating
the building, were lighted, in order that the school-rooms
under the chapel might be in a comfortable state of warmth
for the children on the following morning, and that the chapel
itself might be warmed, preparatory to the intended per-
formance of divine service on the evening of Tuesday.
One of the officers of the patroling police, who regularly
visits the chapel in his rounds, was in the building during
the night, and noticed that it was exceedingly warm. He
again entered it at six o'clock btl Wednesday morning, and
made the same observation, which he communicated to the
chapel-keeper. The latter did not conceive that this por-
tended any danger, and he reminded the officer that he had
recently on one occasion made the same observation before.
The increased heat was attributed to the circumstance of
new stoves having been recently fitted up in the chapel, and
the officer, with this explanation, coincided in the views of
the chapel-keeper, and was satisfied. A. little before eight
o'clock he again visited the chapel, and all appeared safe. At
eight o'clock a gentleman connected with the chapel was in
the building, but he did not perceive anything that gave him
alarm or uneasiness.

About half-past eight o'clock, a man, who was passing,
saw smoke issuing from a portion of the building. Being
convinced from its volume that it arose from some unusual
cause, he immediately ran and acquainted the police-officer
on duty. The latter went to the spot, and saw sufficient to
convince him that no time was to be lost in procuring as-
sistance. He despatched a messenger to the Fire-Police
Station, and in the meantime busied himself in getting up
the plugs, and preparing the pump, in front of the building,
for action.

A glance at the interior of the chapel showed that the tire
had communicated from the flues to the woodwork (which,
we understand, consisted principally of red pine, the com-
bustible property of which had been still further increased
through the circumstance of the building having been over-
heated by the new stoves for about a month past), and that
the flames were spreading with a rapidity that would prevent
anything effectual being done till the arrival of the engines.
Mr. Hewitt, with a strong body of the fire-police and four
engines, was on the spot shortly before nine o'clock, but in
the brief space of twenty minutes, which had elapsed since
the message was sent, the flames, having nothing but wood-
work to feed upon, had spread fearfully, so that at the hour
last named the whole interior of the extensive building was
in a complete blaze.
As there was plenty of water ready, the engines were got
immediately into action, but every endeavour to save the inside
of the building prcoviQ hopeleSs. The south-east wind, which
blew pretty fresh, rushing through the large open area in
front of the chapel, blew out' the flames from the windows
on each side completely across Nelson-street and Great
George-street, and threatened destruction to the opposite
buildings, which, in several instances, took fire, and would
inevitably have been burned down but for the water thrown
upon them from the engines. The windows of many of the
houses in Great George-street were broken by the heat,
which was, during a short period, so intense that the men
employed in working the engines were unable to endure it,
and were twice or thrice compelled to abandon their labour.
Mr. Whitty, who arrived on the spot a few minutes after
the engines, saw at once that the interior of the chapel was
doomed to destruction ; he therefore directed the exertions
of his men to the saving of the walls and the portico, and to
warding the fire from the opposite buildings. In these ob-
jects they succeeded; but it is still doubted by some whether
the walls will not, to secure a perfectly safe building, have
to be taken down. The portico, too, has been slightly in-
jured.
The progress of the fire was so rapid, that it may be thus
described :—At half-past eight it was discovered; at nine, on
the arrival of the engines, it was at its height ; and at half-
past nine the whole interior was destroyed—nothing remain-
ing thereof hut a mass of blackened and smouldering embers.
Dr. Raffles, we understand. was in Manchester at the time
of this disaster, but we are informed that a messenger was
immediately despatched to inform him of the misfortune that
has deprived him and his respectable congregation of their
spacious place of worship.
The building, we understand, was insured in two offices to
the amount of £4OOO or £4500.