The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-05-26 00:00:00

long intervals. It was therefore a favourite resort of th e
jackdaws, who had carried up into it large quantities of sh ort
dried sticks, coarse wool, and other ingredients suitable for
their nests. There was also in the room a large quantity of
hempen chafings from the bell-ropes. Mr. Groves stat ed,
that to go into this room he used a lighted candle, which he
carried in a lantern, having lighted the candle with a limiter
match when he wanted to use it. He admitted having taken
the candle out of the lantern and put it into a sort of w ooden
candlestick, for the purpose of examining the work s more
minutely ; and on being questioned on the subject, he stated
that he had once snuffed the candle with his finge rs, but that
he had put the snuff into the lantern. This was some time
before he left the belfry for the night, which he did a few
minutes before six, in order to examine the clock externally
during the striking of that hour. He stated that on leaving
the place he locked the door after him with a key which bad
been furnished to him for the purpose of attending to his
work.

This portion of his statement was confirmed by another
witness, who on the first alarm of the fire ran with a bucket
of water to the belfry door, which he found locked. It is,
therefore, pretty clear that no person had been in the belfry
after six, though that is not quite certain, as the key which
Mr. Groves had is not the only key of the belfry-door. It

goes tar, however, to show that the fire could not have been
the work of an incendiary ; unless such a person had pos-
sessed himself of a false key, which there is no reason to
suppose was the case.
It may not be amiss,. perhaps, to state that there is no
truth in the reports which have been extensively circulated,
that the Cathedral was insured for a very considerabie sum
of money, or that it was usually watched throughout the
night by a person inside. The Minster was not at all in-
sured; though we understand that some years ago overtures
were made to effect an insurance for £lO,OOO, at the rate of
4s per cent., but that the negociation did not succeed.
No service was performed in the Minster on Thursday and
yesterday ; and we believe that it will not be re-opened for
divine service till after all the rubbish has been cleared away,
and the dangerous parts of the standing walls of the nave
removed. In the afternoon of Thursday the public were
admitted to view the smoking ruins in the interior of the
Minster, a detatchment of soldiers being posted so as to
prevent them being led by curiosity into places of danger.
We may here take the opportunity of stating that the con-
duct of the military on this occasion gave great satisfaction
to all ; it was firm, yet forbearing, and the orders they re-
ceived were executed with a degree of considerateness which
did them much credit. _

On Thursday afternoon and yesterday, great numbers of
persons lett Leeds by the railway to view the ruins of this
venerable pile, and .after staying a few hours in York, re-
turned to their respective homes. There was also a consi-
derable influx of strangers from other towns who had gone
to gratify their curiosity.
It may be remarked, as a somewhat curious coincidence,
that the very tower, in which Jonathan Martin made his
first attempt to destroy the Minster, on the night of the 2nd
of February, 1829, but which he could not there accomplish,
is the one in which the present direful calamity commenced.

PRICES OF SHARES, MAY 25.

RAILWAYS, &c.
Birmingham and Gloucester
Ditto and Derby
Birkenhead and Chester
Ditto, new
Bolton and Leigh
Bolton and Preston
Bristol and Exeter
Chester and Crewe
Dublin and Drogheda
Eastern Counties
Edinburgh and Glasgow

Prices. This day Last
I'er Share. Prices
80 paid 70 10 0 ....
100 .... 89 0 0 ....
50 paid 54 10 0 ....
5 .... 13 2 6 ....

. .. 100 paid . .
. .
... 25 .... 29 10 0 ....
... 45 .... . 5.; 5 0 ....
... 10 paid 0 0 0 , .
... 21 paid 12 10 0 .. 12 12 U.
. 25 5 0 .

Ditto - Leigh and-Newhaven 9 paid
Glasgow, Paisley, & Greenock 17 paid 19 10 0 ....
Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmar l 30 paid • ' •
Greenock, and Ayr
Grand ittnction
Ditto half shares
Great Western 65 .... 93 10 0 93 0 0
Ditto new shares 3O 43 15 0 .... 43 10 0
Hull and Selby
Lancaster and Preston 42 10 0 32 15 0 .
Ditto, new
Liverpool and Manchester
Ditto quarter shares
Ditto half shares
London and Birmingham 9O .... 177 0 0 .
Ditto new shares
Ditto quarter shares
Ditto and Southampton
Ditto & Brighton
London and Croydon
Leeds and Manchester 6O .... 83 0 0 .
Ditto half shares
Leicester and Swannington 5O .... 71 0 0 .
Ditto, (new)
Manchester, Bolton, & Bury
Manchester and Birmingham 25 .... 23 5 0 .
Ditto and Ditto Extension
Midland Counties
Newcastle and Carlisle lOO ....
Ditto quarter shares
North Midland lOO .... 104 0 0 .
New North Midland 2O .... 31 5 0 .
South Eastern and Dover 18 0 0 ....
North Union
St. Helen's and Runcorn Gap lOO paid 0. 0 0 ....
York and North Midland 5O paid 64 0 0
BANKS.
Royal Bank of Liverpool 500 .. 746 10 oex div
Bank of Liverpool
- Commercial of Liverpool 10 .... 17 2 6
- Liverpool Union lO .... 13 7 6
- Northern and Central - - -
- Albion
- North and South Wales lO .... 6 10 0
- of Manchester lO .... 10 2 6
- M'chester & L'pool Dsct. 15 .... 9 17 6
- South Lancashire
Liverpool Banking Company
Borough Bank
Commercial Bank of England
East of England
Phoenix Bank
Wilts and Dorset 7 10s.
GAS, WATER WORKS, &c.
Exchange Buildings .eloo paid 163 0 0 ....
L'pool and Harrington Water
}35,
Works
Bootle Ditto Stock.... 325 0 0
L'pool Coal Gas Company Stock.... 370
L'pool New Gas & Coke Co. £lOO 191 0 0 ....
Ditto new shares are now paid up.
ASSURANCE COMPANIES.
Liverpool Marine Assurance l ,95 paid 210 0 ....
Company
Ocean Assurance Company.... 10 .... 5 5 0 ex div,
Liverpool Fire and Life 2 10s. 1 13 0 ex div

53 10 0

30 15 0

. 13 2 6

8 0 0
15 2 d

7 10

Jo ....

8 0 0 ....

. 477 10 0

DOCKS, FERRIES, NEW COMPANIES, &c.
Anderton Carrying Company 15
Woodside Ferry
Egreinont Ferry l2 10s.
Rock Ferry
Monk's Ferry
Steam Tug Company
Harrington Docks
Apothecaries' Company ....
Asphalte (Liverpool;
(Polonceau).

6 7 6.
7 5 0.
6 12 6 .
57 a e.
6 17 6.
014 6.
1 0 0 .

10 . .
.....100 ....