The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-10-19 00:00:00

A FIRE ROUND A MAGAZINE.—WhiIe the Phaeton was
off Genoa a most alarming fire took place in the after cock-
pit, just before the magazine bulk-head. It was in the eve-
ning, while the ship's company were at quarters, and the
captain and all the officers at their stations. The intelligence
was quietly conveyed to Captain Morris first, and in an in-
stant calmness and self-possession were displayed in the
clearest manner. " Mr. Beaufort," he said, " form the
marines round the hatchways, and let them load with ball-
cartridge, and allow no one to come on deck. Firemen, with
their buckets, attend me on the lower deck." Arrived on
the lower deck, he commanded silence, and himself superin-
tending and directing them, the men drew the water, and,
guided by the column of thick smoke, kept up a continual
stream of water. For a time the smoke increased in dense-
ness and quantity, and each one near the spot could have had
no other expectation than that of a speedy flight into the
air. Captain Morris, however, remained unaltered, and not
a feature gave evidence of the anxiety which must have
existed within his breast. At length, the man who had
occasioned the fire was in a great measure the cause of
the preservation of the ship. The place where the fire
commenced was a locker, in which were the match-tubs
and matches for present use, and also the quarter lanterns,
and it appeared that the purser's steward had also been in the
habit of putting the purser's lanterns in the same place. The
cooper (who was, as usual, the steward's assistant) had been
drawing off spirits, and, having imbibed rather plentifully of
the fumes, or probably, liquor, carelessly deposited his lan-
tern, with the candle unextinguished, in this locker, whence
arose the dangerous fire. Sobered by the awful circumstances
of his recklessness, the man endeavoured to make the best
atonement in his power, and, aware of the exact position of
the fire, actually jumped into the smouldering heap, at the
imminent risk of suffocation, and threw the burning matches
into the cockpit, where they were•quickly extinguished by
the quantity of water thrown down by the firemen, and the
danger was happily overcome, but not till the bulk-head of
the magazine was half burnt through. Captain Morris, re-
lieved from this passing anxiety, spoke with the utmost
satisfaction of the ship's company, not one of whom was
heard to utter a word during the whole time. But while
justly lauding the officers and men for their attention to his
orders, they in return were aware that it was his presence of
mind and example which materially contributed to so desira-
ble an end.—United Service Journal

THE LATE THEODORE HOOK.—In 1813 Mr. Hook was
appointed to the offices of accountant-general and treasurer
of the Mauritius, whither he proceeded with every prospect
of fortune before him. He held these offices from 9th Octo-
ber, 1812, to 28th February, 1818. In 1814 he was made su-
perintendent of the government press, which duty he per-
formed to April 15, when a regular editor was appointed. In
April, 1818, he was sent home a prisoner ; and in October,
the same year, he was released, the law officers declaring
there were no legal grounds to detain him. The public were
taught to believe that his dismissal from office arose from
peculation ; but in this affair gross injustice has been done to
Mr. Hook. It is true that a defalcation did exist in the
cash balance, but it is equally true that the subject of our
memoir was innocent of all participation in the abstraction
of the cash ; morally, he was perfectly innocent ; but legally,
and insomuch that a principal should be accountable for the
acts of his subordinate, he was to blame. The truth is, that
General Hall, the Commander-in-Chief, had reason to be-
lieve a deficiency existed in the military chest, and he issued
an order that on a certain day he would investigate the ac-
counts, and see that the balance corresponded with the books.
The day arrived, the balance was found correct, and the
books were verified by the General. Subsequently, howe-
ver, he had cause to suspect that monies were got together
from various parts of the island, with which to make up the
balance, and this gave rise to an order that on the morrow
morning, at nine o'clock, he would again investigate the
accounts. On that morning Mr. Hook's deputy destroyed
himself. Hook was of course answerable for his acts,
and was thus called upon to make good the deficiency,
which was upwards of 50,000 dollars, or about £12,000, of
which about one-third has been paid. All Hook's property
was seized, and he was sent home a prisoner. Party spirit
was strongly directed against him in this affair, and while he
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was, as a tory, on all hands abused, the public were little
aware that another individual, of pre-eminent talent also, and
one of whom his country is justly proud, was also the victim
of a deputy's dishonesty ! However, Mr. Hook's trifling
waspropertyfor s x wasm
in Shire-lar e, and for twelve months afterwards a prisoner in
the King's Bench. This was in the years 12234, and 5,
when in the month of May of the latter year he was dis-
os seized
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after acquired property that property would be still liable for
the deficiency. Even within the last year some of Hook's
charged, with the intimation conveyed to him that if he ever
effects were sold in the Mauritius, and carried to government
account.