The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-12-23 00:00:00

looking uut for

make an purchase. The
It of the " wheel's turn ' at the close :
£4O 0 0 Ed. Mulyneux (Ist
£lO 0 0
30 0 0 drawn blank ...
30 0 0 Chas. M`lver (2nd 1 10 0 0

drawn blank) .. 1

i 0 01John Glover

1000

Lawrence Frost .... 20 0 OiT. F. Marshall
Joseph Langton .... 20 00; Thomas Holden ...,
Samuel Beckwith... 20 0 O'Liverpool Academy
K. E. Ellison .
James Wordley 13 0 O.W. N. Bell
A. H. Kinderman .. 15 0 0 Hugh Perkins
Miss M. Duckworth 15 0 Ojarnes Gerrard.. ...
Rev. D. Badnall... 15 0 ()George Green
George Holt l5 0 0 Thomas Dismore...
Andrew Norton

1000
1000
1000
1000
1t) 0 0
1000
1000
10 00
1000

Robert Henderson

iiverpool Academy

Edward Jan-

Mrs. R. Rathbonc

Liverpool Academy. 15 0 0
,E. Brown.. 5 0 0
Mrs. Atkinson l5 0 O'John Tyrer,jun..... 50 0
The selection of the prize pictures will take place to-day,
23d instant, in the following order, viz., the higher

the
prizes, of

twenty pounds ar

until twelve ; the fifteen you

towards, to select from-ten
prizes from twelve o'clock
pounds from two o'clock
3 select according to peiority

until two; ten

until four

of drawin

RS IN THE CORPORATION

EXAMINATION 0.

Sctroor.s.—The half-yearly examination of the Scholars in
the Corporation Schools commenced on Wednesday in the
North School, and terminated yesterday with the South
School, and we are happy to say that, in both the institutions,
the progress of the pupils, as well as their increase in num-
bers, appeared to be most satisfactory to the friends of Scrip-
tural Education. The proceedings in the North School
commenced at eleven o'clock, in the presence of his Wor-
ship the Mayor, Mr. Molyneux, chairman of the Education
Committee, Mr. Shand, the Rev. Dr. Tattershall, the
_ _

Rev. Mr. Brown, the Rev. Mr. Hill, and a considerable
number of ladies. They were opened with prayer and the
singing of a hymn, in neither of which was there any division
of sect. but all joined in both. After which the :infants,
amounting in number to about 200, were examined in general
knowledge and Scriptural information. The more advanced
classes of boys and girls were next examined, but on a more
extended 6cale, in his history, geography, grammar, the scrip-
tures, &c., in all of which they displayed intelligence of a re-
markable character creditable alike to their own assiduity and
the constant attention of their teachers. They next read
the dfith chapter of the Prophet Isaiah, on which
they were examined, added to which they repeated several
prophecies from the Old Testament, and their correspondent
fulfilment under the Christian dispensation and recorded in
the New Testament. The examination concluded with ap-
propriate singing. The Rev. Dr. Tattershall then addressed
the children in a short speech, in which he warmly commen-
ded them for the progress they had made in the several sub-
jects in which;they had been examined. He was perfectly
satisfied that the schools would be an invaluable blessing to
those who had the privilege of receiving instruction in them ,
and he was glad to mention publicly that they were in a state
of efficiency, which reflected very great credit upon those
to whom their management was confided. The proceedings
of the examination concluded by Mr. Stone addressing a few
words of exhortation to those scholars who were about to
quit the school to embark on their future course of life. The
children were subsequently regaled with buns, oranges, &c.
at the expense of the corporation. Altogether the day was
Passed most pleasantly, and we hope profitably. The exa-
. urination at the South School took place yesterday, at eleven
o'clock, in the presence of Mr. Molyneux, Mr. G. H. Law-
rence, Mr. 'Wm. Earle, Mr. Houghton, Mr. Hodgson, Mr.
Joshua Edwards, the Rev. H. Carpenter, the Rev. Mr.
Whitley, the Rev. Mr. Higgins, &c. The same routine was
observed as at the North School, and with equal satisfac-
tion. At the close the children were addressed by the Rev.
H. Carpenter and Mr. G. H. Lawrence, from both of whom
they received very excellent praothed advice. They were
regaled like the scholars in the Norus School. We believe
they gave complete satisfaction, both by their conduct and
their intelligence, to the members of the Education Com-
mittee present; and to the visitors. The Corporation Schools,
under the existing management, have thus given convincing
proof of the excellence of the system under which they are
conducted, and which we hope will be long continued.
SUDDEN DEATH.—An inquest was held before Mr.
Currie, on Wednesday, on view of the body of William
Lythgoe. James Brodweek, a porter, said the deceased
lodged with him in a house in Amelia-buildings, Tithebarn-
street, and slept in the same bed with him. He came to
lodge there on Monday week last, and was then very ill.
On Monday night, at eleven o'clock, witness -went to bed,
and found the deceased there. Ile had his head raised,
breathed with difficulty, and said he was very weak. De-
ceased asked him to raise his bead. He did so. Deceased
coughed hard, and was not able to spit out. He appeared
to be quite powerless, and his head fell forward upon his
knees. Witness raised him several times, at his own request,
as he was quite helpless. While he was supporting him he
(deceased) told him he had £l7 or £lB in his belt, and a L 5
note in the corner of his box, and that he (witness) should
have the note and his suit of black clothes for his trouble.
The last time witness raised him he clutched him (witness)
harder, and turned his head round, and opened his mouth,
and directly after died. It was about a quarter to twenty
minutes after twelve o'clock. Witness, the landlady, and a
neighbour sat up all night in the house. About half-past
six or seven he went out for some candles. The wife of the
deceased and another person were in the house-part at the
time. No search had previously been made of his person or
his box. The same morning he was asked to go up stairs
and see the box opened. He went up and found it locked.
A Mrs. Allwood had the key, and she opened it and took
out the belt. In one of the pockets of it there was a small
Purse containing six sovereigns. Search was made for the
£5 note, but it could not be found. He could not tell how
Mrs. Almond became possessed of the key. The deceased
was asthmatical. He had told witness that he had been a
soldier in the Dragoon Guards, and that he had a pension.
Mary Attwood, who was landlady of the house, said deceased
had lodged there before, and was very poorly. He went to
bed on Monday afternoon, and complained of a pain in his
side. He was told afterwards by the last witness that de-
ceased was dying, and called in a neighbour. The deceased
had previously given her the key of the box, along with the
key of his tea caddy. He spoke to the search for the money,
and its result. There was a discrepancy as to the place
where the belt was found. Mr. Deane, surgeon, said he had
made a post »loam examination, and found that deceased
had died of disease in the lungs of long standing. • The
woman who kept the house was then called, and it appeared
that what she had before steed to two police-officers and
others relative to the money was much at variance with what
she then stated, and threw suspicion upon her conduct. The
coroner stated that lie could not inquire into the disposal of
the money supposed to have been in the possession of the de-
ceased at the time of his death, but the police-officers might
represent the case to the commissioner of police, who would
act as he thought fit on making further inquiry. It was quite
clear that the deceased died from natural causes, and with
this only the jury had to deal.—They accordingly returned a
verdict of " died by the visitation of God."

81JPPER Well)" said a gentleman to his friends
Who was partaking.of a custard, " So you are in custard-ey."
" Yes," replied the other, " and you seem to be very witty
(Whitty) over me.

VIOLENT ASSAULT ON A POLICE-OFFICER.—Thomas
Young, Patrick Young, and Patrick Sellinger, were on Wed-
nesday placed before Mr. Rushton, charged with having
violently assaulted William Edgar. constable 55. Edgar
stated that about twenty minutes before one o'clock on Wed-
nesday morning, when on duty in Chisenhale-street, he saw
the three prisoners standing at the corner of Wigan-street.
He said to them " nose men, it is time for you to go home,
it is nearly one o'clock." They replied, "we will please
ourselves when we go home—we are not doing any harm to
any one." Edgar replied, " I can't allow you to be hover-
ing about here." One of them replied, "we are going to
the Clarence Dock." The officer said, " see that you are off
then," and with these words he left them and went upon
Chisenhale-bridge. The prisoners followed him, and upon
his reaching the steps they went to the side of the canal.
Presently Patrick Young came up to him and said—" Do
you know me,?" He replied, " yes, 1 know you very well."
Young asked—" What do you know of me? "—" not much
good" was the officer's reply. Sellinger said—" What do
you know of me?" •‘ I know you all perfectly well," the
you had better go home." Sellinger
im-
Pat:

er replied

mediate]

struck at him, but he stopped the blow.
Young then knocked. off hat, and as he was stooping t,
Young knocked his legs from under bin)
Acked him in his left side and shoulder. Hi
~rt up, when Thomas Young reshed at him and forced the
stick from his grasp, and in tearing, away the string by which
it was held to his wrist broke the third finger of his right
hand. Thomas Young struck him on his band with the
stick, and repeating the blow knocked him down, when all
three again kicked him. He got up and seized Sellinger by
the cravat, when Patrick Young exclaimed that if he did not
leo- his hold he •would cut his hand off. At the same
at he felt Young cutting with some sharp instrument
land. Patrick Young struck him several times with
nis stick, and at length he fell and was kicked until be be-
came insensible. When became to himself he found several
women supporting him in a sitting posture against the wall.
He was sent to the Northern Hospital. Superintendent
M`Donald stated that he apprehended the prisoners in bed
that morning, in consequence of information he had received.
Thep all stated that they were in bed before ten o'clock, and
denied all knowledge of the affair. An aged female of the
sister isle was greatly excited during the examination, and
declared she could bring abundant proof that the " boys"
were in bed before ten o'clock. Henry. Murray, however,
was brought forward, and proved that he was drinking in
company with the prisoners till twelve o'clock the preceding
night, and that he left them in the neighbourhood of Chisen-
hale-street. The policeman appeared to have been dread-
fully injured. The prisoners were committed for trial.
EXTRAORDINARY CASE.—On Friday last, at the Liver-
pool Court of Bankruptcy, an extraordinary case came be-
fore Mr. Commissioner Phillips, arising out of the bank-
ruptcy of a person of the name of Hall, formerly a grocer in
Warrington. It appeared that in the month of September,
1841, the bankrupt absconded from Warrington, and was
subsequently discovered to have sailed for America, leaving
his affairs perfectly unprotected, but without any effects
available to his creditors, either from a secret disposition of
them prior to leaving, or by some fraudulent negotiations
with other parties, for the purpose of keeping the proceeds
from his creditors. The bankrupt's father-in-law took pos-
session of the books and has retained them up to the present
inquiry, and they are stated by the bankrupt himself to be so
mutilated as to be of little or no service in making out his
balance-sheet, or presenting even an ordinary statement of
his assets and obligations. On the bankrupt's arrival in
America, he solicited and obtained an appointment as clerk
in a grocery store, where he evinced creditable talents, and
both activity and vigilance for the period of a twelvemonth,

:akc it up, Patrick

ellinger

momer
at his 1

as described by his master in his advertisement of the rob-
bery in the different American journals. On the I9th of
June, in the following year, he absconded from the house
of his master at Brooklyn, in the state of New York, taking
with him 4,950 dollars, the monies of his employer, in
Texian Treasury notes and specie of different denomina-
tions. It was supposed that he had taken the route to Bal-
timore, and an active pursuit was commenced in that di-
rection, but although every means was consulted that the
best authorities and the Most practised assistants could de-
vise, the search proved fruitless, all trace of him being ex-
tinguished for a month or more. Shortly afterwards, the
bankrupt appears to have bad some concexion with a Mr.
Thomas Montfort, in South Boston, from whom he also ab-
sconded, taking with him 1,200 dollars current money of the
state. Mr. Montfort immediately advertised the prisoner,
offering a reward of 300 dollars for his apprehension, but
without effect. The bankrupt contrived to elude the vigi-
lance of the police in the United States, and nothing more
was heard from him until information was received that he
had been seen at his old haunts at Warrington, England.
His accusers lost no time in memorializing the United States'
Consulate of the felony, who, with the assistance of an intel-
ligent police-officer (Jones), took the prisoner into custody,
seizing at the same time a large amount of notes of the Texian
Bank, before any messenger from the Court of Bankruptcy
was apprized of his return. The bankrupt was brought up
before the magistrates at Warrington, to answer the charge
of the felony preferred against him from his American pro-
secutors by attorney. but the case was so beset with difficul-
ties, in consequence of the indeterminate relations between
the two countries on the point of arrest, that recourse was
had by Colonel Aspinwall, the United States' Consulate, and
also by Mr. Nicholson, clerk to the magistrates at Warring-
ton, to Sir J. Graham for advice in prosecuting the examina-
tion, which proved ultimately an affair of so much difficulty
as to cause a recommendation by Sir J. Graham of an
abandonment of the case—a recommendation which was
instantly followed by the release of the prisoner, but
not of a restitution of the property, either to the pri-
soner himself or to the parties deputed by the assignee
under his estate. On Friday the bankrupt surrendered
himself, the forty-second day having expired, which is the
limit prescribed by the statute to prevent an outlawry. Some
sttong statements were made by Mr. Nicholson, affecting the
truth of the bankrupt's statement of his poverty; this gen-
tleman asserting that he had good grounds for believing that
he (the bankrupt) had some reserved funds, a statement
which the learned Commissioner received with his usual cau-
tion, and with much good feeling and in the best possible
taste recommended the bankrupt, if he were privy to any con-
cealment, at once to disclose it, and save himself from the
painful consequences Prescribed for such offences. The ques-
tion now before the Court is, as to the disposition of the
money in the possession of the officer, who has detained it
hitherto upon the priority of a criminal over a civil process ;

there being put in before the Court a certificated copy of
theft. In answer to questions put by the learned Commis-
sioner, the bankrupt said he was totally unable to make out
a balance sheet, a declaration which the Commissioner told
him he could not hear of. The books said to be much torn
and mutilated in the hands of his father-in-law were ordered
to be given up for examination by the bankrupt upon his next
examination. Under the circumstances the learned Com-
missioner adjourned the examination sine die. This case
derives considerable interest, as being the latest evidence of
the staic of the international law between this country and
America, and affords a tolerable presentiment that something
is likely to arise out of these negotiations favourable to the
interest of both nations in the exercise of public justice, in a
reciprocative determination that those who by the violation
of their obligations to society have rendered themselves ame-
nable to a criminal tribunal, shall not by a false, shallow, and
abstract right of mere citizenship be suffered to elude the con-
sequences of their offences.
DOCTOR SMITH OF OXTON AGAIN.—This individual
again appeared before John D. Case, Esq., at the Town
Hall, Birkenhead, on Wednesday morning last, to substan-
tiate the charges he had made against three individuals alluded
to in Tuesday's Standard. Mr. Mallaby appeared as the
legal adviser of the magistrate, and Mr. Smith being asked
if he was prepared with evidence to prove the charges he had
made, replied that he was, and entered into a long statement
almost the same in effect as that which has already appeared.
He, however, stated, on this occasion, that he left home
about three months ago, showed a paper from which it ap-
peared that be had remitted home £l7 3s. 13d., and said the
furniture he left in his house amounted in value to £2OO.
The greater part of this property had been pawned by the
elder female, who had sold the tickets afterwards. This had
been done without his wife's consent, and she should swear
that most positively, and be would take the salvation of the
oath on himself. All this had been done in consequence of
some foolish newspaper reports, but although he had been
unfortunate he could assure the magistrate that his character
for propriety was first-rate throughout the land. Mr. Mal-
laby asked Smith to state some specific charge which could
be inquired into, and after some discussion some silver spoons,
two faucet cases, and some other trifling articles which had
been given up on Saturday evening by a respectable trades-
man in this town to Greaves, one of the Liverpool police,
were produced, and Mr. Smith claimed them as his property.
The young man said he purchased the ticket for the spoons
from the owner of them, Mr. Spilling, for £l, and he had
released them for £1 10s., so that he considered he had paid
the full value for them. The magistrate inquired if Mr.
Spilling was present, but on that gentleman stepping forward
Mr. Smith exclaimed, with great vehemence, " Oh, for God's
sake do not let him swear, gentlemen, he's not capable, he's
a lunatic, and has been placed under my care," and then ad-
dressing the wrong gentleman, he added " John, John, do
riot swear about it ; you are not in a fit state ; what are you
going to do ?" The magistrate requested Mr. Smith to calm
himself, and not attempt to produce excitement, and as to
the capability of the gentleman he should judge of that him-
' self. Mr. Spilling, in a calm, rational, and consistent man-
ner, stated that the plate never belonged to Mr. Smith ; that
it was first pawned in Sheffield, and when Mr. Smith took
charge of him he was paid £7B down, and £lO to release
some articles which were in pawn, which he had done, but
on Mr. Smith's return to Oxton the latter had again pawned
them in Liverpool, and be (Mr. Spilling) obtained the tickets
from Mrs. Smith, and sold them to the person who had re-
leased them from pawn. Here Mr. Smith again became ex-
cited, charged the young gentleman with stating what was un-
true,—that he was insane, asserted that he had released him
from the workhouse, and had been obliged to pledge the ar-
ticles for his support, and ended with a pious ejaculation we
do not deem it necessary to repeat. Mr. Spilling answered
several questions which were put to him by Mr. Mallaby
most satisfactorily, and then stated that it was true Mr.
Smith had taken him from the workhouse, but it was
the only place where there was a lunatic asylum, in
which he was at that time. Mr. Smith, however, had
received for his maintenance, during the last twelve months,
at least £120; and as be had contradicted what he (Mr.
Spilling) had said, he hoped the magistrate would post-
pone the case until he could write to his friends and
prove the truth of the matter. Mr. Smith : "Oh ! for God's
sake—by all means ; but, John, (addressing Mr. Spil-
ling,) take care what you are about,—don't do any such
thing." The magistrate ordered the plate to be restored to
the individual from whom it came, observing, that there was
no pretence for a charge of felony. Mr. Smith : "Very well,
but there is no such plea with regard to the blankets and
carpet." These articles were produced, and the elder female
was charged with illegally pawning them and then disposing
of the tickets to her son. The female said she had pawned
them at the request of Mrs. Smith, to pay for a wapentake,
or the bailiffs would have been in the house ; and Mrs.
Smith's brother had assisted her in carrying them. The boy
said he had done so, and that his sister knew they were going.
Mrs. Smith, in answer to questions from Mr. Mallaby,
stated, that she knew there were law proceedings going on,
and that the goods were pawned to pay the debt and costs.
She also admitted that the receipt had been given to her, but
she denied having given the housekeeper permission to sell
the tickets to her son : she had told her to sell them to a
friend in Birkenhead. Mr. Mallaby therefore advised the
young man to give up the blankets and carpet, as it would
no noubt save him from further trouble, although there was
no ground for a charge of felony. This was agreed to. A
number of pawn-tickets were then produced for articles
which had been pawned : amongst the rest, a writing-desk,
two coats, and various other articles. Mr. Spilling said, a
coat and writing-desk belonging to him had been pawned by
Mr. Smith, without his consent, and also a large painting by
Morland. The elder female said she had pawned a coat
belonging to Mr. Smith, at his own request, last midsummer,
in order to raise money for him to leave home; and in
answer to a question by Mr. Malltiby, Mr. Smith said that
was so. Mr. Case said, there was no pretence for charging
the parties with felony, and ordered them to be discharged.
Greaves, the officer, then stated, that he had incurred some
expense. Mr. Case said, he could not order any expenses—
; lie must look to Mr. Smith. Greaves said, Mr. Smith had
told Mr. Dowling that he applied to him at the request and
with the authority of Mr. Case. Mr. Case said, he had
given no such authority ; Mr. Smith had applied to him on
Saturday for a warrant, which he had not granted, telling
Mr. Smith, that if the parties had committed felony, there
was no need of a warrant for taking them into custody.
Here the proceedings ended.—[Should this meet the eye of
the friends of Mr. Spilling, perhaps they will see the neces-
sity of interfering.]

Two warehouses,

100 yards

House.

Cottages

Jamaica•street

i Public.
Ihouse.

W
P
t 9

The whole of the engines from the fire-police station, with
the whole of the firemen, under the active superintendence
of Mr. Whitty, chief constable, and Mr. Hewitt, of the tire
brigade, got to work almost instanter. The engine of the
West of England Insurance Company was, too, we learn, the
second that came up. But though the supply of water was,
on this occasion, very fair, anti they all got to work with the
utmost vigour, it became evident, from the first, that little
or nothing could be saved from the several burning or ig-
niting premises; and their exertions were properly directed
to the extinguishment, so far as they could, of the terrific
blaze in the outskirts, so as to prevent the spread of the
destructive element to the houses immediately adjoining the
warehouses, as well as those on the opposite sides of the
three streets, north, south, and east of the area, which were
in imminent peril, as the wind blew rather freshly, first from
about the W. by S. and latterly and more strongly, from
about W.S.W. The neighbourhood is extremely dense in
small houses and in population ; and it is a matter of great
congratulation that their exertions were so far successful;
for had any part of Newhall-street, or more particularly
Greenland-street, on the north side, become ignited, a large
breadth of the south part of the town, from the original site
of the lize, in a N.W. direction towards, and perhaps across,
St. James"-street, must have been swept away. Great as the
destruction is, the result may be considered as a fortunate
escape, and the town owe the credit to the tire-police in par-
ticular, and (amidst all the new plans that have been de-
vised) are bound, we think, to support them in their frequent
and dangerous labours, under numerous difficulties, until
some more approved and practical system be introduced.
No accident, happily, occurred to life or limb, so far as we
could learn, though one man (as we shall hereafter notice)
had a fearful and narrow escape.
The first estimates made of a loss are generally much ex-
aggerated, and for this there may be some excuse in timid or
romantic minds. On the last occasion of a great fire, we
believe we may claim the credit of priority in furnishing
something like the accurate amount, derived from authentic
sources—for we are unwilling to " fright the town from her
propriety," by dealing in mere vague and indefinite rumours.
Our contemporary of yesterday has been led into an error in
this respect, and we decline falling into the same groove,
however we might make the vulgar stare by a flaming an-
nouncement of destruction on such an occasion--an occasion,
indeed, which is always sufficiently lame.otable as regards
our local happiness and prosperity without dealing in the ex-
travagant. The loss, we believe, will be found (in place of
£70,000 to £1000900) to be, in all, from £45,k100 to £47,000
chiefly in the following articles :-
7,000 to 8,000 quarters of wheat ;
1,400 bags of cotton ;
50 casks of madder;
100 barrels of tar and turpentine :
30 to 40 tons of dyewood, &c., &c.

About 91 tuns of olive oil, worth about £5,000, (opt in-
cluded in our estimate,) are yet in the cellars of the eastern
warehouse (called " Crane's"), but every hope is entertained
that it will be saved. The western warehouse is called
" Guyton's." The fire was so far subdued by one o'clock—
the flames being reduced to the vanited cellars under the west
yard—that little apprehension was entertained of its spread-
ing to auy of the adjacent property, much of which was long
in jeopardy. Many of the inhabitants, chiefly persons in
humble life, mere naturally much alarmed, and removed their
furniture and families at necessarily great loss. The outer
wood-work of a number of the houses and buildings in
Greenland-street, Newhall-street, and even Parliament-
street (thongh to windward), was much blistered, and the
walls in sonic instances completely blackened by the dense
smoke of the resinous combustibles; but the engines played
upon them copiously and so cooled them down, that the da-
mage was comparatively slight.
The two warehouses were both of great height, and also of
area,— as will be seen by the plan, which we have made at
right angles, for the convenience of our printers, though the
parallel streets, east and west, near to which they stood, are
not precisely of the same length. They covered an 4rea (to-
gether) of 1460 yards. These were, we learn, rented from
Messrs. Thos. Dover and Co., agents for the proprietors—
that on the west by Mr. Guyton ; that on the east by Mr.
Crane. The first contained principally grain, wood, and
some brimstone; the latter cotton, grain, fustic, and tallow.
During the early part of the fire, Lieut. Butler, in com-
mand of H.M.S. Etna, sent his marines on shore, in charge
of Mr. Wright, chief officer under him ; Captain Cumming
of the 15th Regiment, from the barracks, Duke-street, with-
out requisition. also brought up their respective forces, and
rendered eflicient service, in maintaining order and keeping
ample space for the firemen, until their services were grate-
fully dispensed with.
Yesterday afternoon, at two o'clock, the only portion of
the buildings, with the exception of some inconsiderable ruins.
that remained standing, was the shell of Messrs. Platt's tur-
pentine works in the middle, and the outer or side walls
only of each of the warehouses, one on the east, and the other
in the west, of the space; both still apparently maintaining
their perpendicularity; both perforated with numerous win-
dows, and both surmounted in the centre with an engine
chimney.

Having now noticed the fire in more particularly a mercan- I
tile point of view, we proceed to the descripthve. We do not
remember any fire more rapid and incontroh ible in its effects, I
or presenting such a variety and succession of extraordinary
scenery. In the early part, the rush of immense crowds, the
alarm of the neighbours, the shouts of the ti rernen astounded
the ear ; while the belching of flames, and the ascension of
huge and continuous red flames and cloud s of black smoke 1
from the turpentine and other combustible filed the eye—
both tending to indicate a calamity of tar .usual magnitude,
that might extend to distant parts of the to wn. The fire was
at its height about a quarter-past seven o'clock—the turpen-
tine works, both yards, and the warehoez as being then in si-
multaneous, terrific, and, we may add,. :sublime blaze. No
painting could have conveyed even an idea of its magnificence. I
About ten o'clock the scene, as viewed through a gateway of
an outer wall in Greenland-street, was; equally remarkable,
though much varied and varying. This gateway opened into
the yard containing the turpentine land tar vaults. The
warehouses, the turpentine distillery in the middle, and, in-
deed, the whole area were yet in a rapid state of combustion.
The sun shone at the time (beyond the spot) from a cloudless
sky. The thin smoke through which be was occasionally seen,
for a moment shorn of his beams, :Lnd like his inferior lumi-
nary the moon, was succeeded by dense vapours pitchy dark ;
these by lurid flame, and these by u dearer atmosphere, that
admitted him to resume his respleradency. These alterna-
tions and intermediate ones, presei sting varieties even in a
minute that astonished and awed th e beholder. The smoke
in immense clouds rolled to the norf .hward and eastward over
the town, and appeared to those at a distance to be produced
by a series of explosions. At OM o'clock the scene in both
streets was almost equally curl' ous. Facing Parliament-
street were the ruins of the w arehouses—the outer sides
bounding an area—part of which, , over the turpentine vaults
(nine in number), resembled the supercrust of a volcano, and
the boiling tar and turpentine gunning down into the street
formed no distant resemblance to the lava. We looked into
some of these vaults by an, opening archway next the
street, and also down seer oral openings in the arch-
work in the yard. Virgil's, description of the infernal
regions conveys no adequate 'idea of the sight. The arched
"bowels of the earth" here; appeared to be one mass of
smothered flame, almost at !a white heat, and struggling to
escape by the apertures or ha tchways at the tops of the inch-
ways. The flames did s oraetimes ascend ten to fifteen feet,
and were alternately sucrxeC;ed by bursts less significant, co-
mingled with black smoke.. The bricks and mortar must
have been almost calcined. yet they held together. These
large vaults have, we ;arc:, been used, for many years, for
the stowage of turpentine, and other bituminous substances,
and the waste had formed. a cake on the floors of from a foot
to eighteen inches in depth. The water, thrown copiously
in, whenever an ape, turn near the street was available by a
firemen, seemed to have but trifling quenching effect. The
flames, if for a moment subdued, again burst up with ap-
parently equal violence. The injection of sand, indeed, in
place of water., would, were it practicable, be much more
efficient in such cases. The water as it met the combustion
produced a lorid hissing noise. About one o'clock, the scene
from opposite. the gateway in Greenland-street was no less
curious. The black volumes of smoke from the vaults oc-
. casionally so darkened the atmosphere, that it appeared like
moonless rnidnight, and we could not see even to take a
pencil note. Anon, the red flames succeeded, the light,
too, shone around, and all was bright and palpable. The
numeibirs window openings, in the only two warehouse walls
standing, sometimes appeared of a flaming, and sometimes—
the brizht shining through the whiter vapour or steam—