Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1836-12-22
I~hursday. December "a. 10.
VIRGINIA I.EGISL.aTrpp

'"s 'tso'n''ohs on The propri-ty and m,r...s
c"isinp the Surplus Revenue. wai,b !" 'e
most al The time Of the Leri.l.lurc-o nn1Prt
tine Wing says: 'fdaly,
AT tn House of Delegates, vcr,
'div Il" every one, came To il d ci,io, 'm''
much debate, upon this sahlrc, and "oi.r
pr'amP'eS or eartess"n of opinion. o,J.n"s Al
'h' Il" he "neross'd ioI Il third r.adinc lie
''','rs the supple form ofaccrptancc. ilm a"v
"n'''''l'h al e",n"ss, or animation o., any
To us corruPting tendency. "af IS
Blu, Mr.. Garland is not cop,cn, IN u
l'c' pass smooIh'y. lie ha. given nol,,. as Mo'
intention 10 inir"lucr a series OF r.s,l,,, "'
f'rrenc" To The disposition Of III. AR. law IN IT,
Federal Government, which Ia. n .ans "f
before tine final action upon the hin ;,., d" pre-"
sed. We think. lowcvrr, he n,iuh, a, ,'e'"
himself tic trouble, and the pubic tho ,,u.. " Nv
debate npon federal politics. The bill c, nn
think, nov be l~mredrd. The votes alt.,I,
are decisive oi Tie disposition Of the H.o s"0'
our portion ot III" surplus quietly, and In r.t.,"
distractions, for The pres, NJ al least. '""
DESTRUCTIVE CONFLAGRATIoy
Ih" Post Office Department, The panu, oa.
and the City Pos, Office al Washington. Al ,l
on" rooi, were consumed BY FIRE las, TLu,1.
morning, and all their valuable coatcni, Jr>,,
W" cop, from The National In,clligcncer the n,
Iiculars Of this disastrous Fire
TAE GENERAL POST-OFFICC
TENT-OFFlCE IN ASHES.
1t is with no ordinary rrgr., that, W. n,,t.
tla duty of announcing thu. destruction hv 3.
Of the Building in he central pan of M, 50,
WjiIt II la. fer many S,arS I..t, ....:I, |
General P"st-Onic,, rhr Paicn,-Onc,. ami H..
City Office, with an important part of II.
contents "i those buildings, including the r,m,,
! contents OF the two batter.
llns calamity, great ~ 1t is, has lopy bu.
feared hy tlosr Old yes dents Of ,sl,inp,o, al.
kne" II r c"mhns'r,le mature OF ilr. building. nh.
floors beng all OF weed, and son,. of them III,
even conntcr-scalrd. J and the custom If ,,.nn,
tncl, not only coal lm wood, in the vaults nh,r
heath the Grst floor. The calamity ha, rom. a.
last, and affords The second Demonstration " hn
four Years. Of the utter absurdii, and Imnro,
denCc Of the struetHrrx 10 which lie pubiic u,
ci,iyrs, records, aud Go,rrnnr Mt arceun,, hay,
been hitherto for the most part esnfled.
The first alarm of Fire was gwen by Mr
Crown, a Messenger, who usually >l.et, in Io
room connected with the City Po>r.Oaee Os
Postnasicr's own room.) The Clerks had br,,
u " 50 t'nS 't MANS, tiItiI idl-pa>t tyJI
o'clock, when one OF tte persons belonpiu, 10
the Office (Nlr. Lanslal,) passed ON OF thu lar
door and along ih, whole front uf tir luiUli..
without discovering any thing To give rise " /,
Suspicion of the danger. Not long ah.n three
O'Clock, Mr.. Crown MAS reused frnm . h..,
slumbrr by ihr smell of SMOKE. o. rninr de
door Of The Cfy P"st-ohlrc, he perceived 4 drns
Slaphc without any visible appearance of srr.-
lie vave the rlafn INSTANTLY, FIRST rol>iny Mr.
lef, one vt III" tl.rks. who sept in u l,ars n.n
ad loining the Post-Oticc. aud who. cominr, ,sr
OF The door OF his room, passed along the who'll II
the long room "nh difficulty, through ia. .m,Ar
hearing the fire cracking, but being able IN y
no'l'ins. The wa,,hmcn in the body aS rhe buJ.
ing some distance from the Gil, Pnsi-O flee. had
perceived nothing of the smoke, until they, ahs,
were alarmed by Ar. Crown.
iie hour OF the night WHEN all This r,ok pr.r
trihG one al which tho whole world j, bur ed in
i'it' deepest sleep, II was found almost impos,Ae
TO spread the alarm OF / ire. One Of rhr church
bell, began 10 ring, but The ringer. not seeing an,
han", ceased ringing almo>, AS s".n as he bryan.
and II "a>a full bali hour before the .l,rra bril-,
~trc r'ing, and more than tn, time b-torr an en-.
gIne or a bucket ol water con'd be comn,aujrd
As II was, the fire had its own way. and VA, a, las,
seen IN The vault or cellar Immediately nnd,, III,
delivery windows Of he CITY PoS.Ohi,,; fol.
Owed shortly afterwards by flarcs f. u, tbs win.
d9"s al 'l"' latter, and, within five minutes after.
wards h' flames from the roof, the fire having
'rtl' "' along thr Siair-casrS or petitions to lhr top
81 III" building lcf,Ie it broke on, below.
from HE moment of the flames bursting out
rom me lower windows, ii was obvious that all
hope OF saving the building was IL vain. In lnts
more than AN hour the whole interior of tho bull.
ding and lis contents were DESTROYED.
he banks of the General Posi- Office wcrr
all, or nearly all, saved, cxerrions having been
made Tor their safety from nearly the first moment
"l the alarm ; bot "A mass of papers, &c. belong.
itr 10 the Office were DESTROYED. Nor any thing
was saved from the Pa,rnt-OGcc or the Civ
post-Oilicr, The volume of the .mok, prcyrn,ing
any bod, from penetrating the latter. SO a. 10 save
any thing.
As To the origin of the fire, i, j. inpos,ible 10
say any thing, for nothing seem. TO be known oft,
except that II Was in a cellar or vanl,, in which
pine wood aud coal were slowed, all which were
profanity IN II state OF ignition before the fire dis
closed IT'S 1t TO the eye. We the more Willingly
'"r"ear any conjecture as To the cause of the fire,
since both Houses of Congress l,av, taken steps,
,'o"sh committees, to investigate il, and IN one
''ousc WIN power to send Tor persons and papers
Most fortunately, the night was calm aud COM
P''"'''''V serene, or the destruction Of private
p."l'ef'V would have bee.i inevitable and great
,'ad II occurred ON the night previous. when 'hs
VINO n!'w almost, ii hurricane, several squares Of
nhihaulc buildings must have been destroyed
ne means OF the city for ex,iagui.Iing fires are
wholly inadequate TO the value of the property al
STAKE and the sources for tho supply of water f@
''''''ng'nrs are limited in their extent, us well ~
INr.. rar ,,,. " Iar