The Arkansas advocate., 1836-01-15

being on fire at the same time; the owners
 and clerks rushing on to save their property,
 books and papers--the falling of walls and timbers-and more than one hundredd ttiiioti-
 sand people Of all classes and conditions,
 moving in dense masses in every direction,
 we apprehend that many unfortunate persons
 have suffered. An immense quantity of val uable goods was carried into the Exchange, and into the Garden street church for safety, but was subsequently destroyed. Several of the shipping were on fire and hands could not be found to cut them loose. The fremen were soon exhausted with the severity ofthe labor and the piercing cold; and volunteers were called for in every direction.
 Several houses were blown up by the ma rines, by order of the Mayor, with powder brought from tine Navy iiard, which was ne cessary to arrest the progress of the flames.
 To enumerate the particular individual los ses is impossble-as an example, one mer- chant had in silks alone S300, ,0o0, which were destroged-another S200,000 in teas and brandies.
 One cause of the immense loss is that no one mogined as the fire progressed, step by step, but that 1t would be speedily arrested. Hence, when 1t reached near Hanover Square, 1t was thought it would not cross Old Slip: but it swept with the fury of a hur- ricane over that wide space and soon levelled to heap of ruins the immensely valuable stores between that and Coenties Slip on Front aud South streets, many of which, in- cluding the cellars, were filled with teas, brandies, &c. Consequently when the own CTS and tenants began to remove the same 1t was too late and they had the melancholy scene to be the spectators of their own ruin IL is impossible to tell what quantity of goods in bond are destroyed. Every item of property between Coenties, and Old Ship is destroyed.
 A great part of this desolating and truly awful scene, is to be imputed to the intense degree of cold, by which the flames burnt with greater violence, and every one was in a measure incapacitated from rendering that assistance that he otherwise could have given. Many groups of poor women and children, re- siding in the vicinity of Broad and Beaver streets, and almost without clothing, except the blankets in which they were wrapped, were seen shivering near the heaps of furni- tufe every where strewed in such masses through these streets.
 All business is nearly suspended.
 The Post Office is removed to the lower floor of theCustom House, in Cedar street All the mails, letters, and every kind of pro perty belonging to the Post Office, were sav- ed by the praiseworthy exertions of the Post master and his clerks, who were on the spot throughout the night.
 A man was caught in the act of setting fire to the house at the corner of Stone and Broad streets, which, would. seem, to have been done with diabolical design, when 1t is considered that the fearful apprehensons of the whole of that part of the city were direct ed to this point least the fire would cross it and reach the Battery.
 We have made up the foregoing brief ac- count from the New York Star, without ad- ding much of our own. The details are giv- en at great length, but we have no room for further particulars.
 One circumstance, however, we must men, ton. One merchant who had left his goods, to the amount of fifty thousand dollars, in his store, was waited upon by an officer, wio ad- dressed him thus; 'sMr. P.-, am re questcd by the .uayor to request the key of your store, which am going to blow up." 1twas given him--and in fifteen minutes the store was flying up in fragments through the air. .Nany houses were blown up, in order, by leaving an open space, to put a stop to the fire.
 \ bill was Immediately introduced in the House of Representatives, authorizing the Collector of the Port of New-York, to ex- tend the time payment of bonds given for duties in New-York, to periods not exceeding three, four and five years-and authorizing the Secretary of the Treasury to transfer to the Banks any surplus money of the Govern ment, not required for the Public service, and to permit 1t to remain for twelve months. The bill will undoubtedly pass, and greatly relieve the city from the difficulty necessarily