The Miner and Workman's Advocate. — 1865-08-05 (London, England)

DETAILS OF THE DESTRUCTION OF  BARNUM'S MUSEUM.  The special correspondent of a Landon contemporary in a letter dated from New York, July 15, says : Barnum's Museum and nine other buildings were burnt to the ground. The conflagration caused intense excitement, from the fact that the museum was so popular a place of resort. It contained a heterogeneous mass of objects, some of them of great rarity and value, others altogether worthless. It served also as a theatre, whore day performances were given, in addition to the show of whales, alligators, fat w,anen, giants, living skeletons, wax figures, and a world of other queer and curious things. The fire was first discovered about one o'clock in the day, and spread with such fearful rapidity that, save the living human curio,ities and a learned seal, all the interesting objects in the museum were consumed. Two immense wait() whales, a number of large serpents, boa-constrictors, bears, monkeys, an immense aquarium of curious tropical, arctic, and antarctic fishes, a lot of birds, opossums, racoons, wore among the victims. The bellowings of tbe poor whales were heartrending. These unfortunates had just arrived at the museum, and were attracting great attention, causing an immense amount of currency to flow into the already well-filled pockets of the prince of exhibitors, Phineas T. Barnum, who at the time of this disaster was absent. He was attending to his duties as a member of the Connecticut Legislature. As the museum was burning an immense mass of people crowded about it, and whenever accidents happened a panic took place. Every half-hour, some one would shout out, "The wall is falling !" when the crowd would surge back, numbers being each time crushed and trampled under foot. These unfortunate occurrences, however, did not seem to at as warnings to the people' for they regularly pressed towards near the burning buildings. The fat giantess (700 lbs., I believe) was received with shouts when she emerged in safety. So was Ned the seal. lam Bossy, however, to add that this latter, in the hurry and excitement of the moment, severely bit the man who saved him at the risk of his own life. Ned was too flurried to discriminate, and took hold of the first leg which came within his reach. A monkey was saved, or rather saved himself. Some one kindly threw open the door of the cage in which he was confined with a lot of other animals, with whom he lived in such harmony, that they were distinguished as the "Happy Family." As he rushed out the monkey seized his favourite, a black and white cat, and with her escaped to the roof of an adjoining building which was not burnt; and there they remain, I believe, up to the present time, the objects of much curiosity and kindly care. The destruction of the museum will be a great loss to Mr. Barnum and to the country also. There were many very valuable and very curious things in the museum, and, faute de mieux, it was of service to the rising generation. Barnum is, however, a man of unusual enterprise and activity, and he will doubtless have a new and much larger museum further up town in a short time. He will never succeed, however, in replacing some of the wonderful things he had in the old place. Tho collection of coins was ioi nmfs mtui rme nens paintingsoea nel yaod nvnmadtl ohpunear eebbyel uei. sil iTuhr here Bel airecnesad, rweecbeoi rtlr collection nots treoiidome nvaeatf irretrievably rss ylt,i,.afi, n e old expensefar abort s Theor t of the lose.  Breckenridge, the Confederate.---Among the arrivals at Southampton on Friday night, by tho West Indian Mail steamer, the Shannon, was Major General Breckenridge, for whose apprehension a reward of ,;.25,000 has been offered by the United States Govern. ment. He was with Jefferson Davis two days before the latter was captured, and escaped from Texas in an open boat to Havana, where he took his passage for South:impton. His family found a refuge in Canada. Ho is (says a local correspondent) a tall, handsome man, about forty-five years of age. He admits (we are told by the. same authority) that the Confederate cause is irretrievably ruined.  Attempted Suicide of a Girl.—Ma Anne Ridley, eighteen, a domestic servant, was Charged at Lambeth police court with attempting suicide Mr West, her master, residing at Frederick Cottage: Brixton, stated that the prisoner had been received into his service from a reformatory at Holloway, and conducted herself in such a way as to gain the esteem of many. A few days ago, however, from something which transpired, her box was searched, and found to contain some trifling articles belonging to him. On her promise not to commit herself again he forgave her, and retained her in his services, thinking she would go on better; but on entering the back room, he found her suffering from sickness. She then said she had taken poison, and showed him a paper, which had contained precipitate powder. Dr. Walsh was called in, and he ordered her immediate removal to St. Thomas's Hospital, where, by the prompt means used, she was restored.—Prisoner said she had done it because her former life (that of an "unfortunate"), together with the discovery of her dishonesty, preyed upon her mind, but she was sorry for what she had done, and would not attempt her life again.—The magistrate remanded the prisoner, so that the chemist who sold the poison and other witnesses might be present.