The Sun. — 1858-08-03 (London, England)

EIGH-WAIEB AT LONDON-BRIDGE THIS TAY, Morning l5 min. past 7 j Afternoon 41 min. past 7  A serious fire broke out last night on a portion of the premises in which The Stuz has for a series of years been printed and published. The alarm was given a little before 9 o'clock, and the police, under Mr. Superintendent Durkin, of the F division, and Mr. Superintendent Walker, of the A division, were speedily in attendance, and displayed the utmost zeal and efficiency in averting the dangerous consequences that might otherwise have ensued. The Fire Brigade also displayed the energetic activity for which they have attained so high and well merited ,a reputation. To all we tender our 'sincere and earnest thanks for the exertions that prevented the calamity from being even more serious than it was, and averted the loss of life amongst either the inmates of the house or the spectators of the confia gration.  The fire broke out in the back house, and it is apprehended was not altogether accidental. We shall not, however, at present, enter into any particulars.  Our friends and the public will be glad to hear that we are fully assured. There will be but little pecuniary loss to ourselves ; but there must of course be some to several of our employes, who could not be assured against their losses. The Morning Post has predicted that, phoenix like, we shall arise from our ashes. We shall do so —thanks to our kind contemporary. Before even the flames that were destroying the property had been extinguished, we had received offers—for which we shall ever feel grateful—placing all the resources of that establishment at our disposal for the few days requisite for the more easy continuance of the regular organisation of our own establishment. It was a truly noble act, and one which shall never depart from our memory. In consequence thereof we shall be enabled to publish our impression of this evening at the usual hour, and we trust without any derogation from the usual quality. For that we are indebted to Messrs. CROMPTON and BORTHWICK, and we believe that we may safely promise that no deterioration shall be perceptible in the columns Of The Sun. The effort now made to prevent the loss of a single number will show that we fully recognise our responsibilities as a public journalist. We regret to say that Mr. YOUNG, the proprietor, sustained a serious injury during the time that the tire was raging. It is, however, hoped that in a few days he may be completely restored to health. To every person who gave such valuable assistancein subduing the flames, and enabling us to bear the injury with the least possible inconvenience, we tender our heartfelt thanks.' To the Police and Fire Brigade—but beyond and before all, to the Morning Post, through whose kindness our friends will sustain no injury ; for there will not be a single numha of The Sun missing from their files.  Conspicuous among the numerous reforms for which we do confidently and hopefully look to her Majesty's- Government, is one for which, in these our columns, we have often claimed—a modification, we mean, in theannual distribution of the Civil List pensions !  Our impression of Thursday last gave to the public the latest of these yearly distributions, for which the DERBT Cabinet cannot be held in any way responsible. There are fifteen distinct channels, among which the 1,2001. are apportioned—one pension dating from the 14th and another from the 23d of last November, the remaining thirteen in the catalogue being all of them apportioned to the recipients on Monday the 15th of February. Remembering that it was not until the grey of the morning of the memorable Saturday in that same week—the fatal 20th of February—that Lord PALMERSTON'S Administration was abruptly and unexpectedly placed in a minority so unmistakeable as to necessitate their instant resignation collectively, itstands to reason that for this latest distribution of the Civil List Pensions the ex-Ministers are wholly and solely accountable.  The pensions granted under this head, it should be borne in mind, are authorised to be given to the yearly total amount of justl, 2001., between the 20th of June of one year, and the 20th of June following—this pursuant to the enactment Ist Vict. C. 2. According to the terms of that enactment, these pensions, to the tune of 1,2001. annually, arc placed at the disposal of the Prime Minister for the encouragement of those who have in any way distinguished themselves in art, science, or literature. To the fund thus set apart by the State from par to year—the widows and orphans of eminent but u ,rtunate authors, artists, and scientific professors are taught to look for aid in their direst need. Nay,  during their own lifetime, supposing them to be themselves in any necessitous plight, these authors, artists, and scientific professors may reasonably hope to secure the timely and beneficent interposition in their favour of the resources to this very end placed at the disposal of the Chief of the Goverment.  Had the humane act by which this generous distribution is authorised been earlier in existence—the author of HuntnaAs need not have died in penury —OTWAY might not have been strangled by the crust devoured too hastily in the agonies of starvation—BoycE would not have been left to shiver in his blanket—SAVAGE, perhaps, might not have expired prematurely in the debtors' prison at Bristol— perchance young CHATTERTON himself might have been snatched from the despair driving him to suicide in his Brooke-street r..i.ret before attaining the mature age of eighteen. It is a narrow sum enough at the best, this annual amount of 1,2001., yet, :'7-1 the name of common sense and of common humanity, let us " take it at the best ;" let us, in plain words, make the best of it, as it is. Setting aside the immediate hope of making the annual sum larger, let us take it for as much as it is, namely, just one thousand two hundred pounds sterling. But, while doing so, let us be sure that it is distributable year after year in the way the act intends it to be distributed—or, in other words, for the better encouragement of the deserving cultivators of art, science, and literature. Now what we have long complained of in regard to these list pensions— the very evil in their regard to which we would first earnestly direct the attention of her Majesty's present Government is this—that the civil list pensions year after year are not so distributed  Look at the latest catalogue, the one recording the distribution of these twelve hundred pounds between the 20t1i June, 1857, and the 20th June, 1858—look at this example of the system by way of Illustration. There is the widow of a great wit— ,the widow of