forth from the roof, attracting an immense concourse of persons to the spot. A body of the H. division of police had previously blocked up the different avenues leading to the burning building, under the direction of Mr. Pearse, the Superintendent, assisted by Inspector Norman, thereby affording ample space for the operations of the firemen, who speedily came up from the stations of the brigade in Jeffery-square, Wellclose-square, Watling-street, and other parts of the city. Immediately after the firemen reached the scene, they used every effort to ascertain whether any person remained on the premises, but such was the consternation which prevailed, that they were utterly unable to obtain the slightest information upon the subject. Mr. Braidwood, the superintendent of the force, accompanied the Watling-street station engine, which, with the rest, were brought into active operation, the supply of water being plentiful. In consequence of the dilapidated state of the premises, fears were apprehended that the flames would be communicated to houses that adjoined; but ultimately, through the strenuous exertions of the firemen, they succeeded in stopping their extension further than that in which the fire commenced, which was nearly gutted ere it could be checked, which was not till twelve o'clock.

Shortly after the fire had been somewhat got under, Mr. Braidwood directed several of his men to discover whether any person was missing, and shortly they learned from a poor man named Proudfoot, who tenanted a room on the sccond floor, that three of his children were not to be found. He said he had saved his wife and two VOL. LXXXIV.

children, but whether any one had preserved the rest he was unable to say. The poor man was running about in all directions in quest of them, and appeared almost distracted. tracted. Upon this information, Mr. Braidwood ordered two of his men to ascend the scaling-ladders, which had been placed against the wall of the premises, and if the ruins would permit, to search among them.

At one o'clock in the morning, the bodies of two children were found by Carter, and another of the brigade, among the rafters of the flooring on the second floor, shockingly burnt and disfigured. These proved to be poor Proudfoot's children. Shortly after another body of a child was found on the same floor, apparently a girl of about six years.

The firemen, in further searching the ruins, discovered three other bodies, namely, that of an elderly female and two children. It was impossible to identify them, nothing remaining but their trunks, which were burnt almost to a blackened cinder.

17. A POLITICAL DUEL.-At an early hour a hostile meeting took place between Mr. J. P. Stanfield, of Marsford-house, Surrey, and Sir R. Cardington, of Wilford. The parties, accompanied by their respective seconds and a medical gentleman, met on Westwood-common, and an exchange of shots took place without effect. The seconds then interfered, but failed in effecting any adjustment of the affair, and the principals were again placed in a hostile position, the distance being twelve paces, and the firing simultaneous. At the second discharge, the ball from Mr. Stanfield's pistol took effect on the right arm of his opponent,

severely shattering the bone near the elbow; whilst the ball from Sir Robert's pistol, glancing across the left shoulder of Mr. Stanfield, passed completely through the collar of that gentleman's coat, without inflicting any injury. The affair then terminated. The misunderstanding arose at a late Anti Corn-law meeting held at Wilford, and at which the two gentlemen took opposite views of the question.

This

19. FUNERAL OF LORD HILL. The funeral of Lord Hill, and, by a mournful coincidence, the death of Mrs. Hill, the mother of Sir Rowland (now Viscount Hill), took place on the same day. additional bereavement, as might be expected, deeply affected the chief mourner. The ceremony was strictly private, but the day through out Shropshire was signalized as one of general sadness. The shops in Shrewsbury, in compliance with the request of the mayor, were closed, and this example was followed in most of the towns of the northern division. Besides several members of the family, a large number of mourners, composed of clergymen, military officers, and private gentlemen, followed in the funeral procession, as well as the tradesmen of the family; and an immense concourse of people attended. The body was deposited in a vault beneath the tower of Hadnal Church, and the funeral service was impressively read by the rev. W. Olives, minister of Hadnal and Astley. The property of the deceased Lord has been very judiciously distributed among his relatives. Annuities of 1007. ayear each are left to the children of his late brother, Colonel Noel Hill. A sum of 2,000l. is given to the eldest son of Sir Francis

Hill; and to his other numerous nephews and nieces, 1,5007. each He has left 2,000l. to his aid-decamp Colonel Egerton; and the estate and mansion of Hardwicke to his nephew, the present Viscount.

20 THE HOLYWELL-STREET NUISANCE-BOW-STREET.-Mr. Philip James Green, of No. 4, Dorsetplace, Marylebone, a merchant, was brought up in the custody of the police, and placed at the bar before Mr. Jardine, charged with stealing a written paper from the shop-window of a person of the name of Patterson, described as a bookseller, No. 8 Holywell-street, Strand.

George Clarke, a youth, stated that he was in the service of the prosecutor as errand-boy. About two o'clock that afternoon, whilst standing in his master's shop, the prisoner entered and requested him to remove a placard which was exhibited in the window. Witness told him, that he could not think of doing so without the sanction of his master. The prisoner repeated the request two or three times, and upon his (witness) still refusing to comply with it, the prisoner jumped upon the counter, drew back the window, and pulled down the placard in question, which he delivered to a young person, whom he has since understood to be his son, who was standing by his side at the time. Witness then called a constable, and gave him into custody for the robbery.

Mr. Jardine inquired what became of the placard?

Constable F 27 produced the paper which was given to him by the prisoner. It was a copy of the placard taken from the window & few days since.

The witness Clarke further stated, that many gentlemen had been to the shop to inquire the price of the placard, and that when he informed his master of the circumstance, he desired him to get 5s. for it if he could.

Mr. Green said, that when at the station-house, the witness was asked what he valued the paper at, and his reply was "nothing."

In answer to the charge Mr. Green said, that as he was passing through Holywell-street that morning, on his way to his office in the city, he saw the witness Clarke taking down the shutters of the shop-window, and he then observed that placard produced as well as others in the window. On arriving at his office he consulted with his son upon the subject, and they came to the determination to go to the shop and pull down the placards unless they were removed upon a request to that effect being made. They accordingly went to the shop, and, as the boy had very correctly stated, tore down the placard, but not before the boy had refused several times to remove them.

Mr. Jardine inquired of the witness Clarke, who placed the placards in the window ?Witness. I put them there myself.

tion to the witness, when he replied that his master desired him to put the papers in the window.

Mr. Jardine.Why did you decline to answer the question when it was first put to you?Witness (after some hesitation).My master told me not to answer any such questions.

Mr. Jardine said, there could be no difficulty whatever in disposing of the case, because it was quite evident that Mr. Green had no intention whatever to commit a robbery. The object he had in view in taking the paper was perfectly clear. There could be no doubt, that it was for the purpose of bringing the question, with respect to the exhibition of such a placard, to an issue. If the prosecutor had anything to complain of, or if he felt himself injured by the proceeding, he had his remedy by bringing an action against Mr. Green for trespass. He should at once discharge Mr. Green, it being quite evident that he did not intend to commit a theft, and he ought never to have been taken into custody on such a charge.

Mr. Green was accordingly discharged.

NORFOLK.-STRANGE STORY. -Messrs. Culley, of Cossey, lately built a didling boat, and employed men to take the soil from the bot

Mr. Twyford, who happened to be present, observed that the wit ness had already said he could not remove the papers without the sanction of his master.

Mr. Jardine said, it might be easily inferred, from that observation, by whose order they were placed in the window.

Mr. Jardine again put the ques

mills. While so engaged the men found a human skeleton, and a coroner's inquest has since been held. It appears that about nine years ago a Jew, whose name was said to be Abrams, visited Taverham in the course of his trade, sold some small articles, for which he gave credit to the purchasers, and left the public house there in the evening, on his way to the Lion, at Drayton (the next vil

lage), with, as now reported, a sum of 901. in his possession. At Drayton he disappeared, nor did he ever again come to claim the amount due to him at Taverham. Some time afterwards a man named Page was apprehended for sheepstealing, tried, and sentenced to be transported for life. During his imprisonment he told divers stories of robberies and crimes, most of which turned out to be false. But, amongst other things, he wrote a letter, promising that if he were released from gaol and brought to Cossey, "he would show them that from under the willow-tree, which would make every hair in their heads rise up." The man was not released, but the river was drawn, and some sheep's skins and sheep's heads were found, which were considered to be the objects Page alluded to. From under this willow-tree, however, the skeleton has been fished up by the didlers, and it is said there is proof that the corpse was fixed down by a muck cromo. The common belief in the neighbouring villages is, that these are the bones of the missing Jew, and that Page knew of the murder, if he were not an accomplice.

22. DESTRUCTIVE FIRE AT LIVERPOOL. This morning, about six o'clock, it was discovered that the tar and rosin-works of Messrs. Platt and Son, at the south end of Liverpool were on fire. These works are very extensive, and have fronts to four streets-namely, Parliament, Greenland, New-hall, and Jamaica-streets. They occupy a space of nearly 700 square yards. The tar and rosin-works are in the centre, and front to Parliament and Greenland-streets. At each end are ranges of lofty warehouses, one range fronting Jamaica, the

other New-hall-street, and are generally filled with merchandise. The fire, from the extremely combustible nature of the materials on the works, soon got head, defying all the exertions of the fire-police, under the able management of Mr. Whitby, as well as of the West of England engine, under the direction of Mr. Whitehouse not merely to subdue, but even to arrest its destructive progress. The state of the wind greatly contributed to fan and to spread the flames. There was a strong breeze from the south-east, which, blowing right across the river, carried the flames in a body from the tar and rosin works to the range of warehouses at the east end, while the intense heat fired those at the west end. The result was, that by eight o'clock the whole was one mass of ruin. Meanwhile, the dwelling-houses on all sides of the burning pile were exposed to imminent danger, from the direct flames in one direction, and from the intense heat in every other. The neighbourhood is densely inhabited, and the alarm of the inhabitants was great. While they were removing their furniture, the fire police, despairing of arresting the career of the fire in the tar and rosin works, played on the houses. The whole of those in New-hall-street were, however, utterly destroyed, and others in Greenland-street were seriously damaged. A school belonging to the congregation of Great Georgestreet Chapel was held in the

lower room of one of the warehouses in Greenland-street, and was, of course, consumed, with all its books and furniture. The fire was, it appears, caused by the boiling of turpentine early in the morning. Two men in one of the

warehouses escaped from burning, by descending the stairs before on fire, by the jigger-rope. The loss from this disastrous event was estimated at from 60,000l. to 70,000l. 22. INTERESTING ANECDOTE.At the triennial meeting of the Salisbury Diocesan Church Building Society at Salisbury, the Lord Bishop of the diocese said, there was an anecdote connected with the building of the church at Whitchurch Canonicorum which he could not forbear relating :"The first proposal for this undertaking (said his lordship) was made to me soon after I became bishop, by a farmer in that neighbourhood, of the name of James. He was a

man, not of the more opulent, rather, I believe, of the humbler class; nor did either his appearance or manner indicate any thing superior to that ordinarily found in his sphere of life; but he felt deeply the privation under which he and his neighbours laboured in their separation from the house of God, and the means of grace provided therein. He lamented to see many around him falling into ungodliness and disregard of all religion others supplying the want for themselves in an irregular manner, by forming conventicles of one or other denomination of dissent. His heart was stirred within him to endeavour if by any means this want could be removed. He exerted himself among those with whom he was connected and his neighbours generally, and obtained promises of assistance to a considerable extent. He came to me at Salisbury from the further part of Dorsetshire, bringing with him a map of the parish and of the neighbouring district, drawn by himself very clearly and accurately, in order to demonstrate the want,

and a subscription list amounting to 400l., raised by his almost unaided efforts; and, indeed, in the face of the opposition of some from whom he might naturally have expected encouragement and help; and to this he had himself contributed the sum of 50l. I think I am stating these things correctly, but I am speaking only from memory, and after the lapse of some years. There were greater difficulties to be surmounted than I have ever known to occur in a similar case-legal and technical objections of various kinds, consents necessary to be had, but impossible to obtain-so that, in spite of my best efforts, the business made no progress for nearly two years; but still this earnest-minded man was not disheartened. He wrote to me from time to time. He came once to London to see me on the

subject. He said he would draw stone, and begin building himself, if I would only promise to consecrate the building when raised. At length all obstacles were overcome, and the building was commenced, and advanced rapidly towards its completion; but in the mysterious providence of the Almighty it was not to be permitted to its zealous projector to see the labour of his own hands, to rejoice in his work. He was taken ill, and died a short time, I believe a few weeks only, before the termination of that work which he had so long and so earnestly desired to behold. But were his efforts therefore thrown away? No, rather was his work finished, and he was taken to his reward; and if he was not allowed to worship in the courts of God's tabernacle on earth, may we not humbly trust that he joined in purer worship, and in more joyful strains, in the blessed