some time. On the previous night, a pilot-engine, on
its way from Retford Station to the south, encountered
the engine of an empty mineral train, just as it was
issuing from a siding near Grantham. The shock was
violent, and the driver of the mineral train was rather
badly hurt. This engine was likewise much damaged.

Seven Fires have occurred in London in one night, the
17th inst. The first occurred at the London Clubhouse,
Jermyn street, and was caused by the heat from one of the
grates igniting the girders and floorings of the first floor. At
one time the safety of the whole building was threatened;
and, as it was, the damage done was very considerable.
Another fire which was nearly attended with fatal
consequences, broke out in premises in the occupation
of Mr. A. Wright, linendraper and mattress maker
in Seymour-street, Euston-Square. The fire was
discovered by a policeman, and it was with some difficulty
that the inmates, who were all in bed, were aroused, or
were enabled to make their escape. The stores on the
basement were quite destroyed, and the staircase leading to
the warehouse was partially burnt. A third fire, which
was attended with great destruction of valuable property,
took place at the Homerton Colour Works, belonging
to Messrs. Berger and Sons. The flames originated
in the Prussian blue stove, in which many hundred
pounds worth of that commodity was undergoing the
process of drying. In spite of every exertion, the
building in which the misfortune commenced, and
which was about 60 feet wide by 40 deep, was burned
out, the roof destroyed, and the valuable contents
consumed. The evaporating-house adjoining was also
damaged by fire, water, and breakage. A fire happened
at the Twickenham Paper Mills, the property of
Messers. Healey and Co., situate on Twickenham-
common, about two miles from the Richmond Railway
terminus. It commenced in a long store-house, used as
the drying depot for millboards. A despatch was
immediately sent to town for assistance, but when the
firemen arrived they found that their services were not
required. The store had been burnt down, but the
workmen had succeeded in confining the flames to that
part of the premises. This accident was caused by
the overheating of a stove. Another fire happened in
the premises of Mr. Easthouse, Ann-street, East India-
road, Poplar. It was caused by a spark flying from the
grate upon a horse of clothes. The loss was great.
A fire also broke out in Great Chapel-street, Oxford-
street, in the house of Mrs. Sarah Day. Here likewise
much damage was done. Lastly, a fire happened in the
neighbourhood of Bloomsbury-square, but the damage
done was only of a trifling character. In only one
of these cases, that of Mr. Wright, the property was
insured.

The well known Gravesend steamer the Meteor, was
Run down, on Sunday evening, the 18th inst., by the
Sylph, a Dublin screw steam-ship. The Meteor was
going down the river; and the collision took place in
Half-way Reach about six o'clock; the Sylph striking
the Meteor with tremendous force, completely burying
her bows in the forepart of the other vessel. The Meteor
being full of passengers, a scene of the utmost terror
and confusion took place; but by the exertions of
Mr. Hollingsworth, the master, they were all got on
board the Sylph with considerable difficulty. Had the
Meteor separated from the bows of the Sylph, no human
power could have saved them; for, as soon as the vessels
separated, she went down head first. The ebbtide
providentially had the efiect of keeping her hanging, as it
were, to the bow of the Sylph for full ten minutes, and
to that circumstance may be attributed the saving of
every soul on board. In order to prevent her sinking
in mid-channel, and thereby in the way of the navigation
of the river, the engines of the Sylph were put in
motion, and the wrecked steamer, still hanging on, was
driven in towards shallow water, when the Sylph
backed out and the Meteor went down, and, as she
settled, the light in her funnel was just observable above
water. Shortly before she sunk, the Mars steamer,
belonging to the same company, came up from Gravesend,
and the captain hearing the fate of the Meteor, went
alongside the Sylph, and took from her the crew and
passengers of the unfortunate vessel, and afterwards
proceeded with them to Blackwall.

A Fire at Gravesend has been extinguished by the
Fire annihilator. It broke out on the 19th inst. about
noon, upon the premises of Mr. Gould, coach builder.
When the alarm was given Mr. White, the
superintendent of police, who has charge of a small set of
annihilators, together with Mr. Aitkin, the sergeant-at-
mace, immediately proceeded there with the annihilators,
leaving the engines to be brought after them. On their
arrival they found that the fire was raging in an upstairs
bedroom, which appeared to be full of flames, and some
of Mr. Gould's workmen were engaged throwing
buckets of water in at the window at random. When
Mr. White entered the house and proceeded up stairs
he found that the fire had just burnt through the wainscot
of the room, and the flames were just spreading across
the landing to the rooms on the opposite side of the
staircase; it was utterly impossible to get into the room,
and so he, with Mr. Aitkin, discharged one of the No. 5
twenty-two pound annihilators through a hole in the
wainscot. Almost immediately that the annihilating
atmosphere entered the room, the flames, as if by magic,
dropped, and in about three minutes Mr. White and
Mr. Aitken were enabled to enter the room, and with
two buckets of water to extinguish the embers by means
of a small hand engine. When the fire was got under it
was discovered that in addition to the room having been
on fire all round, the flame had burnt through the
ceiling and communicated the fire to the roof of the
building.

SOCIAL, SANITARY, AND MUNICIPAL
PROGRESS.

The annual meeting of the Royal Society for the
Promotion and Improvement of the Growth of Flax in
Ireland was held at Belfast on the 25th ult., the Earl of
Erne in the chair. From the report made to the meeting
we learn that the number of acres of flax under cultivation
has increased from 53,863 in 1848 to 175,495 in 1853,
and that the value of the crop has increased from £800,000
in 1848 to £2,040,135 in 1853. But Lord Erne pointed
out a further source of wealth, in the seed. It appears
that the growers do not save the seed, estimated at £4 an
acre, but "leave it to be liquified in a bog-hole;" thus
losing something like £400,000 a year.

The members and friends of the "Protestant Alliance"
held a meeting on the 29th ult. in Freemason's Hall, for
the purpose of addressing the Government on the subject
of the interference with freedom of conscience exercised
on British subjects in Popish countries. The Earl of
Shaftesbury presided, and addressed the meeting at great
length, and speeches were made by Sir Culling Eardley
and others. The meeting adopted a memorial, addressed
by the committee of the Protestant Alliance to the Earl
of Clarendon, stating the grounds of complaint and the
remedy required—the cessation of diplomatic relations
with the offending states. "The committee," says the
memorial, "conceive that no political complication or
difficulty could result from its being made distinctly
known that Great Britain will not maintain diplomatic
relations with any state which shall persist in denying
to British subjects within its territory the free exercise
of their religion, with liberty to possess places of worship
for their own use, as well as places of interment, and to
have the rites of baptism, marriage, and burial performed
among themselves without hindrance or compulsory
secrecy. To demand less than this measure of liberty
and justice as the condition of continued diplomatic
relations, would not seem consistent with the high position
and moral claims of England. In the case of any alleged
offence on the part of British subjects against the
church established in those countries, by the peaceable
avowal of their own religious convictions, the penalties
affixed by the codes above-mentioned, are, it is conceived,
wholly unjustifiable, and inconsistent with the admitted
principles of international law. The committee conceive
that, if the refusal of any power to comply with these
righteous demands should lead to the cessation of such
diplomatic intercourse, no danger would necessarily
result to the trade and commerce of this country; as no
ground for war could arise out of it, and as the Government
of the United States finds it quite practicable to