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 scene of devastation, and continued vol ley of wafer is shnwered upon inc ruins. More vigorous exertion and more active zeal we never witnessed; but it must be confessed that our ordinary engines are to- tally incapable of contending with such a confagration as that of last night, and that our fire engine system wants the great ele- ment of efficleDcy-a general superntend- ent. Each fire office acts according to its own view; there Is no obedience to one chief, and consequently all is confusion or contradiction. W impule no blame to the fire offices or 10 their men; .hc eandiaett Of individuals was above all praise, but the want of general leader and director must have been, in the course of the evening, as evident to them as 1t was to the discerning portion of the spectators. Up to the last we observed no disturbance; and, indeed before three o'clock there was scarcely a person to be seen except the soldiers and firemen. The myriads who had for hours peopled the streets had all quietly dispersed, and the only sound heard was the cracking of timber and the heavtng of fire pumps.

 From the Sun.

 The total destruction of both Houses of Parliament by ire last night, will mark the commencement of a new era m the history of England. The future historian, when he comes to this resting place, wlll suspend his narration to dwell with melancholy plea sure on the glories of which these now smoking ruins were a wItness-to recall the halowed recollections of the triumphs of freedom obtained within those walls, and perhaps to date from the downfall of this venerable pile, changes the most moment ous which have siampt their impress on the character of great people. Ne saw the fire from every point to which an approach to II could be made. and never before did we behold spectacle so awluiiy grand so sublimely terrific. On Westminister's Bridge, and more than mile beyond 1t, whitber the wind blew for ab ui two hours after the breaking out of the flames, it lit- erally rained fire. The crowds Of people who Aoeked from all directions were i'm mense, and but one feeling of sorrow seemed to pervade the people-all were united in wish to preserve these monu- ments of the freedom of Britain-ihese theatres upon which were acted what ever Is greatest, nobIest, and most glorious in her past records. Much was done and to the cheerful and timely exertious of such persons the country is indebted for the preservation of Westminster Hall and tic adjoining Law Courts.

 1t Is impossible i'd contemplate these splendid ruins without. feeling that another Ii0k which connected the pas, with the present is broken. Here, within these walls, the most memprdble of freedoms bas!!es were tought--.bsses the great chapter o! English llbelty was first unEolded for the protection ot the peopIe-and here an fiifll,le member of the House of Con-. mons Hampden--dared to brave the pow CT of aroyal despot. Within the now bare, and rooiiess walls of St. S's Chapel did @ln. Rufus with the nobles of his court, pvosirate himself in prayer, and Edward III. give to heaven those hours which were not devoted to the happiness of his sub jects. The House of Lords too-the first Legislative chamber in the world was not without host of recolleetions which rendered 1t an object of venerable respect in the eyes of the country. Here stood ELIzABsTB, in all the pride of regal triumph, announcing the destruction of the Spanish Armada-whose laundering fleet form the never-to-h forgotten ntedle-wofk decoration of the lofty walls ;--here WIL- LIAM Ill. gave the Bill of Rights to Eng- lishmen and here the final words were spoken which gave toleratlon to the Dissen- ter, emancipation to the Catholic, and free dom te the slave.

 The national loss, from the destruction of these ediices, sacred 10 liberty and the past, cannot be estimated. The books alone destroyed were worth several thou sand pounds, independent of hundreds of most valuable records, of which il may take half century 10 discover ihe iull ex- tent. For the various reports of the origin of tire. we refer to the accounts which are given in our other columns. The loss, considered as an ordinary business affair Is estimated at half d million sterling.

 Origin of the Fire.-The Sun gives the following account of the origin of the fife. In the removal of papers from the ex- cheqner office to the House of Lords, some men were employed in burning a great number of old documents unnecessa- " to be kept. In doing this the chimney caught fire and communicated with the timbers of the house. The report that the fire was the work of an incendiary does not appear to be confirmed.

 HERALD OFFICE,