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tai wounds, of which he died immediately Mir. Thompson was man of fine genius, and had garnered up D considerable harvest of professional fame and individual wealth.

 Louisville Gazette.

 While such an occurrence is to be deplor- ed, it affords an admonition to arrogant law yers, to be cautious how they, dragoOn a witt ness upon the stand, and otherwise maltreat his feelings and character, which is too often done in the most unwarrantable manner.

 tu| 3,sg w Baltimore Patriot.

 WASHINGTON, Dec. IS, Thurs'y, eo'cl'k, A. M.

 THE UNITED STATES POST OFFICE

 BURNT TO THE GROUND. r hasten to inform that the Post Office has been wholly destroyed. The walls only are remaining. and these in shattered state.- The entire interior of the building is gone, and what seems to be the worst of the mis- chief, the building soGs almost beyond doubt set on fire. The fire originated in the cellar, in that part of the new building which was ad- ded to the old, under the office where the mails were received, delivered and sorted nothing was saved therefore. The mails, northern and southern, were entirely destroy ed-there is not so much as letter not con- sumed lf lI7

 No attempt was made to save the building, and more than an hour and a half elapsed af. ter the building was known to be on fire, be- fore general alarm was given. There was but little water in the vicinity of the Post Of. flee and no preparations were made to extin- guish fire. Miserable negligence on the part of the officers !' AN the papers ofthe Put ent Office ,oere also consumed, and erery patem in the office. The loss to the public and to the General Government, is too great to be enu- merated by dollars and cents-it is irrepara- nvl hoe 1reo ok<,I sxo.,o the citizens and strangers. More than one hundred persons belonging to the Depart ment are thrown out of employ, and the de- engagement of the mails must be great. The engine belonging to the Post Office was unfit for usc and thousands of us were for Q time compelled to look as idle spectators upon the scene of confagration, A gentleman who left the office at half past 9, says there was at that time no signs of fire. Three watchmen were there upon duty, and in q single hour smoke was seen issuing from the cellar. The City Postmaster has just assured me that he attempted to rush into the City Office to ob- tain his private papers and money in his desk, but was prevented, though within 20 feet of his desk, by the dense smoke in the room.- This was after o'clock and not the blaze or a light could then be seen, or for an hour af- ter.. All is wrapped in mystery among the officers of the Department. At present no one seems to doubt that the fire was the work of an incendiary. What is very singular, the trial of White comes on to-day upon the charge of setting the Treasury buildings on .fre

 It is with no ordinary regret that we per- form the duty of announcing the destruction, bv fire, of the building in the central part of this city, which has for years been occupied by the General Post Office, the Patent Office, and the City Post Office, with an important mart of the contents of those buildings, inclu- ding the entire contents of the two latter.

 This calamity, great as it is, has long been feared by those old residents ot Washington who knew the combustible nature of the building, the floors being all of wood. and some of them not even cOunter-scaled, and inc custom of slowing fuel, not only coal but wood. in the vaults underneath the foor.- The calamity has come at last, and affords the second demonstration, within four years, of the utter absurdity and improvidence of the structures to which the public archives, records, and government accounts have been hitherto for the most part confided. .as4

 The books of the General Post Office were all. or nearly all, saved, exertions having been made for their safety from nearly the first moment of the alarm but mass ot pa- pers, sc. belonging to the Office were de- stroyed. Not any thing was saved froE' the Patent Office or the City Post Office, the vol ume of the smoke preventing any body from penetrating the latter so as to save any thing.

 As to the origin of the fire. it is impossible to say any thing, for nothing seems to be known of it, except that it was in cellar'or vault, in which pine wood and coal were stow ed, all of which were probably in Q state of ignition before the fire disclosed itself to the eve. We the more willingly forbear any conjecture as to the cause Of the fire, since both Houses of Congress have taken steps, through committees, to investigate 1t, and m one House with power to send for persons and papers: 11--.s

 perty sustained by this disaster. that which IS most to be regretted. because irrcparaDie' IS that of the whole of the great repository oi models of machines in the Patent Omce.- The mouldering ashes now only remain ol that collected evidence of the penetration. in genuity, and enterprize which peculiarly dis. tsnguish the descendants of Europe in the Western World.

 Tns Crry Posr OFFIcE.-We have men. toned in the preceding article the destruc.

 tion of all the contents of the City Post Oliice. | AN tho mails of the night and morning. Gin. cludinR letters received by ether mails fo, dlsarihutlon by those nnAils.) except the War. | ron (Va.) and Fort Tobacco (Ald.j mails. had been sent of before tho fire occurred. Al

 the mAils received tho preceding evening ant

 in tho night tor deliVery at this place. wore do ntroyea Including, of course, Nll tho letter.