-the former being at that time charged with the administration of the act of the 15th of May, 1828. The district attorney of the United States was directed to co-operate in instituting such prosecutions as should be deemed necessary.

The special agent reached Rutland while the Circuit court of the United States was in session. The district attorney, being much engaged in business before the court, was unable to bestow immediate attention upon this business, and was anxious that such evidence as would leave no room for doubt should be ascertained before the implication of an individual holding the high standing which Temple enjoyed in the community where he lived. The agent therefore commenced his investigations in places so remote from Rutland as to obviate any alarm or inquiry on the subject there. On the day these preliminaries had been so far completed that the agent was returning to Rutland, with the result of his inquiries, for the purpose of procuring the arrest of Temple, a letter from the Commissioner of Pensions, directed to the district attorney, and enclosing a letter written by Temple from New York to the gentleman with whom he had communicated for the purpose of altering the list of pensioners, was received of the post-office at that place, and, having been seen by Temple, was delivered to him by the clerk of the post-office, upon his statement that he was on his way to the court-house, and would place it forthwith into the hands of the district attorney. After obtaining this letter he immediately went to his own house, and a few minutes afterwards shot himself through the heart! He had doubtless opened the letter directed to the district attorney and ascertained from its contents that his frauds upon the public had been made known, and that publicity and punishment were at hand.

The investigations of the character of the claims being continued, it was ascertained that, out of some twenty-five presented by Temple to the Treasury Department, and admitted there under the act of 1828, quite one-half of the number were false and fraudulent; the persons in whose names the pensions were granted, which had been received by Temple upon forged papers, having been either borne on the rolls of the revolutionary army, and had died many years since, or mere fictitious persons, whose claims had been supported by the testimony of imaginary individuals, drawn up agreeably to the rules of the department, and verified in legal form through the culpable laxity of the clerk of the courts in that county. The papers relative to these frauds were kept in the Treasury department until they were transferred to the War department by the act of 1835.

With regard to the motives which induced the persons who were engaged in destroying the building containing the evidences of these and probably other frauds upon the public, as they must, for the present, rest in conjecture, we forbear making any observations.

From the Pennsylvanian.

IN Winchester, Va., the citizens have lately been much alarmed for the safety of the town, "in consequence of several attempts to set fire to it in various places. About two P. M. on Sunday, the 11th, three two-story houses on the main street were burned to the ground. On Wednesday evening the back building of a large hotel was discovered to have been

set on fire in the garret, but the flames were extinguished without much damage. On Thursday, about eight P. M., the handsome dwelling of Mr. Bird, attorney-at-law, was entirely consumed. On the latter evening a patrol was started, and while going their rounds fortunately discovered a house that had been set on fire but a few minutes before they came along.

BOSTON FIRES.

From the Pennsylvanian.

THE bad work of incendiarism still continues at and near Boston. They had two fires on Sunday night, and two on Monday. Of the latter, one was a carpenter's shop, on Portland-street, which was consumed, with three or four other small buildings. A man named Sanderson was arrested under circumstances which left but little doubt of his being the incendiary.

INCENDIARISM IN BOSTON.

From the Pennsylvanian.

THERE appears to be a settled determination to burn up the city of Boston, and the attempts have been so multiplied within a few weeks past, that the city council has authorized the mayor to adopt the most effectual measures to detect and bring to justice the perpetrators, and for that purpose has placed at his disposal the sum of ten thousand dollars for the protection of the city, and for the detection and conviction of the incendiaries.

From the Traveller.

WITHIN two or three nights we have had several alarms of fire, and the city authorities have offered rewards of 2000 dollars for the conviction of persons believed to be engaged in this high-handed crime. A stable on Causeway-street, and the carpenter's shop of Mr. A. D. Webber, Devonshire-street, were set on fire after midnight of Tuesday. The stable was but partially destroyed. The fire in Mr. Webber's shop, being discovered by a private watchman on State-street, was smothered with snow. About six o'clock on Wednesday morning a light was discovered in Brattle-street church. On entering the church, fire was found in the second story at the head of the stairs, near the entrance to north gallery, which had burnt much of the adjacent wood-work, but was speedily extinguished. It was ascertained that a hole had been made in the staircase, some oakum put in and ignited. Preparations were also made to set fire to the city stables, Canal-street. On Wednesday night, about half-past eleven o'clock, a fire was discovered in the brick building adjoining the New England Coffee-house, and occupied as a W. I. Goods store by Messrs. Patten and Prescott. We understand it was owned by Lara Crane, and that it was subdued without serious damage. On Wednesday night also an attempt was made to fire the stable of Mr. Walter Niles, situated on the corner of Lafayette-avenue and Pondstreet, by throwing ignited paper under the barn-door, among a quantity of straw that lay near it; but, fortunately, it went out of itself. On the

same night, too, an attempt was made to burn the carpenter's shop of Mr. John Chaffin, corner of Stillman and Charlestown-streets, by throwing fire into the shop through a broken window on a few shavings. They were consumed, and the fire went out without damage. Some of these desperate incendiaries will shortly be detected. There is a spirit awake which will ferret them out and bring them to speedy justice.

From the Baltimore American.

A DIABOLICAL attempt was made between ten and eleven o'clock on Saturday morning to set fire to the Baltimore Exchange. The presence of smoke in the upper rooms of Page's Hotel induced some of the servants to endeavour to discover the cause; and at length, on ascending to the upper landing of the stairway leading to the dome, they found that a lighted candle had been placed in such a manner as to communicate to the short flight of steps by which the dome is entered. The fire, however, had happily made but little progress; and a few buckets of water served to extinguish it. The commission of this attempt, in the open day, so closely resembles others that have been heretofore made, that we cannot but believe the perpetrator or perpetrators are persons whose appearance is not calculated to excite suspicion. As late as ten o'clock on Saturday morning the marine news collector and a merchant were in the dome, looking through the telescope at some vessels below, and when the fire was discovered perhaps not more than an hour had elapsed. What motive can prompt these fiends in human shape to destroy the finest and most costly public structures of the city remains yet to be developed. We cannot but think, however, that some fortunate event will yet lead to their detection and condign punishment.

SERIOUS FIRES IN BOSTON-ATTEMPT TO DESTROY THE CITY.

From the New York Evening Star.

A FIRE broke out on Wednesday afternoon in Mr. Fernald's foundry, in the rear of Fulton-street, and communicated to the carpenter's shop of Messrs. Lyford and Mitchell. Both buildings were injured to an amount less than 1000 dollars. Another fire broke out soon after in the Boston steam-factory and India rubber company, Pitt's court, by the upsetting of a barrel of turpentine near a stove. The whole building was destroyed. Loss, 30,000 dollars, including a pearl-factory in the building. The owners were Messrs. Clark and Badger. A protecting wall, erected for the purpose some years since, saved the buildings in Crescent-court. The same afternoon a fire broke out in Dr. Adam Stewart's mansion, on the neck, but was soon got under. At eight o'clock in the evening some villain attempted to set fire to a store in Cornhill. Half-past eight there was a fresh alarm-proved to be a carpenter's shop, bottom of Fayettestreet. It was totally destroyed. There were several other alarms during the night, and a state of feverish excitement, says the Boston Gazette, existed throughout the city.

From the New York Transcript.

WHAT else but incendiaries could be expected in a community where a mob were allowed, with scarcely any opposition, to burn a convent;

and where even a committee of the legislature proposed to reward certain of the leaders by paying them 500 dollars each out of the public treasury? If a few of the convent-burners had been hung, Crocket and Russell would probably never have put themselves in the way of coming to the gallows. If any crimes deserve to be punished with death, arson is one; and especially the burning of a dwelling-house, where the lives of the inmates are in danger of being sacrificed.

FIRE IN BROOKLYN.

On Saturday morning, about three o'clock, a fire broke out in Brooklyn, New York, in the soap-factory of Mr. David Fay, in the rear of Maine-street, which communicated to the adjoining buildings, and was not extinguished until almost all the interior of the block bounded by Maine, York, Washington and Front streets, was destroyed. The owner of the soap-factory suspects that the fire was the work of an incendiary.

From the Baltimore Chronicle.

THERE were two alarms of fire on Saturday night last. The first, about 12 o'clock, was occasioned by the burning of two or three small stables, in Cider-alley, between Howard and Eutaw-streets. The prompt exertions of the fire-department prevented its further spread. It is not known how it originated.

The second, about one o'clock, and before some of the engines had left the scene of the first, proceeded from a three-story building in North Charles-street, a few doors from Market, in the occupancy of Messrs. S. J. Patterson and Co., merchant tailors. This also was soon extinguished, though with considerable damage to the building. There seems to be no doubt that this latter was the work of an incendiary, who, most probably, took this method to cover a previous robbery. We are informed by a member of the property guard, who was among the first on the spot, that, upon opening the door, not a single article was discovered, except a looking-glass. Everything had been removed. The similarity of the cirumstances attending this fire to that in the hardware-store of Messrs. Griffith and Armistead, a few nights since, induces the belief that our city is infested with a band of robbers and incendiaries. The police cannot be too vigilant in their exertions to ferret them out.

We regret to be obliged to add, that, on these occasions, a repetition of the disgraceful contests between some of the fire-companies took place, with circumstances of aggravated atrocity. Fire-arms, we are assured upon good authority, were used, and it was only through good luck that serious damage, and perhaps the loss of valuable lives, did not ensue. When we can ascertain the particulars authentically, they shall be laid before the public, with such comment as the occasion calls for.

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From the Baltimore American.

We learn that yesterday's investigations, relative to the recent disastrous fire at the court-house, resulted in no developements of importance. As to the origin of the fire, there is no doubt on the minds of those who

are best acquainted with the circumstances in cormection with it that have been brought to light;-it was certainly the act of an incendiary. Almost before the smoke had ceased to ascend from this scene of devastation, incendiary designs were renewed in other quarters of the city. On Saturday night, about seven o'clock, the female orphan asylum, in Franklin-street, was attempted to be fired, by placing some coals and shavings under the wooden steps in front of the asylum. They were, happily, soon discovered and the diabolical attempt frustrated. The incendiaries, in this case, were two negro men. On Sunday morning, while the congregation were engaged at service within, an attempt was made to fire the church of the Rev. Mr. Duncan, by placing a lighted candle under some benches piled under the stair-way leading to the gallery. The smoke arising from the burning wood led to the discovery of the cause, and thus again was the villanous design frustrated.

The repetition of these daring attempts to spread destruction through the city calls for the greatest vigilance on the part of the community-not only that further mischief may be prevented, but that some clue may be found that will lead to the arrest and punishment of the incendiaries.

We had also a large fire at Hoboken this morning, when the Eagle hotel, two frame buildings, and two stables were consumed. The hotel comprises a part of the Zabriskie property, and was occupied by Mr. L. Vanbuskirk, whose loss is estimated at 6,000 dollars, and was totally uninsured; several horses were destroyed in the stables before they could be got out. The frame dwelling-houses were occupied, one as a grocerystore and dwelling-house by a Mr. Luther, and the other as the printingoffice of the Jersey Blue newspaper-the type used in the compilation of which journal was alone saved. The fire is supposed to have been the work of an incendiary.

SEVERAL attempts have recently been made by incendiaries to fire the city of Nashville. The attempts were made on stables, but fortunately the fire was discovered sufficiently early to prevent serious damage.

From the New Orleans Bulletin.

FOR near a week past the inhabitants of various quarters of our city have been kept in continual excitement by the constant alarms of fire. Every day one or more houses are consumed, while others are saved by the activity of our firemen, after being fairly on fire.

The conflagrations are confined chiefly to the smaller houses of the suburbs, and are especially to be deprecated, as they leave without shelter many poor, but industrious families. No doubt, we believe, is entertained, but that in many instances the burning has been the work of incendiaries, and many are of opinion that there is in the city an organized band whose object is, if possible, to envelope the whole city in flames. The council of the second municipality, with their usual promptness and liberality, have offered a reward of 1,000 dollars for the detection of the incendiaries, and the various insurance companies of the city have like