HENRY ROBERT ABRAHAM . I am an architect and surveyor to the County Fire-office. I drew this plan of the premises; it is correct, according to the best of my observation - Mr. Spiers had made an insurance at our office; I went to the premises to see what damage was sustained; I examined the prisoner's premises - the first day I went was on the Tuesday or Wednesday; the rubbish had not been cleared then, and I made no examination; I went again on the Wednesday afternoon, and examined - I went into the back vault, and near the coal-bin there was this block of wood; there were several other pieces of wood in a slanting direction against the block of wood, inclining towards the coal-bin, and other pieces of wood laying in the coal-bin; one of which was this angular piece - there had been a fire made on the block, and it had burnt the ends of these pieces of wood and also caught the side of the coal-bin, which it had burnt nearly through; it had also communicated with the pieces of wood which were thrust into the coals; there were short pieces of wood thrust into the coals, laying nearly horizontally, and connecting these upright pieces, as it were, with the coal-bin - one side of the coal-bin was formed at the upper part with loose old canvas - my attention was then directed to a shelf on the east side of this vault, and on that shelf I saw about a hatful of shavings, placed conically, and on removing them I found a piece of paper, which had been greased, and upon which gunpowder had exploded - the fire had partially caught the shavings, but want of air or the blast had put it out; the powder was not quite under the shavings, but a little on one side; there was about a drachm - it was two or three inches from the shavings, and partially connected by particles of gunpowder being loose as if it had been thrown down - I observed a card, the size of a common address card, doubled into the form of a trough and gunpowder on it; about a quarter of an ounce, I should think- it was fine shooting powder; I saw an ordinary sized wine-bottle, which smelt of turpentine - it was inverted and inclining in one corner; the outside was clean.

Q. Did you observe any injury whatever done to any place in the vault, except where these combustible things were found? A. None at all - there was no door from the kitchen to the vault; there was merely the doorcase - I saw no remains of a door; there was a door hung between the vault and the wash-house; that was not burnt at all - the top part of the kitchen mantel-shelf, over the chimney-piece, was burnt a little, but the shelf was not much injured: the under part of it, next the fire-place, was not burnt - the upper part was a little burnt; I should imagine that was done from the recoil of the flames from the ceiling; the fire must have originated beyond the copper, because the shop floor, between the copper and the street, was sufficiently sound after the fire to allow a number of people to stand on it - the floor remained, but it was scorched

underneath; a few feet beyond the copper, towards the window, it was pretty firm, but the other way it was burnt, and would not bear standing on; the copper on the north side nearest the street was not much injured; the lead work was not melted away - the sashes and frames in the kitchen window were not cracked nor injured; the lead on the other side of the copper had melted - the dresser, which stood near the window on the east side of the kitchen, was not burnt - I saw in the back vault the tin top of a tobacco-box, and a little gunpowder in it; it stood about three feet from the shavings on the shelf - the joints of the kitchen ceiling, beyond the copper, were burnt away, nearly to charcoal, and those between the copper and the street were partially burnt but sound.

Cross-examined by MR. BARRY. Q. At what time on Wednesday did you go to the premises? A. About ten o'clock; I then gave orders for the ruins to be removed, which was done in my absence - I was present when the sack was found; I do not think much had been disturbed before that.

Q. Had the ruins been near the door, going from the kitchen to the vault? A. They had dropped the ruins away to enable the firemen to get into the vault.

Q. Then the ruins had fallen so as to prevent their getting from the kitchen to the vault? A. I imagine so - there was a quantity of rubbish and water in the front vault or wash-house, not black rubbish; I have heard Moakes and Saunders examined - the wood stood against the coal-bin; I have heard them state that it stood against the wall - I was not examined before the Coroner respecting Miss Twamley's death, but respecting the death of another person; I gave evidence of the state of the premises, and took the Jury to examine them - I gave a general description of it, and should think I stated about the wood being thrust into the coals, but I will not swear that, because I took the Jury to view the premises; the vault was certainly not a likely place to succeed in setting the house on fire - I think the fire took place at the bottom of the stairs, and finding the sack and shavings there also makes me think so; I should not think a man in his senses would think of setting fire to the house in the back vault - the canvas forms the eastern side of the coal-bin; there was wood about eighteen inches high, and above that a canvas partition; the burnt wood was about eighteen inches off it. I should think - the back vault was exceedingly damp; if there had been fire enough to dry the canvas, it would have caught - there is more turpentine in wood than in canvas, and when it once gets lighted it is more likely to get ahead; the canvas would certainly have been burnt if the fire had risen to its height - the card of gunpowder was about two feet nine inches from the shavings on the shelf in the back vault.

Q. If there had been a considerable fire in the back vault, so as to be seen from the front, do not you think the gunpowder must have ignited? A. I think not, it must have been a very strong fire to consume this wood, and if it was possible, by laying down, to see any fire, that fire might have existed a long time without burning the shavings; there must have been a considerable fire to produce this effect on this wood, but that had no connexion with the gunpowder.

MR. PHILLIPS. Q. Were not some of these pieces of wood actually propping up the wood, and confining it? -A. They were; I did not go on my knees at the area, to see if I could have seen fire; I do not think it could have been the fire itself originating from this block which was seen; I think it must have been the reflection - no fire in the kitchen could have reflected in any way so as to be seen in the back part of this vault; I do not exactly swear that it must have been the reflection of fire in the vault, because I think it probable it might be the reflection of fire from the staircase - there is a brick wall between them but there is a door in it, and I think there might have been a body of fire near the door, the light of which might have reflected in the vault; if there was only fire in the kitchen, I cannot, in any way, account for the fire I found at the coal-bin; there was no connexion whatever between the two fires.

Q. If the coals about the coal-bin had ignited, from the quantity of coals, would the smoke have been very considerable, supposing an ignorant man had thought he could set them on fire? A. Very considerable, and that would increase the difficulty of getting into the house to ascertain where the fire originated, but the draft would have carried it away up the staircase; the foot of the stairs was a very likely place to set fire to the rest of the house; it was the very place to begin at to burn the house down; I pointed out to the Coroner's Jury things exactly as I found them.

COURT. Q. You think there was fire on that block, would a person kneeling down and looking from the area see a light proceeding as reflection from that fire? A. They would certainly, but they must hold their heads close to the ground; I think it very possible to see a light.

JURY. Q. Was it possible for the person to ascertain whether it was a light from a candle, or from any other substance? A. Yes; I should imagine a light from a candle would be very different; I should not suppose the light of a candle could be seen unless it was placed on the ground; I could not see from the vault into the street, unless close under the window, and then you must look up, as the area surrounds the window, with a close grating over it.

COURT. Q. Supposing the fire to have originated where you think it did, would it, in your judgment, burn the house down before the whole of the shavings might have been consumed? A. After the shop door was opened the draft coming from the street, would cool the lower part of the house, and carry the great-body of fire up the house, and during that time I should think the fire in the kitchen would slacken a little - it is quite consistent with the fire originating there; by setting fire to the shavings that part of the shavings should not be burnt.