The Express.
London, England, 1855-02-23 00:00:00

THE WEATHER.

The therreeeie:er at the Royal Humane Society's
receiving-house was, iurfug the night of Wei:lender, 161,
Ming 161 degrees below freezing point. At 9 am, yester-
day it stood at 25, and at 12 at noon it was 281. At night
it was descending rapidly. The barometer was 29.87, jest
tour-hundredths higher than the preceding day.
The wind yesterday morning wee N.N.H., and at 9 o'clock
am a dense fog enveloped Hyde-park. so that it was impos-
sible to see across the Serpentine. The tug cleared away
about 10 o'clock, when the wind changed and continued to
veer considerably to different polo's of the compass during
the after part of the day. About 10,050 sliders and skaters
are reported ►y the Royal Humane Society to have gone on
the ice in this park y day, including many noblemen
and gentlemen belonging to the Skating Club. Six persons
were severely injured by falling on the ice. Tilt), received
attendance at the receiving•house.
. _

The limed Pond had on it about 1,200. The Regent's-
park had between 13,000 and 14,000; at the latter place
several received surgical attendance at the marquee of the
Royal Rumen, Society.

Bt. James's Park had on the ice between 9,000 and 10,000;
and thirteen individuals were injured by being cut in the
head or temples. At the least three parts of the Thames is
now fro: n over, and neither steamer nor small craft can be

navigated either up or down the river. Pen thousand dock
labourers, employed only in the neighbourhood of Dept-
ford, are thrown out of work ; and, it the weather should
continue for three or four days longer, it is impossible to
conceive what will be the privations of the poor.
The continuance of the frost is causing great and increas-
fog distress, especially in the east of London, There are
at this moment suffering the extreme of want and des-
titution no less than one thousand labourers, whose
daily subsistence has hitherto been gained by em-
ployment in the London and S. Katherine's Dock%
where now nearly all operation requiring their assist-
slice is suspended, in consequence of the continued incle-
mency of the weather. It is gratifying to know that an
active subscription has been commenced by Mr. J. 11.
Thompson, assisted by Captain Trapp, sad that the sum of
1601. has already been subscribed, and handed over to each
of the above dock companies, to which a further sum of
1001. has been added, by order of the directors of each dock,
to be immediately applied to the neceasities of these poor
men. The subscription list is lying at 20, Hairier-street.
Many persons, as our police reports show, are taking ad-
vantage of the time to create disorders, and to pillage, under
pretence of destitution ; the number of these attempts, how-
ever, is, we perceive, greatly exaggerated in some quarters.
Yesterday a very singular scene was witnessed upon the
Serpentine. Towards evening, after the Royal Humans
Society's icemen had finished duty, and had, with few ex-
ceptions, left for their respective habitations, the sound of
musie was heard on the Serpentine, and on Mr. Superin-
tendent Williams hastening out of the receiving-house, he
beheld (to use his owe words) a spectacle he had never
witnessed before, for a splendid brass band came upon the
ice, being attended by upwards of a thousand persons, each
holding a lighted flambeau or link in hand. In the mum
of a few minutes, saadry tents were stretched upon the
ice, and large coke fires ware made, barrels of beer and other
creature comforts were publicly exposed for sale, and the
whole scene presented the appearance of some great fair.
Several hundred gentlemen with lamps buckled in front
of their coats in the first instance led tke way, apparently
for the purpose of examining the ice, surrounded by the
torch-lighters, and the band at the same time playing,
" Cheer, Boys, cheer." After passing from the railings to
the Kensington-gardens Bridge, the parties turned round,
when, almost simultaneously, the whole of the park become
beillianuy illuminated, as hundreds of rockets, serpents,
Roman lights, squibs, Catherine wheels., and other
fireworks were exploded, and some otLer pyrotech-
nics were fired which resembled the discharge of
artillery, and which made the frozen surface to heave
to and fro. Mr. Williams at once got Mr. Deputy-
Superintendent Parsons to his aid, when right along a walk
of considerable extent on the ice, red, blue, crimson, and
green fires were made up, which reflected a light upon the
park. As for the several gentlemen skating, they looked
almost unlike human beings.
I The long skating space having been gone over, the band
struck up several quadrilles and polkas, which were kept
time to by those present, amongst whom were not a few
ladies.

The whole performance, however, passed off without any
accident beyond that of • young person falling upon the
foe, by which he broke his arm. He was taken to the Re-
ceiving-house, and afterwards to St. George'. Hospital, to
bare the frasture reduced.

Tits Win the West Riding the front
has been very latrine, and all the canals and water coarse.
are (totem up, except where greet efforts have been made to
keep them open, as in the case of the Aire and Calder Navi-
gation, in which a steatn.tug is kept daily plying to and fro
to break the ice, which in many places is a foot thick. At
Goole the navigation is suspended by ice. From Leeds to
Otley the Aire and the Wharfs have not had such a thick
coat for years, the former river being a firm highway,
capable of bearing "anything," and the letter affording
amusement to hundreds of skaters. Lakes and ponds in
the neighbourhood of Leeds are almost daily the scenes of
curling and cricket matches, and some ugly accidents have
occurred, inciuding broken legs and cracked craniums.
Amongst these was Mr. Wm. Robson, son of the proprietor
of the Leeds Taus, who fell while engaged in a cricket
match on Walker's Reservoir, Woodhouse, Leeds, and in-
flicted very severe injuries on his head. In the neighbour-
hood of Bradford and Halifax the cold has been most in-
tense, the mercury having fallen on the night of the 17th, at
Bradford, to 61, or 24 below freezing point. The distress
caused by this long-continued frost is severe, and rapidly
spreading.
LiezIPOOL. THVISDAT.—The wind continues in an
easterly direction, and the severe frost which has nightly
prevailed for some time past has been succeeded by a fall
of snow, which promises to be of some duration. The town
is perfectly quiet—no attempt being made to-day to renew
the disgraceful rioting of Mon cay and yesterday. The dis-
tribution of relief, however, goes on with the greatest &xi-
vity by the various charitable societies, and the autl °shim
of the town.

The following was written in Paris on Wednesday morn-
ing:—The frost continues, not only in Paris, bat in every
part of France. The accounts from the departments speak
of all the great rivers as floatiog down large pieces of ice.
Some snow again fell is Paris yesterday morning, but not
for any leagth of time. Huge heaps of congealed snow
line the boulevards and principal thoroughfares, the circu-
lation being preserved perfectly unimpeded in every quar-
ter. The samurai for elesring the snow from the streets
have been admirably organised. Hundreds of carts are
employed every morning in conveying it from the different
parts of the city to the quays, where it is east into the river.
All the basins in the public gardens, the canals, and the
water in the Bois de Boulogne, are again frozen over to a
great depth, and all are crowded with skaters. Handsome
sledges are to be seen every day in the Champs Elyse's,,
and the number of persona taking pedestrian exercise con-
tinues unusually great. The thermometer of M. Chevallier.
at six o'clock yesterday morning, stood at 4 8-10 tbs below
aero C. (23 1-3rd F.) ; at noon it was at 4 2-10th C. (244
F.), and at eight o'clock at 2 5-10th, C. (2140 F.) On
Wednesd• evening the wind chopped about towards the
south, and there were decided symptoms of a thaw. The
bridge of boats over the Po at Piacenza was lately carried
away by the force of the drift ice. Such a circumstance was
never before witnessed.

A "MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE."

The Cheltenham Examiner Nye : During the ]sat
tea days a fruitfal source of local gossip hu been furnished
by the'l mysterious disappearance" of Mr. T. W. Chandler,
one of our leading solicitors. About a fortnight ego, how-
ever, it began to be whispered about that Mr. Chandler had
suddenly left Cheltenham, and nobody knew of his where-
abouts. The first positive intelligence of his defalcations
was the discovery that a number of mortgege deeds he had
lodged with various parties were not what they purported to
be; in fact, that the parties signing them, and the properties
assigned by them, were altogether of a fictitious character.
Further inquiries being set on foot, it was discovered that
other securities of a more personal nature were equally ficti-
tious, and at one of the banks, in particular, five now of
hand for 5001. each, and a bond for 2,0001., all purporting
to be signed by Mr. Chandler's mother, and by a gentleman
of lugs property in Cheltenham, are now surnamed to be
forgeries. In abort, there is no knowing to what extent
these frauds have been perpetrated; it is, however, no-
mound that two of our local banks are sufferers in the
aggregate to nearly 5,0001., and that his total liabilities in
the town (many of our prpal tradesmen being victimised
to a serious eaten') amount to upwards of 10,0001.
As • proof of the strange infatuation under which he wan
acting, we may mestiou that Mr. Char dier was endeavour-
ing—up to almost the day of his Right—to get himself sip-
pointed one of the sheriffs for the City of London! It.
large lean ^a the security qt

I

wu alsog;gcTilaiinrc a very lugs loan in the security of
saws alleged property in Devonshire, but which property
now turns out—like that described ia the mortgage deeds
already alluded to—to have no real existence.
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