The Express.
London, England, 1849-12-31 00:00:00

THE PREDICTED HIGH TIDES.

The prediction of a Leamington gentleman, that, in
consequence of the moon being in perigee the tides would
rise to disastrous heights on Saturday and Sunday, has not
been fulfilled. Nothing hes occurred, so far as can be
judged from such &deices u have already reached us, except
what would certainly have happened during any other spring
tide, with a strong wind blowing on the laud. Portions of
the east coast have indeed been flooded, as was intimated in
Saturday's paper, in consequence of a strong north wind
blowing up the waters of a spring tide upogthe land.
The following let'er has been addressed by the Astro-
nomer Royal to Messrs. Scott sod Hopktos, of the Times'
office, Plymouth, on the subject of the Leamington letter
tiatrzaitted to him by these gentlemen :
"Royal Observatory, Greenwich, Dee. 27, 1849.
" Gentlemen,—ln reply to your letter of yesterday, I
have to state that I had not previously seen the letter of
which you enclosed a copy, athough I hid heard that a
Tumour, on the probability of a large tide on the 29th or 30. h
Last., was now cement.
"Then is no fundation whatever for such a rumour.
"The ciicurnstance% on which the magnitude of the tide
depends are mainly there three :
" The tide is high when the moon is full; it is high when
the moon is in perigee, and it is high when the moon Pi in
the equator. [I omit all mention of the Sou's distance, be-
cause the effect of its variation is practically quite insigni-
ficant.]
" The large* tides usually occur on the day next following
the states of the moon which I have mentioned
"Two of these circumstances occur on the 29th (namely,
the moon w:Il be full and in perigee). But the moon
instead of being in the equadur, will be at her greatest mirth
declination ; end this einuens once will redoes the tide cm-
ielerably.
" The three ice/taloa circumstances which I have men-
tiooed have repeatedly been combined in late years, all
tending to increase the tide ; and yet no mischief has been
dose.
"I am, gentlemen, your obedient servant,
"G. B. AIRY."
Wise precautions were taken in various par.s of the coast,
b .th of Great Britain and Ireland, but except at Yarmouth
and its neighbourhood nothing had happened to excite ap-
prehension, when our provincial parcels arrived last evening
THE THAMES.
The tide on Saturday &ad yesterday only exceeded the
ordinary height of spring flows by a few inches, and although
Betierera-.Mies were, an usual at such times, flooded, yet
we have heard of no serious inconverience having been suf-
fered in other parts ot the river. The preperatioes to guard
against the flood extended, however, slung both banks of the
Thames, even as high up as Riebmsnd.
So a. m has been the belief of wherfingers, flour factors,
corn merchants, maltsten, milers, distillers, and brewers, in
the predicted inundation, that every thing in the shape of
grain and any ether property that could be i. jured by water,
was removed to the high. r stories of the buildings; and men
have been engaged for some days in erecting barricades and
brigkieg with cement, or planking up, with clay introduced be-
tween all doorways or other modes of inlet from the river, ell
which must have entailed an enormous expense on th
owners of the different property. Amtinget the many we
may mention who have adopted such precautions as. Smith's
distillery, Tlingit s-beak ; Hearn. Francis's cement works,
Niue-elms; Meters. Breuley, , insisters, Battersea, and Mr.
Dives Miller of the same place; the silk works and rice
works also at Battersea; Mr. Watney's distillery; Messrs.
La gton's, molesters, and Mrs-n. Watney and Wells, miller.,
Wandsworth t Messrs. liempeon and Tupham's brewing end
=alehouses at Iffortlak. ; th Fulham m 'tisanes and the
brewery at Richmond; at many of the tseautdul vides oh
the banks of the Thames pree.utioeary measures. such as
removing the furniture and other valuable
_property from
the lower a Minute, have been adopted. Ihe river the
whole of yesp terdsy wash in a very turbid state, and between
Pointy and Richmond was a continuous field of detached
messes of ice and tr• gen snow, sad navigation between those
places wee much impede.., if not altogether stopped.
In the lower parts ef the river, at the Docks, the tide
did not flow beyond its usual limits. In the minting of
Saturday high water was at 48 minutes eta terrier, sn I
the 'selectee height which it attained at the St.
Katherine's Dock+ wee 28 ft. B'a. In the afternoon high
water at the same pl tee was at 40 minuet s atter one, end the
depth of water 27 ft. 7 in. It i,. a well known fact that the
evening tides are always greater than those in the day time.
Bu: although no high tides have taken awn within the hot
two days, when they wen fully exp. cted, a certain tidal
phenomenon took place on Friday ;—the tide which ahead
I have flowed at titty minutes to twelve reached its ordi-
nary height two hours bettore that time. It teen
ebbed for about a font and a hat., and S treed
again for a few inches, again ebbed, and afterwards attained
its full height at the usual time. This phenomenon was so
remarkable that many people were in some consternation as
to what was going to happen, several in the nt ighbourbood
of the river clearing the lower parts of their houses in ex-
pectation of the water reaching them. However the tide
reached no greater height than 26 feet 6 inches, and there-
fore all precautions were unnecessary. This phenomenon of
the ebbing end flowing of the tides has fee quently been °b-
eery. d in firths or arms of the sea, where of con se in high
winds the pressure ot the water is greater than in narrow
rivers; but in the themes it is a matter of unusual occur
recce. For instance, in the Firth or Forth in Scotland the
tide ha. b. en known to dectease for nearly three feet, Inc
sgain assume its former height.
PORTSMOUTH.
Our own correspondent, writing yesterday (Sunday), says
there is nothing unusual to report reearding the anticipated
high tides. The high water-mark has not been exceeded at
this port 041.1. The hichest tide these springs was on
Thursday last.

DOVER.
A cone- pond-nt of the Observer, wrilog from Dover yes-
terday, states that the tide that mornine had ft need to •
great height, overflown g the Marine Parade, and inun-
dating the houses fronting the harbour.
YARMOUTH.
In addition to what wr stated in Saturday's Daily News,
we add the following from the Norfolk Chron,ek :—On Fri-
day morning, in consequence of the high winds fr-an the
north and north north-west, and spring tides, the waters
covered the marshes and the railway between Yarmouth and
Reedham, and also the whole of the manhes be-
tween Medford and Somerleyton. A greet part of the
vane), of the Waveney and Yare is under water. The S
and 9, a.m., train front Norwich to Yarmouth pro-
ceeded a short distance past Reedham ; but, in
consequence of the water covering the line, had
to return. Tufa 10.30. Les , express train to London
was detained tall 12 o'clock, in couseqne ace of the he-tty tad
of now along the line as far as Wymondbana. At that
hour the 10.30 and 12 trains were Combined, soil proceeded
with two engines on the journey, great efforts having been
made to clear the line. The train was stopped at the Trowse-
bridge, the heavy fail of snow having covered the Lee.
After some delay the line was cleared, and the teals pro-
ceeded onwards. The train that stopped and returned bock
to Resales, after remairing there some time, returned to
Norwich ; all the p 1 rs, no doubt, very glad of a sate
deliverance. The train from Lowestoft proceeded as far as
Blundestone, when it was obliged to return, on account of
the water covering the line. While the engine was bs.king
the train over a Wine, • very serious accident occurred.
The bridge having been loomed, swayed from the engine,
which left the rails ; the driver was thrown off, and it is
feared his thigh bthe was broken. The train was, however,
backed safely to Lowestoft. The traffic is entirely sapped
between this city and Yarmouth and Lowestott. As we are
going to press, the snow continues falling heavily.
LYNN.
There bee been a rising of the tide since Wednesday above
the ordinary spring tide.. The inhabitants were &leveed at
the increase of water, and, believing the predicted high tide
would prove too true, commenced to barricade the lower path
of their houses, and eo avoid the rush of water. The con-
tinuance of the northwesterly wind added to teen (vie,
and the genemi opinion of the most nautical men in the
well was that an inundation would take place. At Wiebech
the tide rose six feet beyond its ordinary height, as also at
Bridington.
SUNDERLAND.
During Thursday sad Friday, the tides at Shields aeod
Sunderland rose very high, and created quite a panic
amongst the inhabitants who recopy the wharh and build
hags near the water. The sea rolled in tremendous:y strong
• storm raged the whole time, and up to six o'clock, Fridey,
the wild continued to blow almost • Mennen. from N. and
N.N.E., with heavy falls of snow. Amidst its fury a steamer
was nearly lost on the Herd Sands.
roved to be the
Brilliant from Hall for Leith, and washer
nning into the
Tyre to shelter from the storm, when she was caught by a
en and carried on to the sands. The life-boat was launched
and part of the steam. r's cries fork to the rigging. How-
ever, she was weed off by the seas that followed, and by
ensiderable exertion she reached the harbour. If she had
struck on the bar the crew must inevitably have been swept
from her dick and perianed in the tempestuous sea. The
Lrndnn mail, which was Ole here, tyce, has arrived when the
up mail started, five hours -afterwards. The line is said to
be blocked up with snow.
DUBL!N.
Our Dublin correspondent states that numbers of pecide
went on the quays on Saturday,at the hour of high water,
to observe the predicted inundailon, and mgt were
the
were
disappointed to find that the tide was little more thin
usual high one.
LEITH—SHIELDS.
Northward, as far as Leith, the tide roe, 08 Thuttd•Y
and Friday two feet above the alumna& calculated height.
This, together with a gale of wind from the N.Y. W-e finYe
rise to much anxiety along the beast. Leith ne'w doesfs
:weaned to be in cow danger, for although the ,contractor
ksj caused an embankment to be constructed, three feet
high, on the top of the ender dock wall, the 'pray of the '4l
wee wehins over it.