The Express.
London, England, 1859-12-20 00:00:00

THE WEATHER AND THE PARKS.

To give anything like an approximate picture of
what took place yesterday upon the ornamental waters of the
different royal parks would be impossible. Such manes se
occurred during the day and the previous nght have not
been witnessed for years ; and had it not been for the exar-
them of the Royal Humane Society's icemen and the park-
keepers, nearly 30 persona would have lost their lives, as will
be seen from the eubjulced official report furnished to the I'M
porter by Mr. Williams, the superintendent of the Royal
Humane Society.

During Sunday night, the thermometer at the Reoeiving-
house was lower then it had previously been during the pre-
sent season, viz., 16 dugs., showing 16 degrees of frost. At
9 sent. yesterday, the gluts by Negretti and Zambrie patent,
dtuated at the Receiving-hoime, registered 19 degrees;
and even at noun the mercury did not rise
higher than 29 degrees ; and at eight o'clock last
evening the glass fell to 24 dig., being 8 deg, below freeing
point. The barometer at that time was at 29.30, and the
weather was flu with a slight fill of snow. Owing to the
severity of the frost, the snow u it descended upon the green
award in the different parks and streets became frozen, end
in the ammo( • few minutes the whole of the thoroughfares
sad parks presented mantles of whits, and so slippery did the
roads become that it Ina with the greatest difficulty that
horses drawing vehicles could proceed along, end numerous
mamas were to be wen at one time lying on the toads lead-
ing from Piccadilly to Brunton, and at nine o'clock sot
night there were tot fewer than three carrier's carte, unable to
get along owing to the slippery state of the roads, standing
in the Strand, dearly fer!ing Egoist:km.ll. .

We deecnbed yesterday what had occurred on the Ice
daring the previous day, made up from Mr. re-
port and from personal enervation. made on the spot ; but
at a late hour Mr. William, received a aupplementary report
that not lees than 40 persons, including men, women, and
children, had broken through the ice, and the scenes that
occurred were described as being painful In the extreme.
Amongst the persons immersed were Jaime' Forrester, of 14,
Little Brook-street; Alfred Such, of 30, Munster-equate;
John Fowler. of 17, Doke'.-roael, Bustmemptate ; Edward
Graham, of 3, Adam's-ter/ace ; George Newman, of No. 1,
William-street Cottage.; Mr. Dribble, of 4, Marlborough-
pLam, lelington ; Mr. Wilding, of 17, Lewhestreat, Kendall
Town; Mr. !Leggett and daughter, of 49, Gower-street;
Mr. Neer, of 20, Curson-street ; a gentleman named Sint-
monde, who had his left leg broke, and who was removed to
the ho.pital ; and 30 others. Whilst so great a number of
persons were summing themaelves by skating or sliding the
ice suddenly gave way, end men and women, with
their children, were precipitated into the water, and got
tinder the ice. Jamas Davie, one of the Royal Humes
Society's icemen, rescued five boys, including one named
John Simmonde, who had received a fracture of the hg. Mr.
Norton, one of the surgeons to the satiety, had the limb
bandaged, and he wee bent to the hospital. A men named
Henry Smith, rendering mabdance, else fell through the
ice, and wee under water for some mieutes. Thirty other
pigeon fell through the ice, but they were saved from
drowning by the park-keepers and icemen, Deputy-Superin-
tendent Parsons, James Davies, Jomph Hibbert, James
Knepp, Janes Martin, and others, by means of the sledges
and breaker ladders. Such a large number of persons have
not been immersed in any of the waters In *lmparts for fanny
years, end se the icemen were employed in getting the matte"
out of the water their friends took them to the hospital tent,
and plunged thens into hot water bathe with their clothes ben,
• the water wee by that means aeon coremmed, and the b
by reason of the hest in the furnsere, became unsoldered,Z
toe the time rendered aside's. Men were however employed
yesterday in repairing the apperame, in cede of •
similar sodden' happening. Mr. Norton, it is
only right to state, renamed with the unfortunate
sueerers for home, and recommended ell that humanity
or surgical skill could devise for their revelry. It is feared
that one led has perished in this park, as • cap bee been
tithed out of the water, but no owner had been found up to
last night. The number of Riders and Amore in the park
yesterday wag described se being 10,000, and the ice ma being
2f inches in thicknem. Knapp, ono of the icemen, bad on one
et Capt. Ward's pdent cork hie-belts, end by Its imam:nen-
tality he was enabled to tread the water for nearly half en
hour, and was sncmrful is saving tee ladles and a child,
the latter having repeatedly mink, end got under his feet.
They ell recovered, after the lapse of soma houre.
About 3,000 persons ventured upon the ice is St James's-
park, and several itemereious Conk place. Amongst them
were G. Wood, of M street, Millbeek ; W. J. Cox, of 10,
Borough; and J. Baker, of 2, James-street,
Chelsea. These came were attended ty by Dr. ll'eann, and
recovered.
The Serpentine, in Hyde-park, bad about 6,300 eihiereand
skaters on it during the day, and no accident of Key im-
presses happened up to 10 o'clock km night, her. even at
that hour some hundreds remalucd disporting tnamselves
with lighted flambeaux and lanterns.
At the Long Water, in Keesingtoe-garden, a number of
men were employed yesterday in meeting a aplondid eanVaa
marquee, made by Mr. Benjamin Edgington, of Dube-itreet,
London-bridge, for the me of the nobility, clergy, and others
belonging to the Skating Club. 'I ho whole was properly
affixed before the perk gate* cloyed lam night. About 3.000
members of the aristocracy went upon the ten during the day.
The frown surface is derribed as being five inches thick, and
gond.
The Long Water end Royal Round Pond had each about
3,000 pennon.* 111111/141:16 themselves upon the ice, whilst over
60,000 person. promenaded the sides of the river, but fortu-
nately no accidents took place except from fractures caused
by fail..
The Victerie Park, the Surrey Garden., the Grand Surrey
Canal, seed Cleptiani-common, had a large number of skaters
end slider., but beyond • few slight brake* no accident
worthy of record occurred. Lest bight Mr. Bedford held an
leagued in St. George's Workhowe, Mount-etre et, Grosvenor-
square, on the body of Riltard Dix, aged 21. who was
drowned in the Serpentine on Friday netht. The jury, doer
bearing the (acts already detailed in this jourral, returned •
verdict of accidental death.
The ice on the great lake and intermediate reservoir at the
Crypt Palace is now firm, and large numbere Resided them-
selves yesterday of the excellent eketieg it afforded. The
haw has also presented a gad opportunity for trecing the
errengenmets fur heating the building, and thoraces.* by
oven exceeded exlectation, no let. * difference than 25 de-
grees between the outside and Inside temperature having
• been maintsinci.

DISABILITY OF WITNESSEIL—The Massachusetts
Senate bee adopted an amendment to the laws which re-
moves the dhability to receive the testimony of atheists in
its courts of law. The starndment provides that "every
person not a believer in a teligion 01.11 be required to Motif,
truly tinder pates and penalties of perjury." To this an
amendment wee adopted es follows:—" And the evidence of
such person's disbelief in the existence of God may he re-
ceived to &Gut their credibility es witnesses:' The latter
clause of the amendment was adopted by a vote of 10 to 7.
The vote upon the amendment,as amended, wee 13 to 13, and
It was adopted by the nee aag voted the president.

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