The Sun.
London, England, 1864-02-23 00:00:00

Great Fall of Snow in France,

The Moniteur of yesterday publishes the follow-
ing telegrams, by
which it will be seen that a very
heavy fall of snow has taken place in the south of
France, and that communication by railway is in
several cases interrupted :—" Narbonne, Feb. 20,
5,25 p.m.—The trains are stopped upon the railway.
Train No. 114 was stopped at Nisson. The loco-
motive sent to its assistance could not proceed
beyond Courreau. The garrison was called out in
order to clear the line." "Beziers, Feb. 21, 11
o'clock a.m.—ln consequence of the large quantity
of snow which has been falling for the last thirty-
eight hours, and which covers the plain to the depth
of about 50 centimetres (18 inches), all the roads in
the district are obstructed, and the circulation upon
the railways suspended. The telegraph is no longer
in operation upon the Montpellier line. This state
of things causes some apprehension that the con-
scription cannot be drawn for on the 21st and 22d-
in the cantons of St. Gervais and Bedarieux."
"Lyons, Feb. 21, 8 o'clock a.m.—Express train
N. -2 and the omnibus train No, 36, of the 20th
February, 1.1:,ve not arrived. The circulation is
impossible. Trains of all kinds are suspended until
further orders. The last passenger train which
arrived on the 20th was No. 21, two hours late.
Snow is still falling in Lyons. It is not yet more
than eleven centrirnetres in depth." " Valence,
Feb. 21, 10.36 a.m.—lt has been snowing for 36
hours, with a violent wind. All communication is
interrupted between Lyons and Marseilles. The
railway is no longer practicable. The garrison has
been called out to clear the line." "Privas, Feb.
21, 1 p.m.—Communleation on horse and foot is
impossible. The operations of the conscription are
interrupted in several places in the department of
the Ardeche: The snow is six feet deep in the
mountain." " Beziers, Feb. 21, 1.55 p.m.—The
circulation is re.established upon the Graissessac
line since mid-day. Active operations are going on
upon the southern line for removing the stow.
They will be completed it is hoped this evening."

THE HEALTH OF PRINTERS,—We are glad to
hear that, by an order from the Privy Council,
Dr. Smith has been deputed to make inquiries respect-
ing the health of this valuable body of workmen, who
have for long suffered much beyond the average amount
of ill-health, and a far too large death-rate. We have
at several times directed attention to this very important
subject, and expressed a strong conviction that it is
in a great measure owing to the overcrowded and
badly-ventilated apartments in which many of the compost-
tcrs work that the excessive death-rate from fever, cholera,
consumption, and so on arises. We could,
even new, direct
attention to printing offices in which there are neglected
and offensive closets, and such other unsanatory arrange-
ments, that to work under their influence and enjoy good
health is next to an impossibility. Besides this, in the con-
sideration of this question, there are other matters to be
thought of, such as the sedentary nature of the employ-
ment. When Benjamin Franklin worked as e. journeyman in
the printing office now occupied by Messrs. Cox and Wyman,
he found the labour at his ease affected his health, and ex-
changed it for work at the press. We do not, however,
think that there is much evil itt the peculiar position in
which compositors have to stand as in the long-continued
hours of work, and, in connexion with newspaper printing
the unnatural but necessary plan of turning night into day,
careful inquiry would show that the number of deaths in
the 1,000 amongst those who Work at night is far greater
than it is amongst those who labour by day. The very cir-
cumstance of being obliged to labour by night instead of
day must, to a certain extent, affect health; but the mis-
chief is added to by the closing of windows and doors at
night, and thus, in the absence of other means of ventila-
ticn, allowing the premises to become filled with vitiated
and unwholesome air. No correct idea of the poisonous
atmosphere of those places can be formed without a visit at
night, when the compositors are in full work and the nume-
rous gaslights are burning. The exposure to night air after
leaving these unwholesome and overheated quarters is also
injurious; or if the windows be opened deadly draughts
enter. We have heard of instances of the formation, by
those who work in the large printing-offices, of clubs, for
the practice of cricket and boating, and the plan is well
worthy of being more generally followed. As a rule, how-
ever, but few printers have time for out-door exercise. Even
the Saturday half holiday is denied them, with one or two
creditable exceptions; and, accordingly, these hothouse
plants are cut off prematurely by the least blight. It is not,
mot eover, the printers alone who suffer, but, as wo have be-
fore observed, editors, sub-editors,
close boxes, some of which are not very much larger than
—B a full-sized coffin.uilder. and readers are often oven
worse circumstanced, being pent up for hours together in

Kane
eer Alpha to-day for a
THE AMERICAN BLOCKADE. HALr ._A2i., NOVA
and a number of
CSoCnOfTecllAeLFtea
Confederate port. New York, Feb. 8,
officers
6c
e.r—s
li\elftairnehtahle
The blockade
runner Presto, in attempting to run into Charleston on the
2d of February, grounded on Sullivaies Island. The
Federals opened fire upon the vessel, but most of the cargo
was expected to be saved by the Confederates. The Federal
vessels Sassacus and Floria have destroyed the blockade
runner Wild Dayrell, near New Topsail Inlet, where she
had got ashore and discharged most of her cargo. Haven-
nah, Feb. 2.—The British man-of-war Shannon came in
on tho 28th, from Matimoras. Sir Alexander Milne, in the
Nilo, has been hero, and left for the Ileromdas, where he is
to meet his relief, Sir James Hope. 1.16, Buzzard and
Petrel have also visited us. 'rho Cuba brought a large
quantity of arms, intended for the Freneh, but finally de-
livered hero to Mr. Ramsey, the Confeterate agent, Of
course you can imagine the attempt Will be made to run
thorn through the blockade. Ths steamer Alice is loading
for this purpe9e, and a schooner will Probably start to-day
for the South.

CRITICAL POSITION OF THE SULTAN'OF TURKEY.
—A letter from Constantinople states that the Sultan, while
on a hunting excursion at Esk-Medi, was placed in a
very dangerous situation. When at some distance from his
suite he suddenly found himself close to several wild boars.
The Sultan fired at them, when the animal rushed furiously
on him and threw him to the ground. F•ortunateiy for the
Sultan, two sportsmen canto to his assistance and put the
boars to flight. Ho received no wounds, but has bceu siuGe
indisposed for a few dvp.,,,