The Sun.
London, England, 1863-09-28 00:00:00

ATLANTIC AND GREAT WESTERN,

The traffic returns on this line for the month of August
showed that 26,420 dols had been received from raseengers,
mails, &c., and 98,461 dole for freight—total, 124,881 dole
on 352 miles open, against 15,309 dols on 60 miles for the
corresponding month last year. The total receipts from
January 1 to the end of August amounted to 643,237 dole
on an average mileage of 184 miles, and for the correspond-
ing period of 1862 to 108,170 on GO miles of railway.

Atmospheric Changes of the Alps.

Professor Tyndall sends us for publication some curious
Alpine experiences of Mr. Robert Spencer Watson and his
party in the region of the Jungfrau. The suddenness of the
atmospheric changes will recall the similar observations of
Mr. Whymper:on the Matterhorn, recorded in our pages a
fortnight ago. Mr. Watson says—" On the 10th of July I
visited the Col de la Jungfrau from the 2Eggisch-horn, in
company with my wife and Messrs. JohnSowerby andW . G.
Adams, of Marlborough College. We had with us as guides
J. M. Claret, of Chamouni, and a young man from the hotel.
The early morning was bright, and gave promise of a fine
day, but as we approached the Col clouds settled down upon
it, and on reaching it we encountered so severe a storm
of wind, snow, and hail, that we were unable to stay more
than a few minutes. As we descend -d, the snow continued
to fall so densely that we lost our way, and for some time
' we were wandering up the Lotsch Sattel. We had hardly
discovered our mistake when a loud peal of thunder was
heard, and shortly after I observed that a strange singing
sound like that of a kettle was issuing from my alpenstock.
We halted, and finding that all the axes and stocks emitted
the same sound, stuck them into the snow. The guide from
the hotel now pulled off his cap, shouting that his head
burned, and his hair was seen to have a similar ap-
pearance to that which it would have presented had
he been on an insulated stool under a powerful
electric machine. We all of us experienced the sensation
of pricking or burning in some part of the body, more
especially in the head and face, my hair also standing on
end in an uncomfortable but very amusing manner. The
snow gave:out a hissing, as though a heavy shower of bail
were falling ; the veil on the wide-awake of one of the party
stood upright in the air, and on waving our hands the sing-
ing sound issued loudly from the fingers. Whenever a peal
of thunder was heard the phenomena ceased, to be resumed
before the echoes had died away. At these times wo felt
shocks, more or less violent, in those portions of the body
which were most affected. By one of these my right arm
was paralysed so completely that I could neither use nor
raise it for several minutes, nor indeed until it had been
severely rubbed by Claret, and I suffered severe pain in it
at the shoulder-joint for several hours. At half-past twelve
the clouds began to pass away, and the phenomena finally
ceased, having lasted 25 minutes. We saw no lightning,
and were puzzled at first as to whether we should be afraid
or amused. The young guide was very much alarmed, but
Claret, who is devoid of fear, and who had twice before
heard the singing (though without any of the other symp-
toms), laughed so heartily that we joined him. No evil
effects were felt afterwards beyond the inconvenience aria-
mg from the burning of our faces, which, though we had
no sun, were almost livid in hue When we arrived_ at the
iEggisch-horn,—.4thenceurii.