The Sun.
London, England, 1863-01-02 00:00:00

THE STORM IN THE FAR NORTH.

The John o' Groat Journal gives the following
additional particulars of the results of the storm:—
" The Sisters, of Wick, John Leith master and
owner, and the Dunrobin, Hugh Murray master
and owner, bloke from their moorings and went
ashore, the latter vessel, which was empty, being
driven up into a grass park. The Sisters is par-
tially insured and a wreck; the Dunrobin will re-
pair. The Elfin, an English vessel, coal laden, was
thrown ashore under the Independent Chapel, the
sea breaking over her yards. The captain and two
of the crew got ashore by means of a rope attached
to the vessel, but this having broken, the commu-
nication was cut off, and could not be renewed un-
til the rocket apparatus was brought up and a rocket
fired accurately from the shore. `rhe crew were
saved, but the vessel is a wreck. The sceme in the
water-mouth itself, both in the morning and even-
jog, is beyond all description. Vessel was Jostled
against vessel, and some of them in the encounter
rc:ceivcd considerable damage. The 11( tsy David-
sou sustained damage computed by soiree as
high as 1:200 or £250. The Dunrobin, of Wick, was
driven up on a public road, and a good deal
strained. The Unity suffered little damage, but
was driven up the river on the islands, halfway
between the water-mouth and the bridge; as was
also the Adelaide and the Eclipse, which have sus-
tained very considerable damage.
" About seven o'clock in the evening, the last re-
maining vessel in our Roadstead, the Sisters, of
Wick, Captain (and owner) Leith, with a cargo
(just laden) of stones, dragged her anchors and
landed at the back of the old Castle. The crew had
been taken off by the lifeboat on the previous day.
and the anxiety in this case was so much the less.
Both ship and cargo is, we hear, insured. The sloop
Matilda, of Thurso, Mr. D. Smith master and
owner, from Fisherrow to Thurso, with a cargo of
oilcake aed coal, whilst making for Scrabster, on
Thursday, was caught in the gale off Dunnet Head.
Mr. Smith persevered gallantly in the face of the
storm to make Scrabster Roads, but was ultimately
obliged to come to anchor opposite the west banks,
of the farm of East Murkle, in consequence of her
sails being spent. As night came on with the in-
creasing and terrific gale, the inhabitants of the
neighbourhood became alarmed for the safety of the
crew, but they could render no assistance. With
great difficulty the master got her to answer her
helm, and though the night was pitch dark he
managed to steer clear of the dangerous part of the
'shore, and she was at last driven in on the little
sand near Castlehill House—the only place where
she could have been beached, with safety to the
lives of the crew. She drifted over a smooth flat of
rock to the Burn of Stangergilt, where she now
lies. The crew got off her in safety about eight in
the morning. The violence of the gale was abso-
lutely fearful, and the tides in the Pentland Firth
rose to a height to which the tides have been sel-
dom if ever known to rise. The fury of the waves,
too, was terrific. With the rise of the tides to such
an unprecedented height a great number of fishing
boats, at various places from Duncansbay to Dun-
net, were carried off from their places of security to
which they had been hauled by the fishermen for the
winter, and dashed to pieces. Portions of a her-
ring boat, apparently new, have been washed ashore
at Huns, and numerous fragments of boats have been
observed all along the shore from Duncansbay to
Rune,. Ruinous as have been the consequences of
the storm to poor fishermen along these shores, had
it occurred at the top of spring tides it is question-
able if there would have been a boat left on the
shores of the Firth. For at Huna not only were a
number of small boats partially damaged, but a
boatbuilder's shed was completely gutted, and gar-
den walls that have withstood the storms of thirty
winters thrown down. At Gills four boats have ,
been lost and others damaged, whilst at ley it is
reported that ten lobster and small boats have been
destroyed, besides others damaged. At Shari's-
kerry the loss has also been serious, but the parti-
culars have not yet been ascertained. At Ham,
Dunnet, it is reported that two herring fishing
boats have been completely destroyed. In the island
of Strome eight boats have been completely de-
stroyed, viz., two herring fishing boats, one of them
only launched last veer, and the other not old; two
pilot boate, and four lobster fishing boats. It is
computed that in this small island alone the loss in
boats, materials, &e., will scarcely be covered by
£2OO. One poor man has lost two boats. Some of
the inhabitants of the island had to leave their
houses in consequence of the sea, and in many of the
gardens the cabbages were washed out of the soil.
On Saturday, a large vessel, supposed from some
papers, dated 1861, which were found on the shore
to be the brig Omega of Dundee, was totally
wrecked on the Kyle of Tongue. The vessel came
to anchor on the coast of the Rabbit Islands, Kyle
of Tongue, on Saturday morning, but the strength
of the gale was such that she dragged her anchors,
and was driven in on the bar across the mouth of the
Kyle, where she stranded sometime during the night,
and went to pieces before morning. The number of the
crew is not known, but it is feared that every soul
on board must have perished.

AGONISING TATTLE.—Is there any happy, any
doubly-blessed, individual living in the world who
is unacquainted with the manners and customs of the den-
tal fraternity ? What other thing is so terrible as the light
conversation which gentlemen of that profession have re-
course to while preparing to operate ? How awfully cheer-
ful they are. How does Mr. Scrunchem receive you when
you enter with a face like an inflated bagpipe ? Good
morning, Mr. Chopfall, I've not had the pleasure of see-
ing you for a very long time. I hope you are very well
—a little troubled with a tooth, eh ? I see your face is a
good deal swelled, yes, yes. Come, sit down and let's have
a look—let's have a look—open a little wider, if you please
—hum—hum—yes, there's a sad offender here, Mr. Chop- '
fall. Dear, dear, dear—yes, yes—l think we ought to get
rid of this tiresome fellow for you, eh P You'd rather not
—well, just as you like, but, if I were you, I would cer-
tainly be rid of him in no time. Does it hurt you when I
press? Ah, no doubt, no doubt. Come, Mr. Chopfall,
t .ke my advice now— courage, sir, courage ; it's only the
affair of a moment. You will ? Why that's right—that's
right." (Mr. Strunchem retires to a neat marble table,and
pulls out several exceedingly shallow drawers—you watch
his proceedings with fevered interest—dialogue resumed.)
6 I see you were engaged the other day, Mr. Chopfall, in
that very remarkable case"—rattling sound of a metallic
nature—" of, of, Culpepper versus Peppercull"— instrument
selected from armoury—" ah, remarkable case, very re-
markable case indeed"—instrument exchanged, with ad-
ditional rattling, for a more deadly one—" Yes, gentlemen
in your profession must be a curious"—additional weapons
selected, with rattling, in case of failure of those first
chosen ; Mr. Scrunchem returns from table, and looks
you in the face as if he were a harmless acquaintance—
" Now allow me to ask you, Mr. Chopfall, were you en-
tirely satisfied wiih the line taken by the Senior Counsel in
that case ?"—Mr.Scrunchem receiving an incoherent reply,
goes round to a back chair—" I merely ask, you know—
open—from a feeling—a little wider —" It is impossible
to go on. The situation is too horrible.—Dickens's '• 411,
the Year Round."
ere.uhrai:ge
THEATRICAL SUCCESSES IN PARIS.--There
been five great theatrical successes in P..aer';,socingais;
the past year :—" Le Fils de Giboyer,"
4i Lana Rough," at the Opera Comiqr :::::,41;06070Sfai..an(M4aaicilr,otei:nol;.
at the Gymnase ; " Le Bossu," at tte'l, of these pieces
and "Rothomago," at the Cirqiueg•
Iwo
has yielded to its authors
ksomareethu
tbeiangfepwlay
Four out of the five worrit.
edt:rticulars,
s
.....,The month just closed has
A MILD DECEMBER
been so remarkabrlyeasons,
oild ;hal
may be P
compared with former interesting. On the
e 22d hminimum register stood at 29 deg,,
morning °f only occasicn when the t
which Wig, the . emperature declined
ing point. This
below frees. is extraordinary for December.
following
The are the mean values of temperature for that
month for the last four years, compared with the average
for 10 years :—December mean temperature-1859, 34 deg. ;
1860, 34 deg. ; 1861, 33 deg. ; 1862, 43 deg. ; average of
10 years, 36 deg. It will thus be seen that the last month
commanded a mean of seven degrees over the average for
Deeerber from 10 years' observations. December, 1837,
was mild. Frost set in on the Ist of January following,
and lasted eight weeks. The Thames was partially frozen
over. December, 1844, was also mild, and frost commenced
on the 16th of Januiry and continued five weeks. The
Severn was frozen over at Worcester, and the Thames was
again partially frozen over. Both the above seasons were
remarkable for weather of a similar character to the present
month before the frost commenced, namely, open, mild,
and with frequent high winds.

According to a telegram received from Cadiz the
export of sherry wine for the year 1862 reaches a
total of 52,806 butts. against 49,945 in 1861. Gonzales and
Co. shipped 5,427 butts; Domecq, 3,083 ; Mina,
Coons, 3,022; all the other shippers figuring for less than
3,000 oath. 3,082;