The Sun.
London, England, 1863-01-21 00:00:00

" SERVANTGALISM."

Sufferers from what is called "servantgalism"
williead with interest, not unmixed with sympathy
the report of a case just heard before the French
Correctional Police. The prisoner, Marie Gagneur,
was charged with robbing her mistress. The pro-
secutrix stated that within the last six months she
had successively discharged four servants for mis-
conduct, and could not imagine how girls who had
been sent to her from the country, with good cha-
racters, should in a week or two have contracted
all the worst habits of Parisian servants, until she
at last ascertained that they had ail been corrupted
by a servant in the employ of a family residing in
the srme house. It appears that this mischievous
person took upon herself to instruct all novices in
service, and had even drawn up a set of rules for
their guidance, a copy of which was found in the
possession of the prisoner. After laying down the
general principle that servants are quite as good as
their employers, and that every servant is entitled
to be absent from the house two hours a day be-
tween breakfast and dinner,t his precious instructress
gives the following rules of conduct ;
" Every servant who has any self-respect ought :-1
To insist on going to market unaccompanied by her mis-
tress; 2. To refuse to debase herself by washing or dry-
sctubbing; 3. To allow of no meddling with her private
affairs or dress; 4. To receive whomsoever she pleases in
the kitchen; 5. Not to allow her letters to be read; 6. To
wear crinoline, a long shawl, and bonnet; 7. To demand
an increase of wages every three months, never to give a
week's notice, but to insist on the same from her employer:
8. To take a fortnight's holday twice a year to visit her
relatives; 9. To leave any family, it she does not receive a
present after two months' service. '

Toe prisoner followed this programme to the letter,
was frequently ebsent when wanted, and was
guilty of constant peculations in either selling the
provision purchased or charging for more than she
had bought. Several tradespeople gave evidence
which fully proved the charges of theft, and the
Tribunal accordingly sent9nced the prisoner to
two months' impriscomi-ii

Thomas Holden, aged five years, son of a stone-
mason, residing at lilackburn. died on Saturday
evening, after suffering for three weeks, from the effects of
drinking a quantity of whisky, which he had found in a
"pop bottle,"

Yesterday morning another violent gale blew over 1
the whole of England. In London it became very
high shortly after midnight, and it continued to
rage with increasing fury until four o'clock yester-
day morning, when it reached its height. It con-
tinued to blow in heavy gusts throughout the whole
of yesterday. The list of casualties is a long one.
While the storm was at its height, about half-past
four in the morning, the chimney of a four-roomed
house, No. 4, York-street, Globe-road, Stepney, be-
longing to Mr. G. Saxton Gobbell, was blown
down through the roof. The owner, his wife, and
two children, respectively three years and eight
months old, were in their beds asleep. In an in-
stant they were all buried among a heap of bricks
and mortar. As soon as the dust cleared away, two
neighbours, with two police-constables, at the risk
of their lives entered the ruins, and succeeded in pull-
ing out of the rubbish Mr. Gobbell, who had re-
ceived a serious wound over the temple. The two
children were extricated, comparatively uninjured,
but Mrs. Gobbell when got out was found to be
dead. At Blackfriars-bridge great consternation
was caused, in consequence of the snapping of one
of the wires stretching from Chatham-place to Al-
bion-place on the " up" side of the bridge. It will
be remembered that this wire broke some few
months back, and in its fall dragged a gentleman off
an omnibus, by which he received such severe in-
juries that death resulted. Fortunately, when the
wire broke yesterday morning, It fell into the river
and did no harm. So severe was the gale that the
railway trains on some of the lines were delayed,
and some of the mails did not reach the General
Post-office until two hours af►_er the regular time.
At 11 o'clock, when the tide was at its lowest point,
a singular scene presented itself between Westmin-
ster and Hungerford bridges. The natural run of
the ebb tide was greatly accelerated by the wind.
The water was, so to speak, blown out of its chan-
nel, and to such an extent was this the case that the
part of the river in question was shallow to an
almost unexampled degree. Several islands ofgravei
of considerable extent presented themselves; and at
one time no less than four steamers—two of the iron
boats and two Citizens—were aground in front of
Westminster-bridge. The passengers, after consider-
able delay, were got off in small boats and rowed
ashore. A man named Banford, who was navigat-
ing a barge off Pickle Herr.ng-tier, was blown off
into the water and was drowned. At present it
would be impossible to give anything like a correct
number of the casualties during the night and morn-
ing, but it is officially reported that the shipping
in the river, the docks, and other places are exten-
sively damaged. Sundry small craft were forced
from their moorings, and carried far away by the
force of the wind.

CHATHAM, Tuesday Evening.

During the whole of this day it blew a strong
gale at Chatham from the westward, with a fine
clear atmosphere. The Wellesley, 72, guardship at
the port, as well as the other ships in the harbour,
struck their topgaltantmasts, and pointed their
yards to the wind, making all snug for the night, in
expectation of the continuance of the gale. This
evening the barometer, which during.the early part
of the day had been as low as 29.85, had risen to
29.25.

DOVER, Tuesday, 3 p.m.

For the last three days our coast has been ex-
posed to heavy gales from the W.S.W. The tides
have also been very high, more especially last night
and this morning. Considerable destruction has been
the consequence. The "notice boards," prohibit-
ing laundresses drying on that portion of the
beach most frequented by seaside visitors have
been swept away. The bathing machines have
been dragged up many feet from their usuai winter
standing, and at the moment of writing tne hot and
cold baths are surrounded by the sea. During the
night, and the high tide at 11.30 a.m. this day, the
footpath fronting the Marine-parade, and leading
thence to East Cliff, has been destroyed to a depth
of 15ft., and it is imagined that another such tide
will carry away some portion of the carriage drive.
Land posts that once marked the frequented pro-
menades for pedestrians are now between 301 t. and
40ft. from the water's edge. On Monday the Tubal
Cain was brought into harbour waterlogged and in
a sinking condition. Men have been kept at the
pumps day and night, in front of the A..rniraltv -
yard, and having discharged a portion of her cargo
she was righted at 2.30 this afternoon.

PORTSMOUTH, Tuesday, 6 p.m.

We had a heavy gale here last night from
W.N.W., whict. was accompanied by a heavy fall
of rain, hail, and snow. It continued to blow with
undiminished force up till noon to-day. Since then
the wind has moderated a little, and the atmosphere
has cleared, but it still blows hard from the same
quarter. One of the steam dredging machines, be-
longing to Messrs. Smith and Co , of Pimlico, which
is employed in deepening the harbour chaunel of
entrance off Southsea beach, w.'nt, down at her
moorings at 6 a.m. Fortunately, no one was on
board at the time. She is supposed to have turcued
on the bank during the height of a squall, and con-
sequentiy heeled over and sank. She lies in about
12 feet at low water. The Havre -steam-packet,
from Southampton for Havre, brought up in St.
Helen's Roads last night for shelter from the gale.
This morning she weighed her anchor, and after-
wards brought up again in a fresh anchorage further
to windward, under Haslar• beach. The Mars,
screw liner, arrived in St. Helen's Roads this
morning from the Mediterranean, but all commu-
nication with her has been impossible, except by
signal. From 10 a.m, on Saturday to 10 a.m. on
Sunday the mercury in the barometer fell seven
and a half tenths. In the next 24 hours it rose a
tenth. From 10 a.m. yesterday until the same
time to-day, it first rose seven eighths of a tenth
further, but afterwards felt about three tenths,
marking 29.27. Since then it has again started on
the rise, and now has reached 29.47.
SHIELDS, Tuesday, Noon.

Last night a storm warning reached this port
from Admiral Fitzroy that a dangerous wind might
be expected, and during the whole of last night it
blew a fierce gale from N.W. Since daybreak there
has been a considerable fall of snow, and as this
despatch is being sent off the weather seems to be
getting worse, and the wind more round to the
northward. Fortunately the wind has been off shore
all night,and no shipping casualties are reported this
morning. The snow is falling very heavily, and the
wind is sweeping across the harbour in violent gusts.
NEWPORT (Monmonnthshire), Monday Evening.
A terrific gale visited this coast to-day. There
are no shipping casualties yet reported, but it is
feared that many have occurred.
LIVERPOOL, Jan. 20.

One of the highest tides and most severe gales
which have been experienced for several years past
occurred to-day. During the whole of yesterday
and yesterday night there was a strong gale, which
at daylight rose with considerable rapidity till about
noon it had reached a whole gale from W. to
W.N.W. The tide, the highest of the mouth, with
the exception of to-morrow, was 19ft. llin. This
high tide and the gale combined caused the water
to rise in an unusual manner. Shortly before 12
o'clock the water had risen to a level with the top
of the quay walls on the different piers. The St.
George's and Prince's landing stages were raised
several feet above the level of the piers to which
they are respectively attached, and from the high
sea which was running all access to them was ren-
dered difficult, and in some instances hazardous.
Many of the ferry passengers had to be conveyed to
and from the St. George's landing-stsge in carts
and cabs while the spray dashed over them. So
violent was the gale and so high was the water that
it eame halfway across the carriage ro,d bei ween St.
George's Dock- basin and St. Nicholas's churchyard.
Some apprehensions were at one time entertained
lest the frightful strain to which they were exposed
would cause some of the mooring-chains of the
landing-stages to give way. Fortunately, however,
this did not occur; the stages gallantly rode out
the storm. So imminent was the risk of drifting
considered among the vessels at anchor in the river
that every precaution was adopted to secure them
against accident. The Great Eastern got up steam
at an early hour, and continued, with steam up, to
ride at her moorings. Several of the shipbuilding)

3 arils at the south end ot the town we a inuud,ted,
and a considerable an:ount of timber and other ma-
terials were set afloat. The sea made several
breaches in the Leitsome embankment, but they are
not believed to be of any serious moment. A man
is reported to have been washed off the landing slip
at Scacombe and drowned. The lifeboat-house on
Hilbre Island was burst open by the force of the
wind and tide, and the Hilbre lifeboat washed up
at. Haylake. In the Channel the storm appears to
have been equally fierce. Two barks we, e driven
on shore at Holyhead, and the Londonderry steamer,
which arrived in the afternoon, had her port bow
considerably damaged, having been struck by a sea,
end nearly the whole of the cattle and pigs which
she carrieu on deck were washed overboard. In the
town the gale, which was accompanied by heavy
showers of rain, snow, and hail, caused great in-
convenience and alarm, although, so far as is known,
there was no accident of importance.

HOLYHEAD, Jan. 20.

A terrible gale has prevailed here to-day. The
railway is six feet under water at Abergele, and
both lines of way are torn up at Bagilt. All the
trains have been stopped during the night. The
Medea, from the African coast, has bee❑ wrecked,
but ail the crew are saved.