The Sun.
London, England, 1865-01-17 00:00:00

metropolis the hurricane was busy, and while the
first thought of those who listened to its raging on
Friday night was of the ships tossing out at sea, it
was doing its work in London itself, and marking
many another city with traces of its violence. All

round the coast the gale has raged, and has natu-

rally been productive of very serious disasters. One

of the most serious was the loss of the Lelia, a new
blockade runner, which left the Mersey on Saturday

on a voyage to Nassau. She had only reached
the North-west Lightship when a heavy sea

struck her, and she went down with 18 men
on board. Twelve more of her men were saved

by gaining the lightship ; but even this relief
has its tragic side, for a lifeboat proceeding
in tow to the ship for the purpose of bringing off

the men was capsized, and seven of the brave fellows

who manned it were lost, thus making twenty-five
lives sacrificed in all. The lifeboat men had failed
to comply with the regulation of wearing their belts,
so that their own imprudence had something to do
with their loss, while it seems to be strange that a
vessel of so slight a build as the Lelia should have
started on her voyage in what was confessedly a
heavy and dangerous gale. The rashness has cost
all parties dear, and unhappily the misfortune has

not fallen on the owners of property alone, but it
has deprived many families of their bread-winners.
If discretion be the better part of valour even for a

soldier, it is tenfold more so for a sailor, since the
enemy with-whom he has to cope can never be out-
matched in strength, and can only be guarded

against by sagacity and prudence. While it is often

regretted that more use is not made of the official

warnings of tempestuous weather, we need not
wonder at such indifference when the actual sight
of a gale does not deter the adventurous. So far,
then, this double disaster was owing to want of
prudence, since if the Lelia had waited for
fairer weather, the eighteen men who went down
with her would have been spared, and had the life-
boat men had their belts they would probably have
been able to keep afloat until they had caught the
ropes flung to them. It is a very different thing to
imperil one's life for a purpose or for fool hardiness.
The one extorts admiration and respect from the
most callous, the other commands neither
sympathy nor approval. The wreck of the
schooner Ocean, off Plymouth, gave occasion to one
of those heroic exploits by no means uncommon on
our shores. Five men were seen clinging to the
masts of the vessel, which had gone ashore on the
shingle banks at the entrance to Langston harbour.
A steam-tug, with a lifeboat in tow, went out from
Portsmouth to her aid, but could not get near her,
as she lay among the breakers, with the dangerous
shallows of the banks intervening. The steam-tug
reluctantly returned, leaving the men, now lessened
by two, still clinging to the rigging. But help was
fortunately at hand in the shape of a volunteer crew
from Langston harbour, under the direction of
Major FESTIN, of the Royal Marine Artillery. Fort
Cumberland, the Artillery headquarters, stands at
the entrance of Langston harbour, and a cutter is
kept there, adapted to the shoal waters, for purposes
of the service. Accordingly an attempt was made
to reach the wreck, which happily was successful,
although the eager watchers on the shore were for
some moments uncertain whether the gallant little
band had not perished together with those they
sought to rescue. It is to be hoped this dangerous
adventure will direct the attention of the naval
authorities to the necessity of making some pro-
vision for such accidents in the shoal waters.
From the north comes the same tale of storm
and wreck. The nautical men of Northumberland
say that the barometer has not been so low since the
Royal Charter gale, while landsmen may imagine
the terrific force of the gale at sea from its violence
on the land. At Reading it succeeded for some
hours in impeding the locomotives by a singular
accident. Before daylight on Saturday morning
two trucks were blown by the violence of
the wind for a mile along the line from
the siding where they were stationed. A col-
lision naturally took place, which might have
been very serious in its effects, only that happily the
advancing train consisted merely of coal trucks.
The driver and stoker fortunately escaped with a
severe shaking, and the chief part of the danger
was the scattering of the coal over the line, thereby
completely stopping all traffic. The wind had been
further busy in mischief, for among the numerous
signal-posts which it had sent down one had fallen
across the telegraph wires, cutting off the means of
communication. More than twenty posts have, it
is said, been blown down on this railway alone. At
Plymouth a heavy gate of wood and iron, 17ft. high
by sift. wide, which stood at the entrance to Key-
ham steam-yard, was thrown down and smashed.
We have in London itself had a startling accident
from the gale, which has unfortunately been at-
tended, if not with loss of life, with very
serious injury. It may be questioned whether
due precautions were in this case used to
prevent accident, as a chimney-shaft 140 feet
in height is not a very safe neighbour for a densely-
populated lane. It is to be hoped that the injured
persons will escape with their lives from the effects of
their alarming accident ; but the disaster should at
least prove a warning to the owners of similar pro-
perty, who should be careful how they expose the
dwellers in their vicinity to unnecessary risk. The
list of catastrophes by land and sea is certainly
extensive enough to teach all classes caution, and
we fear we have not yet heard half of it. On the
continent also the weather has also been of a very
exceptional character, heavy snow storms having
been experienced in Adige and its vicinity.

We hear that Mr. Ignace Gibsone, the composer,
has completed a two-act opera (the libretto by Mr. Enoch),
founded on a French story, and report speaks highly of the
music, as being original and characteristic.
THE EMPEROR OF THE FRENCH AND JULIUS
CmsAß.—We are informed, on good authority, that the
Emperor of the French has ordered his " Life of Julius
Caesar" to be translated into English, and has undertaken
to revise the proofs himself.
CAPTAIN SHERARD OSBORN, C. 8., has undertaken
to give a lecture at the Geographical Society on Monday
the 23d inst., on subjects connected with the North Pole.
As an old Arctic voyager, Captain Osborn will doubtless
succeed in instructing and interesting his hearers.—Army
and Nary Gazelle.
STATISTICS OF PARISIAN LUXURY.—A Paris jour-
nal publishes the following curious statistics respect-
ing the balls at the Grand Opera :—" Each of these fetes
occasions an expenditure of about 140,000 f. The adminis-
tration of the balls employs no less than 980 persons. Every
ball night 1,850 wax tapers, 210 oil lamps, and 2,600 gas
burners are required to light the theatre. The average
number of persons attending the balls is 5,000, of whom
2,400 are women and 2,600 men. Each ball leads to an out-
lay of 8,200 f. in masks, 3,500 f. in the hire of costumes, 3,500 f.
in hair dressing, and about 6,000 f. in bouquets and fans.
The fees paid in the cloak-room are about 2,500 f. At the
first opera ball this season 1,490 hired carriages and 300
private ones passed under the peristyle, which must have
caused an expenditure of about B,ooof. The sale of refresh-
ments in the theatre produced 13,750 f. At the rate of
140,000 f. for each ball, the whole 14 of the season would
give 1,960,000 f. Of course, the above sum does not include
the money spent in cafes and restaurants afte,r leaving the
theatre."

SANITARY FAIR INCIDENT IN CALIFORNIA.—A
poor little boy brought a white chicken to the fair,
which was all he had to offer, saying it might make some
broth for a poor sick soldier. He had decked his little
offering with ribbons of "red, white, and blue ;" but as he
had no money to pay the admittance fee, when he came to
the door he was rejected. As he went down the street,
some gentleman seeing his distress listened to his story,
gave him a ticket and sent him in. The simplicity of the
donor and the beauty of the offering attracted attention,
and the chicken was put up at action and sold to the
highest bidder for 460 dole. in gold, for the benefit of the
sanitary commission.—Letter from Marysville.