The Sun.
London, England, 1854-01-05 00:00:00

THE PROVINCES.

By telegraphic despatch from Manchester we learn
that the snow fell in that neighbourhood without inter-
mission during the whole of Tuesday night, accompanied
by a strong north-east wind, and the depth of the snow
was considerable in those places where the drift rested.
This despatch reported all the railroads to be blocked
up, as well as many of the turnpikes. There had been
no arrivals from London since Tuesday's night mail, and
yesterday morning's mail was reported to be, with the
morning papers, at Stafford. Two hundred men had
been employed all the day endeavouring to open a cut-
ting near Whitmore, but the wind blew the snow in so
fast that but little progress was made. At 7 o'clock
on Wednesday night 11 passenger trains were due at
Manchester, and the last despatched thence for London,
at half-past 1 o'clock in the day, was stopped by a snow
drift four feet deep, at Cheadle, and obliged to return.
One of the drifts is said to be 16 feet deep, and so many
points of the line are stopped, that possibly there may
be no complete communication with London for some
days.
The Macclesfield, North Staffordshire, Sheffield, Lan-
cashire and Yorkshire, East Lancashire, and other lines
were snowed up, and many trains were due at Manches-
ter at 7 p.m. yesterday.
The town and neighbourhood of Birmingham were
also visited by a very heavy snowstorm yesterday.
Before eight o'clock in the morning the roads in the
neighbourhood were choked up with snow, and the
greatest difficulty of access was experienced in the neigh.
bourhood of Birmingham. Somc of the avenues of the
town were almost unapproachable. The morning papers
from London did not arrive, or were delivered before
1 p.m., and the northern mails were throughout the day
in arrear.

On the night of Tuesday the fall of snow at Windsor
and the neighbourhood was so great, that all the thorough-
fares of the town and approaches to the Castle wer
completely blocked up, and every cart that could be
obtained was engaged by order of the mayor in removing
the obstructions. The trains on the Great Western and
South-Western railways were stopped downwards ; the
up trains, however, were only delayed in consequence of
the down traia engines not coming in time to take them
away. This more particularly pertained to the South-
Westernline, and the first train to Windsor was two hours
behind time, although five engines behind and two before
were engaged in forcing the carriages through the snow on
the line between Waterloo and Vauxhall. The great accu-
mulation of snow at this point is attributable to the high
parapet wall, acting as a dam against the north-easterly drift
The regular working on the line was not resumed till after
two o'clock in the afternoon. The principal stoppage
on the Great Western line was at West Drayton, where
the snow had drifted to an alarming extent. Much
credit is due to the executive of both lines for the prompt
measures adopted to prevent accident by despatching
pilot engines to clear the way, under the control of effi-
cient and experienced officers. So great a fall of snow
has not occurred here within the memory of man.
For upwards of 10 years the inhabitants of the west of
England have not witnessed such an old-fashioned
winter as the present. During nearly the whole of last
week, snow fell fast and continuous. On Thursday
night, however, an extraordinary thaw took place, and
by the morning all traces of snow had in many instances
disappeared. As a curious fact, it may be mentioned
that there was a difference of no less than 20 degrees in
the atmosphere during the night. On Saturday frost
again set in, and from that day to the present, snow has
fallen at intervals, thick and fast, and the whole country
is now covered. The consequence is, that traffic, both
by rail and road, is much impeded. The trains both on
the Bristol and Exeter and South Devon Railways have
been delayed, but not to so great an extent as on some
of the northern lines. The mail coaches, which run
into the north of Devon, have been also much retarded,
but fortunately no accident of a serious nature has oc-
curred.

On Monday night a violent gale of wind prevailed
along the whole of the south. coast of Devonshire, and
in the neighbourhood of Dawlish two vessels, both be-
longing to Exmouth, were stranded, and have since be-
come total wrecks.

A telegraphic despatch, dated Tynemouth, 10 p.m.,
Wednesday, which has been received, contains the fol-
lowing intelligence :—" There has been a fearful gale all
day. Wind, due east to-night. The Elizabeth, Ante-
lope, Anna of Shields, the Amphitrite, of London, the
Europa, of Hull, Arethusa, of Blyth, New-Messenger,
of Liverpool, Sir Robert Peel, of Dundee, and Eliza-
beth, of Kirkwall, all came ashore this morning. All
hands of the Elizabeth were drowned. The other crews
were saved. All the vessels have gone to pieces to-
night, with the exception of the Elizabeth and Europa,
which are also breaking up ; not a rib of them will be
standing in the morning. A schooner named Union has
just come ashore ; her crew were taken off by the South
Shields life-boat. A schooner is supposed to have been
ashore at Hartley after dark, and it is feared that all her
crew were drowned. A large fleet got in this morning.
Fourteen vessels are reported ashore at Sunderland ;

crews saved. We are looking for more disasters. during
Cat?. night. The ships are protocted from wreckers by
armed policemen. The Sir Robert Peel was a fine
barque, from Valparaiso. Some silver she had on board
had been got on shore."
The thermometer was 21 degrees belowing freezing
point in the open air in Shields on Tuesday, and Satur-
day was the coldest day ever experienced during the past
13 years in Sunderland. The Wear is frozen over at
Durham, and the Tyne above the High Level-bridge at•
Newcastle. There is also a good deal of loose ice in both
rivers, but nothing to induce any fears with regard to the
navigation. The Durham and Northumberland hills
have thick covering of snow upon them, and elderly
people call it an "old-fashioned winter." The cold is
intenser than has been felt for many winters. From the
number of winter fowl on the coast, the ponds and lakes
seem frozen over in the interior, and seamen prognosti-
cate hard weather from the number of gulls that have
come into the Tyne.