The Sun.
London, England, 1854-01-07 00:00:00

THE SNOW STORM.

Anything more filthy than the streets of London yes-
terday it would be difficult to imagine. The thaw of
Thursday continued in the city throughout the night,
although in the suburban districts the effects of frost
were in the morning plainly visible, the foot pavement
being often covered with sheets of ice where water had
dripped from the roofs of the houses, and it is worthy of
remark that throughout the night it continued to freeze
upon the ground while it thawed on the roofs of the
houses. In the morning, at 11 o'clock, the thermo.
meter at the porter's lodge, attached to the Horse
Guards' entrance to the 'enclosure of St. James's Park
narked 30 degrees Fahrenheit, at the same time that it
was thawing rapidly in the heart of the city. In conse-
quence of this thaw the roadway along the Strand,
Fleet-street, and other crowded thoroughfares, was
covered with melting snow, mud and water to a consi-
derable depth, through which omnibuses, cabs, and
other vehicles made way with difficulty, splashing up
mud and water in their course, to the infinite annoyance
of pedestrians. There were, however, thoroughfares,
such as the City road, where the snow remained hard
and firm.

The number of omnibuses running was considerably
less than on Thursday. This was also the case with
cabs, so many horses having been thoroughly jaded and
worn out by their previous exertions that it was found
impossible to bring them again into the streets without
the intervention of a day's rest. The omnibuses which
did run, were drawn generally by three, and sometimes
four horses, and a large proportion of the cabs by two.
Some of the omnibuses, probably owing to the difficulty
they experienced in procuring passengers on the two
previous days at the advanced rates, dropped from 9d.
to 6d. the whole distance. Still, however, the number
of Passengers was extremely limited. As upon the pre-
Vim day, few private vehicles were to be seen abroad.
Yesterday there was a slight fall of sleet in the after-
noon, followed by fog, with heavy rain, about 7 o'clock.
The wind during the day was nearly south-west.
There is a rapid thaw to-day, accompanied by showers
of sleet and rain, and the state of the thoroughfares is
Oven worse than yesterday.
Some interruption to the general course of mercantile
business was occasioned by the late arrival of mail trains,
bat not nearly to the same extent as on the two previous
days. The railway traffic was far from being fully re-
sumed, 0113 will be seen from the following account of the
State of the various lines.

The ice on the Serpentine in Hyde-park was yester-
day so cut up and incumbered with hillocks of snow as
entirely to destroy the pleasure of skating, and conse-
quently very few persons—probably not more than 300
—were to be seen upon the ice in this park. In St.
James's-park the number of persons on the ice was more
than half that amount. In Regent's-park the gates of
the inclosure were kept shut, but some few persons
climbed over the railings to get to the ice. The Long
Water in Kensington-gardens had on it a goodly sprink-
ling of skaters.
Yesterday the floating ice on the Thames, which
during the week completely stopped the navigation, had
entirely disappeared, and the result was that the numer-
ous fleet of coal barges and lighters which had been laid
up frost-bound were enabled to move again. In the
afternoon tide a fleet of nearly 200 craft, which passed
under London-bridge coal-laden, each carrying large fires
in their fore part to warm the men engaged in working
them, attracted considerable observation. In the diffe-
rent docks the ice is rapidly disappearing, and, should
the thaw continue, the labourers, who have been unem-
ployed for several days past, will resume their work.
The masses of ice on both banks of the river, which are
left by the tide and take the ground at low water, are
not sensibly diminished. The waterside labouring popu-
lation are already enduring great privations, the frost
unfortunately throwing the majority out of employment.

EASTERN COUNTIES.
Yesterday morning the mail train from Norwich and
Cambridge, due at 4.15 a.m., arrived in London about
an hour and a half behind its time. Unfortunately,
hOwever, no other train has since been able to pass
beyond Ely in that direction. The Norwich upmail
train, just referred to, passed through a cutting about
five miles in length, extending from Thetford to Harling,
at 12 o'clock on Thursday night, leaving all clear be-
hind it ; but shortly after its passage another storm of
snow came on, falling to an average depth of four or
Ire inches—the wind, however, drifting it rapidly into
this cutting so as once more completely to block it. Up
to last night the most strenuous exertions were made to
remove this new obstruction, but it was found necessary
together to suspend the traffic on that portion of the
Norfolk line, and the trains therefore went no further
than Ely ; Itecelas to Norwich and Yarmouth throughout
the day from the metropolis being obtained by the
lastern Union line, -via Ipswich.
The Newmarket branch still remained closed, although
Lopes were entertained of re-opening it this morning ;
and the same was the case with regard to the St. Ives
and Huntingdon branch lines, the traffic to and from
Wisbeach being carried on through March. Between
Lynn and Dereham, where deep cuttings exist, the
traffic up to last night was entirely suspended, with a
slight prospect of being resumed this day.
The number of men employed in clearing out the
♦arious snow drifts on this line since Tuesday has
amounted to about 1,000, paid at the rate of 3s. per
day.

GREAT NORTHERN.
The through traffic upon the main line up to last
night was still impracticable, although great progress
had been made in clearing the block so as to admit the
Passage of trains between Peterborough and Grantham
yesterday afternoon. At the same lime operations were
advancing between Grantham and Newark so as to en-
eo uragri a hope that the through traffic upon the main
'lna might be resumed this morning. About 700 men
132.41. been employed day and night in removing the snow,
finder the superintendence of Mr. S. Clarke, the gene-
ral manager, and Mr. Walter Leith, superintendent of
the line, both of whom, it is expected, will have to re-
tain on the spot for some days to come. The through
iraffic to York was yesterday, as on Thursday, carried
on by Means of the Lincolnshire loop line, the Edinburgh
fast train, due at King's cross at 9.30 a.m., arriving at
12.30 P.m., being three hours behind its time.
The entire coal traffic of the line has been suspended,
but the company hope shortly to resume it.

LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN.
At a late hour on Thursday evening the Trent Valley
line remained blocked with down-trains waiting at Bir-
mingham, and up-trains brought to a stop at Stafford
with little chance of arriving in London until yesterday.
Fortunately, however, greater progress was made in
clearing the line than had been anticipated, and in the
course of the night a train arrived at Euston-square,
bringing in the mails and passengers previously detained
at Stafford. Yesterday, shortly after 12, the north mail
train arrived, having been detained two nights at Lan-
caster, where the post-office clerks bad to sleep in the
mail tender, suffering accutely from cold. After, leaving
Lancaster, the greatest difficulty was experienced in
forcing a passage along the line to the junction at War-
rington. The Holyhead line was so far cleared as to
admit of the passage of trains. On the Midland line
trtglic also proceeded both ways, but tickets for this line
were only issued at Euston-square conditionally. The
came precaution was also taken with the Northern
traffic, passengers for Carlisle cnd Scotland being only
booked to the Warrington Junction. The number of
men employed in clearing the various snow drifts,
under the superintendence of Captain Huish and other
officials of the line, is said to have amounted to upward,
of 1,500, entailing, of course, a serious expenditure on
the part of the company.

GREAT WESTERN.
. ThiS line remains perfectly free in it 3 traffic ?pera-
tunas traits yesterday arriving and departing without
any material deviation from the time-table.

SOlTrii-EASTERN.
This line is also free from obstruction, owing to the
exertionf, of several hundreds of labourers employed in
:lntiearing it, and who were paid 3s. per day, with bread
re heese and beer. The trains arrived and departed
gularly.

as u 0 LONDON, BRIGHTON, AND SOUTH COAST.
~obstruction along the line, traffic being carried on