The Sun.
London, England, 1836-12-29 00:00:00

DREADFUL EFFECTS OF THE SNOW AT LEWES.

FIVE o'CLock.—We have just received an express from
Lewes, dragged through the snow in a chaise and four, con-
taining intelligence of a most dreadful and melancholy cala-
mity in that town. About noon to-day an immense ava-
lanche of snow glided from the Cliffe Hills at the back of
Mr. Hillman's lime-kilns, and falling over the precipice
which towers above this part of the town, dashed in the
roofs and entirely destroyed five houses, burying the unfor-
tunate inmates under a mountain of snow. The scene
which followed was terrific and distressing in the extreme.
The report of the falling mass drew thousands of people to
the spot ; and so great was the excitement which prevailed,
that a quarter of an hour expired before silence could be
established. Every hand that could lift a spade set to work
:vithout delay to extricate the unhappy creatures perishing
beneath the ruins. A Mrs. Robinson was dug out with
a child at the breast, the mother dead. The unfortunate
woman on the first alarm had escaped ; but, rendered
desperate by the strong affection of a mother, rushed
back to her house to save her other children, when shocking
to relate, the avalanche poured down upon the whole fa-
mily, and buried them alive. A Mrs. Taylor was dug out
alive, but with very slight hopes of her surviving, as she
was all but dead. Her eldest daughter and five other chil-
dren have also been taken out of the snow ; but how many
more people are buried, bow many have been extricated,
and who are saved alive, it was impossible, in the confusion
which prevailed, to ascertain with correctness. Men were
still digging when our messenger left. It is ascertained
that upwards of fourteen human beings were involved in
the destructive fall.

At Landport twenty-six sheep, belonging to Mr. Tourle,
have been frozen to death ; and Mr. Verrall, of Swanbar,
has lost nineteen sheep and horse by the same misfortune.
The Ditchling mail-man is missing, supposed to have
lost his life in the snow. The lad who brings the mail
from Seaford to Lewes was almost buried ; but succeeded
in extricating himself, and crawling to Northcase, where,
having recovered a little, he got two men to return with
him to where he had left his horse, which they succeeded in
digging out of the snow.
The mail-man to Uckfield and Tunbridge-wells' was
abliged to return to Lewes, as he found the snow on Mal-
ling-hill 12 feet deep.
A fly belonging to Mr. Stevens went out of Lewes on
Monday with a fare ; but when the empty vehicle reached
Ringmer-gate, on its return, the snow was over the palings ;
the driver, therefore, got home as best he could on foot, but
has not yet recovered from the ill effects of his walk. Mr.
Stevens went, with assistance, to extricate his horse ; but
finding that could not be done, he mercifully spared the
poor animal the misery of dying from cold, by shooting him
outright.
Boxall, the Tunbridge Wells coachman, arrived at eight
o'clock this evening, having left Tunbridge Wells on horse-
back at ten o'clock in the morning. He says there has been
no mischief done at the Wells, but that the snow lies much
deeper there than in this neighbourhood. All communication
was shut out, and the roads were quite impassable for car-
riages ; but he expects, from the number of men employed
in clearing them, that coaches would resume running between
Brighton and the Wells by the latter end of the week.
The post-master informs us that the party on foot which
he dispatched with the London bags this morning were seen
all well ten or eleven miles on their journey, and he hoped
would soon arrive in the main road, to get a post-chaise.
The bags for Shoreham and Worthing reached their desti-
nation in safety this afternoon, and the Arundel and Chi-
chester bags were left with the Worthing post-master to he
forwarded. Bags have been brought back from Worthing
this evening.
TEN O'CLOCC—A mail-man started on horseback for
Lewes, at seven o'clock, but was obliged to give up the
attempt. Two mails arc now due from Gloucester. We
can have no further communication by coach from London
till Thursday, as half the London coaches are in Brighton,
and the rest detained at Crawley and Cuckfield.
Monk and Ford, the Lewes coachmen, started at one
o'clock this afternoon to walk over to Lewes, which place
they reached at four, and left again at half-past six and got
back by ten. They state that six of the unfortunate crea-
tures buried beneath the snow in Bowler-row in the Cliffe,
have been extricated alive, but that an old man named
Gear, and six other individuals, have been dug out quite
dead. A woman named Haywood was still missing at six
o'clock, but some persons imagined they could hear he
voice. Every search was made for her.
The Sovereign coach is to start this morning at ten from
Mr. Blaker's barn at Pangdean. Every place is booked.
The passengers will have to walk or ride on horseback to
the starting point, which is about four miles distant.
NOTTINGHAM, MONDAY EVENING,H ALF-PAST TWELVE.
—The down Halifax mail, at Nottingham, this day, Mon-
day, came in at seven in the evening. The coach and
passengers could not proceed further than Nottingham.
The bags were forwarded by saddle-horscs The up-mail
could not get further than the Heath. The bags were
forwarded by saddle-horses, and arrived at Nottingham at
half-past eleven o'clock. The up-coaches from the north
are all fast at the Heath. The Royal Hope, which left
Halifax on Sunday morning, arrived at Mansfield in the
evening, and was dispatched from thence on the morning
of Monday with ten horses, but could get no further than
Nottingham. No Leeds mail had arrived at Nottingham
at half-past twelve at night.
NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE, DEC. 26.— MONDAY NIGHT.
—During the whole of last week we Were visited by a slight
fall of snow, which partially covered the earth,, but on
Christmas-day (Sunday) the wind rose from N.N.E. and
blew a complete hurricane, the snow at the same time

falling very heavy, and continued all the day, night, and
Monday, without- intermission. The mail from London,
which generally arrives at St. Nichol's-square, at the Post-
office, at 1 o'clock, did not arrive in town till noon, when we
were informed by the guard, that the road from London in
some places was totally impassable from. the drifted snow,
and they were compelled with the assistance of some persons to
cut a passage through the snow to allow the mail to pass.
Numerous other coaches from the Turk's Head and the
Turf Hotel, Collingwood-street, which had started since to
Edinburgh, London, Durham, Alnwick, Sunderland, Ber-
wick; Shields, and numeroe other places, have returned
with their horses. nearly exhausted, in consequence of,the
state of the roads from the snow. About three o'clock
this afternoon a coach from London arrived, five hours and
three quarters behind the usual time ; and the passengers,
owing to the severity of the weather, left the coach at Dur-
ham for the Sunday night. There was only one of the
passengers who accompanied the coachman and sat on the
seat behind the coachman, and was so numbed with cold
that he could not move a limb, and was obliged to be re-
moved from the coach and placed in bed, where he soon re-
covered. No intelligence as to what has happened with
the Edinburgh mail, neither had it been heard of. The
snow still continues to fall, and the ground is covered in
some places even in town 12 feet in depth.
HARWICH.—This part of the country has been covered
s:ow since Friday last, and on Sunday the snow fell
very heavy-, end to 10 and 12 feet in thickness, in the pro-
gress of the differel;: coaches from London and other towns.
On the Sunday night tnn~ wind blew for sc,:veral hours a
violent hurricane from north-east., and has occasioned dread-
ful injuries at sea. On Sunday night Monde; upwards
of 50 vessels have taken shelter in our harbour. Th 6 brig
Lively, Captain Smith, of Sandwich, from Stockton, wa;
struck by so heavy a sea on Sunday night, during the
violent hurricane, that she filled and sunk in the Rolling
Ground ; and such was the fury of the element, that for
three hours no boat could venture near her, during the
'whole of which time the crew were clinging to the topmast,
which ;7U just out of water ; they were all saved except
one boy, whd was along with the rest, got exhausted, let go
his hs44, and p'rished. There was also another vessel,
named the Dorothy Cook, Captain Grey, of Newcastle,
from Hamburg, tvhich struck on the Cork Sands and became
a total wreck ; fortunate ii the crew saved themselves.
The wind still continues violent. The devastating effect of
the wind was never remembered to have been so visible.
The snow still continues to fall, and fr_om the appearance of
the atmosphere will last several days.
ROCHESTER, Tuesday Night, Dec. 27.—Dreadful ef-
fects have been occasioned at this port and the surround-
ing town by the tremendous snow storm, which seems at
the present moment to increase, and the oldest inhabitants
do not remember so heavy a fall of snow as we have bad ;
it has been blowing a hurricane from N.N.E., which has
drifted the snow in some places at least 40 feet. During
the night, a number of vessels has been driven into har-
bour with loss of anchors, masts, bulwarks, &c. Last
night the mail, which was proceeding to London, was regu-
larly blocked up by the snow, and 300 men were immedi-
ately sent to make a passage through the snow, prin-
cipally sappers and miners, and after some hours they
succeeded in reaching the mail, when the letter-bags were
taken out and forwarded to London by express ; the coach
cannot at present proceed further ; it is feared that this
weather will last for some time.
STROUD.—The snow storm on Sunday night will be re-
membered as one of the heaviest on record. It began to
snow heavily at seven p. m., and encreased until midnight,
when it was accompanied by a tremendous- hurricane from
the S.W., which in a short time drifted the snow to the
depth of ten or twelve feet ; the Stroud mail, the horsing
of which does the proprietors the greatest credit, stuck
fast several times after it had passed Maidenhead, but
the high courage of the horses always brought it through
when the depth was not more than the height of the fore-
wheels, but after the mail had passed Benson, the sDow
triumphed, for the mail and horses were literally bu-
ried in it. Tomkins, the guard, immediately hastened
to the nearest 'village and farm-houses, and in about an
hour returned with six cart horses, and a force of labourers
with spades, who soon dug the mail out .of the snow,
but with little benefit to its progress, as it was found
that for a long distance the snow was ten to fifteen fact
deep on the road. Tomkins and Ricketts, the coach-
men, now resolved to make their way through the fields,
and over hedge, ditch, and wall they went as merrily as
if it had been a fox chase, the labourers running with
their spades should the game take earth ; at length the
road appeared clear, and they got on again, but were
again obliged to quit it near Polton, and they took to
the fields again with the same success. They soon after
met the Stroud day coach going up, and advised it to
return, as it was impossible to get on ; it tried, however,
but failed, and returned to Cirencester. The mail ar-
rived at Stroud before twelve, suffering only a delay of
about four hours, owing to the very great exertions of the
mail guard and coachman, who deserve the highest praise,
and the cheerful co-operation of the peasantry, who at four,
A.m., did not scruple to leave their warm beds to aid . the
poor travellers, who were not unmindful of it before they
parted.
In consequence of the deep snow drifts of Sunday night
last, the roads between us and the Metropolis have been
rendered impassable in several places, and no London pa-
pers have arrived. We are therefore, without auy Foreign
Intelligence later than Monday's date.—Cheltenham Chron.
IRELAND.—SATURDAY.—We do not remember two days
more intensely and bitterly cold than this and yesterday.
At two o'clock yesterday the sky darkened almost to
light—shortly after there were heavy showers of hail, ran,
and snow. The night turned to frost, and with the mor-
row came the darkness, cold, and inclemency of yesterday.
SUNDAY.—It is now, we believe, a lustrum since the
ground was covered with snow on Christmas-day ;we have
at last, however, a " White Christman"—there was a se-
vere frost last night, and the falls of snow are heavy, but
intermitting.—Freeman's Journal.

FRANCE.
CALAIS, MONDAY, DEC. 26.—0 n Saturday it blew with
the greatest violence from the N.N.W. and W.N. W., ac-
companied by a heavy fall of snow during the night, and
yesterday it blew like a whirlwind, with large flakes of snow,
driving the sand up in every direction for three or four
hours, so that it was impossible to distinguish any object
beyond the pier-head, and the douaniers on duty were un-
able to continue on the jetty, as the waves washed over it
with the greatest fury, shaking the whole foundation. At
one time it was feared that Fort Rouge would have been
blown down, as the roofing of the Corps do Garde, which is
bomb proof, was completely loosened, and in many parts gave
way. The sentries on guard round the ramparts and in the
citadel had the greatest difficulty to continue in their sentry-
boxes. Considerable damage has been done to the shipping
in the port, and to many of the houses in the town, and the
Basse Ville. The country around here presents the most
desolate appearance ; a tree is scarcely to be seen or a cot-
tage that is not buried in snow several feet deep, keeping the
poor inmates as prisoners, not daring to venture out of
their humble dwellings. The communication with Paris,
Dunkirk, and St. Omer was entirely intercepted on Satur-
day night and yesterday from the heavy fell of snow, and
the Paris diligence, which ought to have arrived at 11
o'clock yesterday, is still en route. Two of then ouriers
with the horse estafette from the capital, and the ptillions
were stopped by the snow. so that the peasantry were
obliged to get them out, and the letters taken by met
on
stilts to the Maitre des Postes, to be sent forward with as
little delay as possible. The diligence to Paris was upset
near Montreuil, and several of the passengers swTely
injured ; also the diligence from Valenciennes, Cambrai,
and Lille, which was drifted from the road side coming
up Mount Cassel, and with 'difficulty extricated out of
the snow by horses and the country people. The mail-
cart to Saint Omer, besides the driver and two passen-
gers, it is feared have fallen into one of the numerous
canals that abound in this quarter, as no tidings have been
beard of them, as the country for nearly thirty miles
is under water from the overflowing of the canals. Great
praise is due to the police and military authorities of this
town, Gravelines, Dunkirk, Bernie, and St. Omer, as a
number of soldiers,and pioneers of each of those garrisons
are employed in clearing the roads and cottages, well pro-
vided with spades, pickaxes, barrows, &c., so as to open a
communication with the respective towns, for which they
are to receive extra pay and rations from the municipal
authorities. For the last two days not a packet has been
able to put to sea, although there are several Government
messengers here, with important despatches for London.
If the steam-packet can leave to-day she will, but it is very
doubtful, as the wind is blowing hard in the harbour. Seve-
ral vessels are reported to hate been wrecked on the coast
yesterday.

Yesterday afternoon, about three o'clock, as a police
constable of the T division was on duty near the Pineapple
Gate, Edgeware-road, his attention was attracted towards
an unfinished house,- in which he saw at a distance some-
thing lying on the ground at the bottom part of the
; he directly approached the spot, and there beheld,
tied up at the top, a full-sized sack, which he lifted up, and
found to be of considerable weight. Without loss of time
he untied the fastenings, and, to his great horror and con-
sternation, ascertained that the said sack contained the dead
trunk and arms of a female, whose head and legs, which
had, to all appearance, recently been cut off, were missing.
The constable then conveyed the mutilated body to the
nearest station house, and subsequently, by direction of the
inspector, to Paddington Workhouse, where it will remain
until the holding of a Coroner's inquest. The horrid affair
is involved at present in the greatest mystery, and much
excitement, as may be imagined, prevails in Paddington and
its neighbourhood. The police are already engaged in in-
stituting such inquiries as niay have a tendency to elucidpte
the facts of the case.

---->)
;‘,:,..r.,
THE LONDON.. MERCHANT S .. - , A0tt4".."1,'
SHIP—SERIOUS ACCIDENT. i,
The General Steam Navigation Companies fifig -fq
ship, London Merchant, of the London and Leith
met with a serious accident on Saturday night last. - na9„)
off the north end of Holy Island, about ten miles froni
Berwick, being by some unaccountable miscalculation too
near in, the vessel struck upon the reef called Emanuel Head.
The passengers, we understand, had just supped in the
cabin, and were enjoying themselires over a glass of wine,
when a slight shock was felt—so sight, one of the passengers
assured us, as to make no more noise than the scraping
of a chair across the floor. The greatest alarm, how-
ever, was excited, for it was w ell known to most on
board that a sudden collision of that kind was likely
to occasion very serious injury to 3 steam-ship of the
magnitude of the London Merchan,'. .It was soon put
beyond all doubt that the vessel had struck, and great
consternation prevailed on board. The 5,. bi p became fixed
on the rock almost immediately, the mach.'nery being de-
ranged in such a manner as to be inoperative, and she began
to leak considerably. Assistance from the islantl was after-
wards sought for ; and a great many seamen, fishe:men, and
others were engaged to assist in getting the vessel oh-; but as
the leak was becoming very alarming all hands were in the
first place put to the pumps. Most of the passengers went
ashore to the inns in the village. In the course of the
morning an express was sent for the Berwick steam-tug,
the Majestic, which was promptly in attendance, and un-
der the skilful management of her commander, Mr. Wil-
son, of Spittal, was able to render the most etlimtual ser-
vice. As well as the hands on board the steam,ship, up-
wards of 50 men were employed in endeavottrino• to
get her off, which was not effected till about eleven
o:(,-Yock in the forenoon, when she was towed into the bay
and see:..!rely moored. As soon as she was got off the melt,
the leak mOerated greatly, and after she had lain a while
it was so much stopped as to require only occasional
pumping. Most of the passengers remained, but others
went across the counti7 to meet the coaches from Berwick
to London, by which they proceeded on their journey.
Among the latter was Capta.;:t Milne, R.N., (son of Vice
Admiral Sir D. Milne,) who had been of infinite service
in directing the efforts of the seamen to get the vessel off
the rock.
On Tuesday morning the company's steam-ship Soho
arrived at Holy Island from Leith, to _convey the pas-
sengers and cargo of the disabled vessel to London. That-
So/7o took her station at a short distance from the .Los--
don Merchant, in deeper water, and the cargo was taken
to her in boats. Mr. Hamilton, the company's manager at
Leith also arrived, and was most active in superintend-
ing the removal of the goods. Nothing was found to be
damaged saved some paper, and that not seriously.

i

FURTHER PARTICULARS.
It is difficult to account for the mistake in keeping so
near the shore, as the evening was calm and beautiful,
with clear moonlight, and almost no sea. After the acci-
dont, however, the sea increased from the north, which
catu:ed the vessel to strike heavily, and it was found neces-
sary to have assistance from the shore. The passengers
have mush reason to be thankful to Captain Milne for his
exertions oil :be occasion, and have expressed themselves
to that effect in note, of which the following is a copy :
" We, the passengers on board the London Merchant
steam-ship, have mob pleasure in acknowledging our gra-
titude to Commander Milne, R.N., for his skill, intrepidity,
and manly exertions in extricating the said ship and cargo
on the occasion of her striking on a reef off Holy Island, on
the evening of Saturday, the 17t1 inst., under circumstances
which, but for his exertions, must have been attended with
great peril, and for seeinr, the vessel moored, and ourselves
safely lauded in the harbour of Holy Islaad.
(Signed) "W. R. M'CAD, J. H. EsTeN,
Tnos. DEANS, C. G. GREY, Lieut.-Col.
GEO. KIRICHILL,, R. DAVIS,
JOHN CAMPBELL, JAS. STEWART.
" Holy Island, Dec. 18, 1836."
Their best thanks are also due to the captain of the
vessel, who was indefatigable in his endeavours to repair
the disaster. It is gratifying that no personal injury was
sustained by aoy one on board.—Berwick Warder of Sa-
turday.

CENSORSHIP AT FRANKFORT
ON TOE MAIN.

(From the PortjNio.)
The following address dated the 6.lst of March, 1832,
received numerous signatures at Frankfet : •
ILLUSTRIOUS SENATE,—Convinced that our small state,
agreeably to Sec. 46 of the act of the Congress of Vienna,
cannot be regarded as a less independent one than any other,
even than the greatest state of Germany, certain that our
sovereignty is not the gift of princes, but an ancient, im-
prescriptit;le right, which we reconquered in 1814, in can-
cert with the German nation ; we cannot have been other-
wise than grieved to see that the High Senate, in its official
edict of the 13th of this month, has followed up the deci-
sion of the most serene Diet of the 2d of March, a. c. ; by
which the Deutsche Tribun, the 117estt;0te, and the Nene
Zeitschwin._aen are forbidden, and that it has thus violated
the rights of the free press, and of the freedom of publica-
tion, secured to all Germans by Sec. 18 of the federal Act,
and guaranteed to us in particular by the 4th article of the
additional act of our constitution. No prince or govern-
ment, no one, unless it be the German people, has a right
to change the institutions of the act of the Congress of
Vienna. For it is the people who have conquered, an with-
out their will, and without the strength inherent in them,
neither king nor emperor could have dictated this act. We
pretest, then, not only against this decree of the most serene
Diet of the 2d of this month, in general, but we reserve
our individual and solemn protest against the prohibition of
the High Senate against the said journals. We protest can
the first point : 1. Because the act of the Congress of Vienna,
secures to all Germans a free press, and a free publishing
trade, a free commerce in general, and because Sec. 46 of this
act formally recognises the rights of sovereignty of our citi-
zens. 2. Because the Federal Act of Germany, of the Bth
of June;- 1815, repeats and confirms these stipulations.
3. Because the most serene Diet, by rejecting more than
a hundred times demands addressed to it, and especially by
' forbidding, on the 27th of October in the preceding year,
addresses and petitions, has declared itself incompetent to
interfere in the affairs of government cf the different German
states ; and 4, Because the High German Diet guaranteed
the fundamental law of the constitution of states, in the
Gyand Duchy of Weimar, of the sth of May, 1826, in
which the right of a free press is admitted ; and that it has
thus proved that the promises of Vienna were, at that period
at least, s.,rious. We reserve our protest on the other point :
1. Because she ordonuance above cited, of the 13th of this
month, would a,`ack our rights and liberties as citizens, and
bcctuse it is contcary to our fundamental organic laws,
which, according to LO of the additional act of our con-
stitution, can ot7ly be modit7std with the consent of the citi-
zens. 2. Because the High ::enate, agreeably to the con-
stitution of our town, articles 4 at; d 17, cannot make laws,
and consequently prohibitions affecti,‘,4 our rights, without
the consent of the legislative body. 3. Because we do not
see bow three journalists can endanger a stage protected by
its good rights and by the contentment of its citizens ; nor,
above all, if the High Diet, by faithfully observing its pro-
mises, it secures the attachment of all the honest citizens of
the state. 4. While we blame some very unbecoming arti-
cles in the said journals, we have never read in them any
culpable excitement to violence against the rights of persons
or of property. 5. We do not regard as dangerous to the
state, but as laudable, an association whose aim is to pro-
ceed on the right road to good, and to preserve to us a reit-
,,;,c,eable and just freedom, which has been solemnly guaran-
teed to as under oath. 6. Because we believe the German
people to be :fto loyal, too wise, and too noble, for agitators,
if there be any, journalists or others, to have the
power of leading them anarchy and injustice ; and he-
cause we are firmly persuade,:'• that no prince ca:' be happier
or more tranquil than a German pi7nee, who does ,:.ot forget
that he holds his high functions of (..;i.e.f of the Stoic, in
trust for the interests of his people, and %On) dispenses the
law and justice with equal anxiety for all. 7. Because we
think that a revival cf• the law of the confederation, attained
by a struggle purely intellectual, would be very desirable, in
so far as such a revival would aim at procuring for the
country calm, happiness, and content, in the interior, and a
higher estimation abroad. We hope that these points,
which are undoubtedly important enough to form a legal
basis for our protest, are sufficient to support the respectful
prayer that the high Senate will be pleas'sid to retract the
prohibition published the 13th of March, against the
three journals, the Deutsche Tribun,
the Irestbot:7, and the
Kerte Zeitschwingen, a prohibition contrary to our constitu-
tian, and the.decistons'against the three editors of these pa-
pc s, and that it will be pleased to declare to the most serene
Diet, that it does not consider the decree of the 2nd of this
month to be in harmony with our stipulations, and that the
high Diet, agreeably to the precise stipulations of the federal
act, cannot be competent to intervene in the internal le&s-
latien of a federal German sovereign town.
We remain the illustrious Senate's most humble and obe-
dient servante.

, - -
A WEDDING.—Lady Rochford was the daughter
of Edward Young, Esq., and had been Maid of Honour to
the Princess of Wales. She was a beauty, and to the end
of her days an exceedingly fine woman. Lord Rochford
had paid her attention for a considerable time without com-
ing to a declaration, till one night that he was with her at
Vauxhall some of the ladies belonging to the household of
the Princess, as they passed Miss Young, sneered, and
made remarks so wounding to her feelings that she burst
into tears ; and Lord Roehford, indignant at this illiberal
and unmerited treatment, made her an immediate offer of
his hand, and the next morning she became Countess of
Rochford.—Horace Walpule's Letters.