The Sun.
London, England, 1831-02-14 00:00:00

DESTRUCTIVE FLOODS.

(From the Caledonian Mercury.)

STIRLING, FEB. 10.—The rapidity with which the
snow has disappeared from all the grounds in the neigh-
bourhood, leaving even the Ochils nearly bale, will easily
account for a most extraordinary rising of the Forth which
took place yesterday, and which has not been equalled in
the memory of any person living. In the morning the
Forth was very much flooded, though not so much so as to
excite surprise ; but as the day advanced the waters in-
creased, when wrecks of various kinds, timber, a wooden
bridge, lately erected near Domblane, awl many other ar-
ticles, floated down on the torrent, and chewed how
highly and rapidly the Teith and Allan and other
tributaries of the Forth, were likewise rising. As
the afternoon advanced, the river continued to rise till
about five o'clock, though even then it was doubtful if
it was beginning to abate. At that time the scene froth
the bridge was very striking, though the pleasure to be
derived from beholding it was immediately lost in reflect-
ing how much damage would ba caused by the flood.
From near the middle of the Winchers-haugh to the Corn-
ton-road above the bridge, was one sheet of water. The
change-house and stables at the end of the bridge were
surrounded with water, and must have been completely
flooded—the road between that and Bridgehaugh was co-
vered with water two or three feet deep, and of course pas-
sen;ers had either to be.ferried across to the Longcause-
way-road, or be transported in carts and other carriage 3.
The greater part of_ the farm of Bridgehaugh was under
water, and indeed we have no doubt that many farms in
the links of the Forth, and on the Allan, were in no bet-
ter condition.—Stirling Journal.
CU PAR, FEB. 9.—The thaw is now carrying off the
snow rapidly; and the Eden has risen greatly from the
immense quantity of snow. water poured into it froth all
its tributary channels. It is now higher than it has ever
hew recollected. Ten o'clock, p.m.—The river still con-
tinuing to rise, the wooden bridge at the front of the gaol
wos considered in danger; means were taken to secure it
at one end by ropes, so that, in case of the abutments
giving way, the bridge itself might be saved and re-fixed.
Crowds of people were waiting with lanterns along the
water, expecting every moment to see it give way; and
the water rising continually upon the narrow path between
the river banks and the wall, while it extended on the
other side half way up the front of the gaol. The scene
was a striking one. The current continued to accumulate
against the bridge, dashing and foaming past, and evi-
dently working away the northern abutment. It gave
way at last, but the crash was little; the bridge giving
way, the ends swept gently round by its attachment of
ropes on the south, and lodged quietly on the bank; the
water, which had been gathered to a height by the impe-
diment of the bridge. fell a little for a short distance
above. The current still continued to rise, however, about
eleven o'clock, and we shall probably hear of much de-
struction of property.

PERTH, FEB. W.—Yesterday, the Tay began to rise,
and fortunately cat lied off the floating masses of ice with-
out injury to the shipping. The river has continued gra-
dually to increase, and this morning both Inches were
completely under water ; a fleet of vessels lying at the Fri-
artoun, chiefly laden with potatoes, were driven from their
moorings, but after great exertions were hauled into deep
water without having sustained material injury. The in-
undation which has taken place in the town is in a quarter
where it might be least expected--the western or upper
suburbs. On the night between Tuesday and Wednesday
the inhabitants of Clayholes, Newrow, and County Place,
were suddenly raised from their slumbers, the water in
many hcuses having risen to the height of three and four
feet, and many were rescued with considerable difficulty.
Time has not been such a current of water in the Tay
within the memory of man.
_ _ _

Kelso, Fuss. Io.—The immense load of snow under
which the " country groaned" at the date of our last
publication, and which then completely shut up all the
lines of communication betwixt the different parts of the
kingdom, has dis.mppeared with incredible rapidity. The
thaw commenced on Monday morning, and, though Eno-
derate, continued throughout the whole of that day and
night. On Tuesday morning a more rapid thaw came on
accompanied by showers of rain, when the snow began to
melt in good earnest. The waters of the Tweed and Te-
viot, «hick for some days had been completely blocked up
with masses of ire, now burst their frozen shackles.
During Tuesday night the waters increased to a fearful
extent, and at day-break yesterday morning the rich and
fertile vales of the Tweed and Teviot presented a most
magnificent and awful spectacle. Both rivers had now
swelled far b,yond the boundaries of their highest floods,
and the whole country in the line of their course, especially
below their junction, presented the appearance, not
merely of the inundations of an ordinary river, hut of an
extensive estuary ; all the rich boughs, both above and be-
low thle town, were covered with water many feet deep
to a great extent, end in many places the fertile fields on
time water sides, could not be defined but by the tops of
the hedge-row trees, which were still seen above the
water. We may sa!'ely venture to assert that the oldest
inhabitants on Tweed-ide never before knew that river
pour forth such a mighty torrent. It was no longer an
inland river, but a mighty foaming ocean, in
which there was water enough, and to spare,
to float the largest vessels in the British navy.
It is calculated, that at Kelso the Tweed rose fully 20 feet
perpendicular, which, if the extraordinary breadth she
also attained, having been in some places six times that
of her usual bed, is taken into account, will give some
notion of the immense quantity of water the river contained.
We have not as yet heard of any lives being lost, though
we dread after accounts.

In eons quence of the sudden melting of the immense
quantities at snow that have fallen during the last eight
days, the river Clyde is swollen to a greater height than
has been known for many years. Tuesday morning, great
quantities of ice began to float down the river, which by
two o'clock had increased to an extent truly alarming. By
half-past four o'clock the ice was floating down in such
iintnunse flu ,ntities, that there was scarcely coons in the
bed of the river for it to proceed, and the wooden bridge
was in great danger of being swept away by the violence
of the frequent concussions which it received. At one period
one of Cie diagonal braces of the timber bridge gave way,
when the force of the water made it shake. At this
period the bridge was much crowded with workers
going to and from the mills. Dr. Cleland having
been intormed of this, immediately cleared it, and
caused it to be barricadoed at both ends ; but for
this the consequences might have been very serious.
Immediately below the Broomielaw bridge, an immense
collection of ice became at last completely jammed toge-
ther, from the contraction caused in the passage by the
shipping on the south side of the river ; and at last opened
a way for itself, by forcing from its moorings the first
vessel in the range. This vessel struck against the others,
till at last the whole range were violently driven across the
river, an iron pall, to which at least six were attached,
having given way. At least three vessels were sunk,
though it is not possible to ascertain the amount of loss,
either by sinking, by drifting down the water, or other
injuries. As far as we have been able to ascertain, the
following is a list of the vessels drifted and sunk; but it
is impossible, ender present circumstances, to vouch for
its perfect accuracy. Those drifted down the river ;—Six
steamers, the Largs, Argyle, Highland Chieftain,
Maid of Islay, Ben Nevis, and Countess of Glasgow.
The Vigilant, of Greenoek, a brig ; Neptune, of Liver-
pool, a smack ; Margaret and Grizel, of Greenock, a
smack; Mary Graham, of Airth, a schooner ; Royal
Oak, of Dumbarton ; George, of Greenock, a sloop ;
Lady Margaret, ditto; Columbus, ditto, a schooner;
Janet, ditto ; Hugh Craufbrd, ditto, a smack ; Sam-
son, ditto, a sloop ; allcuyiret, ditto ; Mary, of Ails,
brig ; Runicorn, of Chester, a schooner ; Leven, of Glas-
gow; Mary, ditto, a sloop; James, of Greened:, a
gabbart ; Ann, of Greenock, a gabbart ; Trusty, of
Kincardine, Wylie ; Lord Abercrombie, of Alloa, Black,
a schooner ; Effort, of Stromness, Dishon, a schooner ;
James, of Strangford, Quaile, a sloop ; Galston and Ir-
vine, Troon ; Marys, of Rothsay, White; Friends, of
Strounness, a schooner ; Christian, of Greenock, a sloop.
R.ported to be sunk :—Elizabeth, of Camphelton ; Helen,
of Greenock ; James, of Greenock. The number, how-
ever, of vessels altogether is much greater than the above
(thirty-five,) as nearly forty were counted floating down
at one time. The damage must be immense; but we are
happy to find that; notwithstanding the numerous reports
about loss of lifs, only one has been ascertained to be cor-
rect—that of a man, who attempted to get on shore at
Govan, but perished in tho effort. To-day the Clyde is
larger than yesterday; and, WI might be expected, the
lower parts of the town are completely flooded. From
intelligence brought by steam-boats, it appears that the
vessels are now almost all safely lying at anchor, at dif-
ferent parts of the river.
(From the Carlisle Journal.)

We stated last week that we bad been visited by one of
the severest storms of snow that had been experienced in
this part for some years, and that though a partial thaw
had commenced there was every appearance, at the time
our paper was put to press, of the frost again setting in.
Our anticipation was verified : the frost again set in on
Friday night; but on Saturday it began to thaw par-
tially, and we had one of the most disagreeable days we
ever experienced. The London mail due at half-past five

in the morning did not arrive till seven o'clock at night;
and the Manchester and Liverpool coaches, due on Friday
night, (lid not arrive till Monday. For six or seven miles,
near Shap, the coaches, for several days, could not pass at
all, and the guards were obliged to travel on foot with the
bags over their shoulders, and pretty plodding, we
may suppose it was, over such a road. On Saturday
night and Sunday General Frost again resumed the com-
mand, and again the mails were delayed fully as late
as on Saturday. From the north all communication
ceased for two days ; and from the east there was gre
delay. Oa Sunday evening the snow again began to fall,
and was aczompanied by a gale of wind from the N. E.
which speedily increased to a perfect hurricane, and con-
tinued to blow with unceasing violence for several hours.
The rain continued to fall at intervals during the whole of
Monday and Tuesday, by which time the snow on all the
low lands was comp'etely cleared off. The natural conse-
quence, however, was, that all the rivers in the neighlipur-
hood have been swollen to an unusual height. The
Ellen, in particular, rose far beyond its boundaries : the
lower parts of the Swifts were covered to the depth of
from six to seven feet ; the Sorceries were inundated in
the same way ; Caldegate was much flooded ; and, indeed,
in every direction to which the rivers had or could make
access, far as the eye could reach was " one wild water
all around us." In the neighbourhood of Penrith the
waters were so deep on the road that the coaches from
Liverpool, &c. had to be driven through Lord Brougham's
Park, at Brougham Hall. The thaw appears to have
been general throughout the couutry.
PENRITH.—We have had one of the greatest floods ever
remembered, in-consequence of the rapid thaw, which took
place on Monday, Middlegate, Sandgate, and Friar-street,
a complete sheet of water, in many parts three feet deep.
Lowther-bridge, near Penrith, is so much injured, that it
is now impassable.
FLOOD AT KENDAL.-On Wednesday last, the river
Kent overflowed its banks to a considerable extent, occa-
sioned by the rapid melting of the snow on the neighbour-
ing hills. The water continued to increase during the
night, and at six o'clock the following morning, when at
the greatest height, the river presented an awful and
alarming appearance. In the evening, the Hawkshead
post-boy, on his way to Kendal, attempted to ford the
river at Stavely, where a bridge had been carried away
by the flood, and, but for the timely assistance of some
persons who heard his alarm, he must inevitably have
perished. The boy and horse were both saved, but the
letter bags were washed down the river. Fortunately,
however, the bags were cast upon the bank near Burne-
side, where they were found, and safely conveyed to Ken-
dal. The loss of property, within the sweep of the river,
it is feared will be considerable.

Much damage has been done in the neighbourhood of
Newcastle by the swelling of the Tyne.—There has been
great destruction among the vessels at Shields.
(From the Monmouthshire Merlin.)

MONMOUTH.--In consequence of the heavy fall of
snow last week, the inhabitants began to entertain very
serious apprehensions of a flood, but their fears were in
some measure dissipated on Sunday, by the partial and
gradual thaw which was then taking place. On Monday
afternoon, however the Monnow began to fill, and so
rapid was its rise that several of the inhabitants found
water in their houses before they were aware that the
river had overflowed its banks. It has been ascer-
tained that in the course of two hours the water actually
rose four feet. The greatest rise was about eleven
o'clock, at which time the lower part of Monnow-street and
town of Over-monnow, presented a most singular picture.
At midnight the water of the Monnow had risen within
a third of the top of the street called after its name.
From that hour it began gradually to subside, but before it
had again confined itself within its banks, the Wye began
also to come down, and, according to a provincial expres-
sion, corded the Monnow. We have not heard of any
damage on the Monnow, beyond the loss of some sheep on
its banks, and the destruction of the chain-bridge at the
Forge.
On Tuesday evening the Wye began to overflow, and
from that time until mid-day on Thursday continued
gradually to rise. The London road soon become impas•
sable, and travellers were obliged to detour from the high-
way and proceed through fields and meadows. On Wed-
nesday evening the Bristol road was also rendered impas-
sable, and the Llantillio and Abergavenny roads were
nearly in the same predicament. The only thoroughfare
free from water was the old Hereford road ; boats in other
places supplying the ordinary means of access and convey-
ance. Great destruction of property has necessarily en.
sued from this awful visitation.

Travelling has of course been much impeded. On Wed-
nesday considerable alarm was manifested in consequence
of the non-arrival of the mail from Milford. Th is feeling
was heightened when the Regulator came in, and the pas-
sengers could give no intelligence ; all they knew was, that
it had left Carmarthen at the usual hour. Rumours of its
total loss were circulated, until the horn of the guard, as the
mail drove up Monnow-street, attracted a group of our
townsmen to learn the cause of its detention nearly ten
hours beyond its usual time. The delay arose from a
frightful accident, which occurred at eight miles on this
side of Carmarthen. The mail left that town with two
inside passengers, one of whom was the Rev. Mr. Hotufray,
of Pembroke. On the box was a servant of Sir Richard
Phillips, M.P. for Haverfordwest, to whom we are in-
debted for this account. On approaching a bridge over a
brook which runs into the Towey, it was perceived that
the water had overflowed the road for some depth, but not
so much as to cause apprehension of danger. The cur-
rent however was too strong for the horses ; the leaders
began to swim, got entangled in the harness, and were
soon drowned ; ill less than five minutes the wheelers
shared the same f►te. The coach fortunately retained its
upright position in the roaring water. The guard blew his
horn for help, but at the hour of two o'clock in the morn-
ing there was little probability of its bringing assistance, the
difficulties of the situation being very much increased by the
darkness of the night. The water was already above the
seat in the coach, and rapidly increasing. I❑ this perilous
situation Sir R. Phillips's servant having stripped him-
self, struck off from the upper side of the coach, and after
much exertion was enabled by swimming and wading to
reach terra firma. About 150 yards from the spot stands
the Half-way public-house. Having called up the land-
lord, our informant proceeded with him to seek the assist-
ance of the fishermen on the Towey, who, after great labour,
succeeded in bringing up three fishing boats, by means of
which the passengers (who had remained in the above
perilous situation for upwards of an hour and a half, and
who were by this time nearly up to their chins in
water), together with the coachman and guard, were
rescued from destruction. The coach and the four dead
horses were left in the flood. Every assistance which
could be afforded by change of apparel was immediately ren-
dered by the landlord of the Half-way House, whose ho-
manity was only equalled by the exertions of the boatmen.
The guard returned to Carmarthen and procured a fresh
coach arid horses, and by another route succeeded in reach-
ing this town. Further it could not proceed, and the
mail bags were forwarded in a chaise and four to Glou-
cester.

AWFUL ACCIDENT TO THE MISSES
SUMNER, AND TIIEIR SERVANTS.—KENILWORTH, FEB.
IL—An accident occurred, on Tuesday last, at Chesford
bridge, which crosses the Avon about a mile and a half
from Kenilworth, on the road to Leamington, which might
have been attended with the most calamitous and fatal re-
sults. The family of the Bishop of CHESTER, consisting
of five young ladies, his daughters, and their domestics,
were travelling in a carriage and four from Lichfield to
Leamington ; upon arriving at the bridge above-mentioned,
the post-poys most imprudently attempted to proceed
through a body of water, which, had it been perfectly
still and motionless, would yet have presented a most se-
rious obstacle to further progress, the river, in consequence
of the sudden thaw, having overflowed its banks and co-
vered the road and adjoining meadows to a greater extent
than we recollect to haee witnessed for some years. The
water for a considerable distance, upon crossing the bridge,
could not have been much less than five feet in slept!). The
carriage bad proceeded about half-way through this body
of water, when the violence of the stream occasioned the
horses to lose their footing and lifted both them and the
forepart of the carriage across the rails, fencing off the
meadows from the road. To the circumstance of the
hinder part of the carriage not following, but becoming
locked with one of the posts, the safety of the whole party
at this critical period can aloae be ascribed ; as, had it
not been for this stay, nothing, humanly speaking, could
have prevented' the carriage being swept away into the
river. Mr. DoassEit, who lives at a farm-house near the
bridge, immediately despatched one of his men to Kenil-
worth, and very properly, not knowing what after mea-
sures might be necessary, to Mt. BODINQTON, surgeon, of
than place, and we feel bound to record that to the per-
sonal exertionu of this gentleman the preservation of the
whole party is, under Providence, mainly to be attributed.
—Warwick Advertiser.

It will be a strange thing to see a butcher on
the Magisterial Bench " observed SMITH to JoNEs, in
talking of the Portioken election. "It will be a novelty,
at any rate," replied JONES ! "we have heard of the
scales of Justice long ~nougli, so the citizens have wisely
determined to make a Justice of Scales ! "