The Sun.
London, England, 1838-01-27 00:00:00

STATE OF THE THAMES.

In consequence of the stoppage of the navigation on the
river only one vessel, the Grand Turk steamer. from Bou-
logne, was reported on Thursday at the Custom Hcusc. es-
terday there was not one reported, either inwards or out-
wards. The General Steam Navigation Company have is_
sued directions that their steamers shall, for the pri‘sent, em-
bark and disembark passengers at Gravesend, and for the last
week not one has come higher than that town. The Royal
Victoria, a Scotch steam-ship, which left St. Katherine's on
Monday morning for Leith, in ploughing the ice with her
paddles injured them and her works so much that she
WAS obliged to bring up in Galleon's Reach, where,
we understand, she still remains. The Express" steamer,
bound to Limerick, which went down. the river on Thursday
afternoon, was five hours on her way from St. Katha-
rine's to Blackwell, where she was for sometime de-
tained in a field of ice. She subsequently proceeded on her
voyage. It was a bold adventure to go down the stream in
such a state as it was, and the paddles must have sustained
some damage. On Thusday, night, however, the Castilian
Maid, a fruit vessel, from St. Michael's, which had been
lying on her beam-ends for some days at Greenwich, was got
out of the ice, and, with the assistance of several watermen in
their boats, who cut a way for her through the large bodies of
drifting ice, she was ultimately moored in safety at Fresh
Wharf, and yesterday commenced discharging her cargo.
The result of this adventure was for sometime very doubt-
ful, as the vessel was frequently embedded in enoraceus ice-
bergs. Yesterday morning the Coronation, laden with
bottles from Sunderland, drifted up the Pool, and was
hauled alongside the Custom House Quay. The Uscfal, a
collier, was also brought up to the Tower, and there moored.
The business in the Docks is almost at a stand-still, and
neither vessels nor craft have been hauled in or out of the
St. Catherine's, London, and Grand Canal Surrey Docks,
since Tuesday, when a feW ships and barges got in. The
Grand Surrey Canal Dock is frozen over, and there has been
a good deal of skating and sliding on the ice there during
the week. It is a fine sheet of water, and admirably adapted
when frozen over, for the healthy exercises of sliding and skat-
ing. The ice was sufficiently strong on many parts of the
River yesterday to allow of the coal and corn vessels discharg-
ing their cargoes over the ice, and gangs of men were ob-
served busily engaged at Limehouse, Blackwell, and other
places, transporting the corn and coals from the vessels in
the middle of the River to the shore, ashes and planks being
laid across the ice to prevent the men falling down with their
loads. In the same manner the crews of the shipping - sup-
plied themselues with ,provisions and stores, and kept up a
communication with the land. There is at least a hundred and
fifty sail of vessels, besides colliers, waiting to come into the
Pool and docks and discharge their cargoes, and as many more
outward-bound, with cargoes, waiting for favourable weather
to go away. The long exposure to the ice-drifts has damaged
the bottoms of many vessels and carried away mooring chains.
The Frances of Scarborough, Captain Were, master, a fine
brig from Gottenburgh, with a cargo of linseed, is in Bugsby's
Hole, locked in the ice, in a very leaky state. In the present
state of the river it is not possible to get her up. Owing to
the great irregularities in the surface of the ice-fields below
bridge, caused by the thaw of Monday and the high-hinds of
Tuesday and Wednesday, which had the effect of dividing the
ice into innumerable pieces, which have since become frozen
together in clumps, and thrown upon each other by the rising
and falling of the tide, the facilities for sliding and skating
were not very great, except in a few places, were men and
boys in great numbers availed themselves of the oppor-
tunity to slide and skate, and tlie scene in many places
on the banks of the river was a most mil:lilted on-. The
most level piece of ice extended Plane the whole front
of the Custom-house, and the adjoining wharf east:vard,
spreading out in one compact body rather more than lislf-way
across the river, the remote corner, opposite G ifley Quay, •
being at least two-thirds across the sir Ilere, at an, early
hour, the waterinen belonging to the Custom House, upder
and lower stairs, formed a bridge of lug- boata on w hieh
planks were laid over the insecure pasts of the ice near the
quay, and exacted a toll of one penny from every person
passing across it to the field of ice. This sum was cheerfully
paid by upwards of 2,000 persons during the day, and formed-
a small fund for the industrious watelmein who were very
polite to the people, and unremitting in their attentions to them
while conducting them over the boats to the sheet of ice.
Three skittle-grounds were formed on the ice, opposite the
east corner of the Custom House, and the game of " knock
'em down" was played by great numbers all day. There
were also two fires on the ice, and persons with beer, liquor,
and ether refreshments. The cries of " Hot pies," " Beer,''
" Now, who's for a drop of good gin here," were heard all
day, and brought to the recollection of many the celebrated
frost fair on the Thames during the severe winter of 1314.
There was ample room on this large sheet of ice for skating,
sliding, and promenading, and the scene was one of a most
animated and interesting description. The River presented a
novel appearance from London Bridge. Oa both sides, as
far as the eye could reach, the stream was covered with ice,
drifting with the tide in the middle of the stream, and conti-
nually dashing and breaking against the piers of the bridges,
to be united again. The River from Greenwich Point to
Erith is covered with ice, the flux and reflex of the tide add-
ing and diminishing it in various parts with every ebb and
flow. The ice was of sufficient thickness, in many p.ons, to
allow of persons walking upon it to the distance of 80 and 100
yards on both shores.

It is with much gratification we learn that Messrs.
Gowan and Marx have given notice of their intention to pay
off to-morrow, with interest, all their outstanding obligations ;
while we are alko informed that this estahlishm,nt will possess
a considerable fortune over and above their liabilities, notwith-
standing the dreadful sacrifices which they have been compelled
to make, and intend to resume business. This highly-respect-
able firm, it will be remembered, was one of those which were
compelled to yield to the severity of the times last spring.
It was well known at the period this house ceased to carry
on active operations that it was extremely rich, and had
assets far beyond its liabilities, but the state of things
was such that money could not be raised upon any kind of
American security, even at a reduction of fifty per cent.
The convulsion has now, however, happily passed away,
although its ruinous effects are left behind. Capltal-
ists have also found out that the stigma cAst upon Ame-
rican securities was most unjust; and the di :trust which was
then felt, which is always the case in thesvn.ttters, has only
tended to increase the confidence which the public now feel
in placing their money in these stocks. The amount of ca-
pital invested in the various securities in the United States by
the inhabitants of this country, is quite enormous, and is
moreover daily increasing. Nothing, in fact, can be a stronger
proof of this than the resumption of business on the part of
Messrs. Gowan and Marx, who, it is well known, were such
large holders and extensive dealers in American securities.
The firm of Messrs. Gowan and Marx, is the second esta-
blisment, connected with the American trade, which has
resumed payment—that of Messrs. Coleman, Lambert, and
Co., having done so a short time since—and, from what
we hear, w e trust there will soon be a third. The remain-
ing debts due on account of the other American firms in Lon-
don do not now exceed two millions, so strenuous have the
Americans been in making remittances to withdraw their bills.
It is, indeed, particularly gratifying to find that our anticipa-
tions have been :so fully realized ;. fur it will be remembered
that we stood almost alone in declaring our conviction that
the affairs of the suspended American firms would wind up
much more rapidly and satisfactorily than many of our con-
temporaries augured. There are only now four or live eats-
blsshments of note in London connected with this trade re-
maining to adjust their accounts, but we have it in our power
to say that their position is continually improsing and drawing
near to a final settlement.

ENGLISH COURAGE.—Le Droll does justice to
the courage and presence of mind exhibited last week by an
Englishman named Kelly. This gentleman, while passing a
Parisian's shop, perceived that an explosion of gas had taken
place. lie immediately rushed to the place of danger, and
closed the fracture at the imminent risk of his life; indeed his
generous self-devotion would have been fatal to bins had not
his friend, a Frenchman, dragged him away from the suffocat-
ing scene.
INJUNCTION—DIARY OF THE TIMES OF
GEORGE I V.—The great interest excited by the appearance of
this work having induced the publication of a pirated edition,
Mr. Colbura was under the necessity of applying yesterday to
the Vice Chancellor for an injunction
_against the publisher,
which he immediately obtained. Booksellers will, therefore,
do well to be on their guard against selling or circulating the
same, as we understand actions will be immediately com-
menced against any persons who may dispose of any of the
pirated copies.
THE WEATHER.—The frost continued with us till
Monday morning, when a change of wind brought on a thaw,
which has continued, and melted the snow and ice, which en-
crusted our streets, with great rapidity. The frost commenced
again very keenly last night, and has continued, the wind
blowing from the east. By the great quantity of snow which
has fallen in different parts of the country, great irregularity
a
has taken place in the arrival of the different mails.—ScottishPilot.
Pilot.
tunnel, employed FATAL
at t
hEa
t v E N Tffi
great
u
near Chesterfield, was descending a shaft, the machinery got
displaced by some means, so that the unfortunate man was
precipitated to the bottom and instantly killed.—Sheffield
undertaking, thridea y, as a workman
at Clay Cross,
n
Mercury.