The Sun.
London, England, 1840-03-10 00:00:00

LEWES ELECTION.

The nomination took place yesterday morning at ten
o'clock, on the hustings opposite the County-hall.
The usual forms having been gone through,
W. C. MABBOTT, Esq., proposed, and Mr. W. THOMP-
SON (brewer), seconded, the nomination of Viscount Con-
telupe, who delivered himself of a regular set quantity of
the usual Tory talk about Corn-laws and O'Connell, dis-
cord and disorder, the prostration of the country before
the demon of anarchy and revolution, and its consequent
fall into weakness and decay ; opposition to demands of
popular clamour, and many more such like remarks; and
no other candidate being proposed, the Noble Viscount
was declared to be duly elected.

NEW MOUTH OF THE RIVER
VISTULA, NEAR DANTZIC.

DANTZIC, Fen. 27.—1 n consequence of the early break-
ing up of the ice in the V.stula, and the flood occasioned
by the late heavy rains, the river was choked up a mile and
a half above the city of Dantzic, whence it takes its
course to the westward. The left bank of the river is
here bounded by a dyke, which protects the fruitful low
count:s, behind it; the right bank is, however, without any
such artificial protection, because its immediate neigh-
bourhood consists of unfruitful sand land, and of a road
of sand-hills or downs for a distance of several Ger-
man miles, which separates the river from the sea
in such a decided manner that it never appeared pos-
sible to any one that from that side any danger was to be
apprehended from the water in the Vistula. But it hap-
pened, on the night of the 31st January, when it was ex-
pected that every moment the water would run over the
dykes on the left bank of the river, and produce a most
dreadful inundation, that the stream, encumbered with
heavy masses of ice, took its course over the right bank,
and attained the sand-hills. These being from 40 to 60
feet high, stopped the water, but the current undermined
them just at the place where those bills merely consist of
loose sand, and are the narrowest. As soon as they gave
way, the accumulated mass of water and the heavy ice
found their way through this new opening with indescrib-
able force, and made a broad and deep channel into the sea.
To stop this new natural mouth is impossible, and if
it could be done, no one would feel inclined to do it. A
glance upon the map suffices to give an idea of the great
calamities to which the city of Dantzic was continually
exposed by the windings of the Vistula to its various
mouths, almost every year, by the breaking up of the
ice. About thirty years ago the plan was proposed by
members of the Government to form exactly the new
mouth for the river, which has just been made by a na-
tural cause. Thus a great expense has been saved, and
a great benefit operated at the same time by this occur-
rence.

As regards the influence which this event may have on
thf, communication of the town of Dantzic with the Port
Fairwater, and also with Poland and the interior of the
country, there is not the least ground to apprehend any
interruption. The fall of the Vistula from the spot
where at present the head stream has left its bed, to the
mouth, near Wcnksel Munda, amounts to four feet.
The only change which appears at this moment is that the
water surface of the branch of the stream which borders
Dantzic, " now to be called Old Vistula," falls four feet
'mar Newpaehr, the place where the breach took place.
We by no means lose the navigableness of this Old
Vistula, which henceforward, as before, will bring the
Polish barges and the timber transports to our town. Its
depth is likewise sufficient in its whole length, notwith-
standing the loss of four feet of water, to bear vessels of
the s,ime magnitude as before.
Neither does the occurrence make any change whatever
in the communication of the town with the sea-port.

Everything will not only remain in its old say, but our
Government, true to its character, sent here immediately,
without waiting for our request, one of its chief engi-
neers ; and, in consequence of the communications made
to his Majesty by his Excellency the Chief President Von
Scholl, the necessary funds have been assigned to draw
the greatest advantage from this occurrence, and prevent
damage by any future breaking up of the ice and overflow-
ing of the dykes, all of which he is instructed to repair
end put in order accordingly. A commencement will
probably be- made by the separation of the now so
called Old Vistula from the point where the new breach
took place, by the building of some sluices, in such a man.
ner that, with a strong current, the forcible penetration of
the wild water and the forming of sand banks can be pre-
vented, while they will be so disposed that all river barges
and small craft can be let through at any time.