The Sun.
London, England, 1841-01-18 00:00:00

petted. In this city it left off at 651 ; heavy exchanges
on England are quoted at 8i to t 3- premium, but not
brisk. Domestic are better ; between New York and
this city 1 per cent. Marley, however, is tight in this
city—the natural result of the contr,,ctive policy of the
banks prior to resuming. The Cotton Market is re-
markably quiet—partly owing to Christmas, and partly
to the small stock on hand for actual sale, as holders
are not only firm, but in no hurry to sell ; and ex-
porters, on the other hand, deem present rates too
high for shipment. The total sales last week in New
Yurk did not exceed 1,200 bales. It may be further
added, that the demand. by home manufactures is slow
and limited. The quotations are—Upland, 9c. to 101 e. ;
Mobile, 91c. to 11c. ; New Orleans, 9ic. to ; and
Alabama, 94c. to 11c. Up to Saturday last, the total
export since October 1, 1839, was 143,888 bales ; same
time last year, 163 812. The flour market is also without
animation ; and Gennessee is steady at $4 94c. to $5 ;
1,000 barrels of Michigan sold, for shipment to the Bri-
tish provinces, at $4 87 c. ; best Georgetown $5 25c. ;
best Brandywine, $5 50c. ; but little or no Southern is
selling just now. Freights to Liverpool, for Cotton, -id.
to and Flour has been taken as low as ls. per barrel ;
but a cargo was engaged for London last week at 23. At
New Orleans specie bears only from 1 to 2 per cent. pre-
mium ; and Cotten is shippinz fast from that port to
Liverpool ; iiTdeed, business there seems remarkably brisk.
The late frosts, however, have seriously injured the sugar
crops in Louisiana.

DREADFUL ACCIDENT ON THE
RIVER.-TEN LIVES LOST.

On Saturday evening an appalling calamity happened
at Brentford in consequence of the bursting of the lock-
gates, and the consequent rushing out of the waters,
which sunk a number of barges and boats, and caused
the loss of no less than ten lives. It appears that owing
to the late thaw and the heavy rains of Friday night and
Saturday a great accumulation of the land water had
taken place, the town of Brentford was in many places
overflowed, the principal streets under water, and Brent-
ford-common completely inundated, effecting the de-
struction of property to an enormous amount. The
landwaters from the hills caused the Thames to rise se-
veral feet above the usual level, and to fill the canals and
creeks leading to the river. At the entrance of Brent-
ford-lock on Saturday evening a number of craft, boats
and barges, were waiting to go in, when suddenly the
gates of the lock, unable to resist the pressure of the
water, were burst open, and the stream came down in a
torrent and overwhelmed the barges and boats, sinking
some and destroying others. A most fearful scene en-
sued. Nearly every barge had,one or more persons on
board, and the " Monkey-boats" (long narrow-barges,
with a small cabin at one end, which navigate the ca-
nals) had a family in each. The cries and shouts of the
men, and the screams of the women and children were
heard amidst the roaring of the waters, which swept
everything before them. The craft were thrown upon
each other by the force of the water, and a great
quantity of timber, which was lying afloat in rafts, set
adrift by the violence of the current. A man and a boy
in rnakieg an effort to escape from one of the barges
and get ashore, perished ; and a family of seven chil-
dren, who were in the cabin of one of the monkey-
boats, went down with it, and met a watery grave. A
woman in another barge was also drowned. Many
swam ashore, which they reached in a most exhausted
state, and others were picked up by the persons who
put out in boats to their assistance. After the confusion
created by this sudden and terrible calamity had in
some degree subsided, it was ascertained sthat two
monkey boats, a barge laden with corn, and another
with coals, were sunk, and three other barges empty
had also gone down. Not less than 20 stacks of tim-
ber were set adrift, and were floating about the stream
yesterday morning, some of which had floated several
miles down the river. The body of the bargeman already
mentioned as drowned wrapped in a sail,was found yester-
day, when the tide receded. Theothers have not yet been
recovered. Great injury has been ,done to the banks
of the canal by this sudden irruption of the waters,
which exceeded, in violence and impetuosity, anything of
the kind for many years past. It is reported that
other persons are missing ; but we have reason to be-
lieve that we have not under-rated the extent of this
serious accident. The ebb tide was remarkably strong
on Saturday night and yesterday, and the craft going
down the river were carried along with the greatest
velocity, which was caused by the immense quantity of
land-water rushing down, and a good deal of damage
was done. The boats going up the river had the ut-
most difficulty in making headway, and in shooting
the bridges, and were often carried back by the force
of the current. The ice has almost totally disappeared
from the river, and the rain has sunk the vast fields
and icebergs below bridge, which, for a fortnight be-
fore, had caused so great an obstruction to navigation.

ANOTHER AND A LATER ACCOUNT.
During yesterday (Sunday) considerable excitement
prevailed throughout the western portion of the suburbs,
in consequence of the circulation of a report that during
the previous night a most fearful inundation had oc-
curred in the town of Brentford, occasioned by the
bursting of the banks and locks of the Grand Junction
Canal, which had been attended by the destruction of
property to the value of nearly 100,0001., and the car-
rying away of several houses by the stream, as well as
the loss of many lives.
The water, it appears, was first observed to be slowly
rising about half-past 12 o'clock on Saturday night, but
no fears of an inundation being entertained by the per-
sons residing near, they retired to rest, little dreaming
that they would be so soon aroused from their slumbers.
Towards two o'clock, however, Police-Constable

Smith, T GO, whu was on duty near the bridge, ob-
serving the water still increasing, and rushing with great
force to the Thames, awakened some of the boatmen
belonging to what are called " monkey boats," large
numLers of which were moored off .the different wharfs

abutting on the canal, and cautioned them to be on the
alert for their own security. At that time, and even
up to half-past three o'clock yesterday morning, imme-
diate danger was not apprehended, but a few minutes
before four o'clock a loud noise was heard to the north
of the town, which momentarily approached nearer and
nearer, and it was soon ascertained that the narrow
stream of the Brent had swelled into a mighty river,
and overflowing its banks, was pouring itself into
the already increased waters of the canal. Numbers
of boats, barges, and lighters were instantly torn
from their moorings, and driven with great force
through the bridge, towards the Thames. At the
game instant, also, the accumulated waters having
ov,'rflowed all the premises north of the high road,
burst with frightful force through two avenues by the
houses of Mr. Brasher, near the bridge, and Mr. Farrell,
directly opposite the church, filling the lower rooms of
the houses. The police immediately sprang their
rattles, and lost no time in awakening the inhabitants
to a sense of their danger, and where some were too
deeply buried in sleep to be aroused by the knocking,
they forced the doors open. The scene at that moment
it is impossible to describe. Men, women, and children,
many of them in their night clothes, were running in all
directions for places of shelter, while the roaring of the
water, added to the screams of the wretched inhabit-
ants of the boats, and of the individuals inhabiting the
numerous cottages running south of the town down to
the water side, were most appalling. In a very short
time, ail the houses at that portion of the town were
flooded, and the water rising rapidly, the occupiers of the
houses near the market-place commenced damming up
their doors, and there is no doubt that the whole not
only of New Brentford, but also of Old Brentford,
would shortly have become under water, had the stream
not found itself an outlet at the bottom of Church-alley,
by razing the wall of the extensive nursery grounds of
Messrs. Ronalds, and another wall at the southern ex-
tremity of the grounds, by which it joined the canal
near its outlet to the Thames.
Every possible assistance was immediately rendered
by those of the inhabitants who bad not been reached
by the inundation. About five o'clock the water was
at the highest, and the only means of communication
between the houses near the bridge was by a boat.
Towards six o'clock it was ascertained that the water
was gradually decreasing, and daylight was anxiously
looked for, that the extent of the effects of the inunda-
tion might be ascertained.
Above the bridge, as far as has been ascertained, the
damage bas not been so extensive as below it.
During the early part of the day fears were enter-
tained that the whole of the crews of the boats, &c.,
which have been wrecked were drowned ; much interest
was excited to ascertain the fate of a family of seven
children, who, with their father and mother, named
Tolley, it was known were on Saturday evening on
board one of the boats belonging to Messrs. Price and
Suns, of Brierly-hill, which boat is one of those sunk.
It was, however, in the afternoon ascertained that they
bad been most miraculously saved, as the boat was
being driven along by the current, by the exertions el a
family named Ayres, living in a cottage at the bottom
of Boar's Head-yard, who, as the boat passed the win-
dow, succeeded in dragging in the seven children, where
our reporter saw thorn, and where he learned that the
and mother had also been sated. At tee next
cottage were also two sisters of the name of Forster
each with one child, who were rescued from another
boat. It has also been ascertained that no less than
twenty-one men, women, and children saved their lives
by climbing over the wail of the Duke of Northumber-
land's grounds, and taking refuge in a cowhouse, where
they have been since found.

,A. TURKISH PREACHER.—One day Nasir-ed-
tlin ascended the pulpit of the mosque, and thus addressed
the congregation :—" 0, true believers l do you know
what .1 am going to say to you ?" " No," responded the
congreg,:tion. " Well, then," replied he, " there is no
use wasting my time on such an ignorant set ;" so saying,
he came down from the pulpit. He went to pre4h a
second time, and zsked the congregation, " 0, true be-
lievers I do you kno;• what I am going to say to you ?"
"We know," replied the audience. " Then there is no
IIF.O in me telling you," said Nasii-ed-din, and again he
descended frhm the pulpit. When next he came to peach,
and asked the usual question, the congregration resolved
to have a trial of his powers answered, " Some of us know
and some of us do not know." "0 !" said Nasir-ed-din,
. . let those who know tell those who do not know, and I
shall he spared the trouble of preaching." So saying, he
came down from the pulpit.— Turkish Jest .Book.