The Sun.
London, England, 1840-12-26 00:00:00

THE WEATHER-THE PARKS.

On Thursday evening, at six o'clock, the thermo-
meter stood at 26 deg., and by midnight it had
sunk to 21 deg., and towards morning it became still
lower. At six o'clock )esterday morning it had, how-
ever, risen to 26 deg., but as the day advanced the cold
increased, and at noon the mercury had again fallen to
21 deg., and at six o'clock last evening to 18 deg., 14
deg. below freezing point. During the day in the me-
tropolis the atmosphere was very dense and hazy, while
in the outskirts, and for miles round, there was a thick
fog from eight o'clock in the morning, which greatly in-
creased in density towards evening. The extreme cold,
nebs did not, however, deter large numbers of person~
of all grades in life from crowding the ice. _ . .

In Kensington-gardens the ice was thronged with
fashionable company, more particularly on the round
pond, which also boasted of the presence of numerous
ladies. No accidents occurred.

The Serpentine was from an early hour of the morn-
ing thronged with skaters, and it is mco
puted.that dur-
ing the day nearly 40,000 personsventured on the ice,
chile fully that number promenaded the banks. The
north drive was also thronged with equipages, and there
MIS also the unusual sight of omnibuses
.in the Park,
bringing parties from Islington and other places round
the metropolis to view the skating. The largest num-
ber present at any one time during the day was from
three to four o'clock. About four o'clock an outcry
was heard in the direction of the south-eastern end of
he ice, and it, being feared that a break bad occurred,
a general rush was made to the spot. The cause
was, however, soon asceitained to be an alarm of fire
at Knightsbridge Barracks, which was, however, soon
extinguished.
In St. James's Park about 5,000 persons were on
the ice, and in the Regent's Park about 20,000. No
accident whatever was reported to time Humane Society
last evening.

LIBERALS, CONSERVATIVES,
CHARTISTS, AND THE QUEEN.

P her most Gracious Majesty, Queen Victoria, and
his Royal Highness Prince Albert were saved from
gross and pubfc insult at the Durham County Meet-
ing, held on Tuesday last, to congratulate the Royal
Pair on the birth of their daughtee, it was not ow,up
so much to the loyalty of the " Noblemen, Gentleeeen,
Clergy, Yeomanry, and inhabitants of the County of
Durham," as to the want of exertion on the part of
the Chartists. We say, " if" the Queen and her
Consort were saved from insult ; for we are rather at a
less to determine, which is less offensive,—an Address
from the mere mockery of a County meeting, or a refusal
en the part of such an assembly to vote an Address at all
It will be seen from our report of the proceeding!, that
whose number of persons attending " The Count)
Meeting" did not exet el one hundred, and that mule
geetlemen affixed their names to the requisition for the
meeting, than were disposed to be at the trouble to
attend and bold up a hand in favour of the address,
which the High Sher.ff (1' c.ded to come fairly within
the scope of that meeting!
The Requisitionists on the spot did their duty indif•
terently well, about twelve out of eighteen having ap-
peared in Court ; and the loyal gentlemen of Stockton,
Darlington, Hartlepool, South Shields, and Gateshead,
may perhaps excuse their non-attendance, on the ground
that none of thorn signed the requisition.
But what can be pleaded for Sunderland, which
eraced the Requisition with the names of no fewer titan
32 oilier most opulent and respectable sons, on opposite
sides of politics ; and yet if we had not attended to take
• a report of tie proceedings, not a Sunderland man
.voitid have been visible at the meeting ! We arc in-
deed t.orry to rote this fact, but our duty to the Sove-
relgn and the public demands it et e-ur hands. Gentle-
tnen have no right thus to tiifle with the name of the
Quern ; they have no right to call upon the High
Sheriff of the County to join them in the performance
of a duty, and then leave their own share undone ; they
have no right, by their tin of omission, to cast ridicule
en one of the most valuable privileges of a free people,
and reduce a County Meeting to what his Grace of
Wellington was pleased to term it—" A Farce."
What would have been the result, if but half a score
more Chartists, who arc by no means scarce in the vici-
nity of Durham, had chanced to stroll into the meet-
ing The Address would have been negatived, the
county would have been still more disgraced, and the
est es of Chartism, yet smouldering all around us, would,
bey and question, have been speedily funned into a fl
e iine.
As it is, much mischief h is been done ; the Chartists
queston their defeat, and claim the turning east of Vic
tory ; and, at all avenue as one of them pliant y
said to his companions when leaving the (..;orirt,—" _Pee
bow, the ice is broken I"
let
For all which, find a bat m.y c ance to foil ..v,
the " Nohlem-n, gentlemen, clergy, yee,e , end in-
habitants of the County of theeeiii," nor ow,
inexcusable negligenee.—Sunderlena Heald, Dec. 2.5.

MARSHA I,SEA PRISON.—The Earl of Errol,
as Lord Stewhrd of her Nlajr s'y's havin4;
benevolently forivarled to J. Rutland. E-q•. the D-pot,
Marshal, a very liberal Oh istmas o. na ion for the benefit
o 1 tbe d tiit• N Lau
3,!sterd:4 to each in a ploniifid
I,7,rter, and oath 1' i:•
Lordship's munificence was gratefully received anti thank-
fully enjoyed by the debtors and their families.