The Sun.
London, England, 1841-01-09 00:00:00

THE LATE STORM.

CAMBRIDGE OBSERVATORY.—SIOTGIS at this season are
so rare and unaccountable, that we cannot assign any de-
finite power or effect it may have on our atmosphere. On
the night of Saturday, Jan. 2, the clouds were much
curled, betokening storm ; during the night there was a
gale of wind; it, gusts, from N. N. W., with a rapidly-falling
barometer; from a few minutes before seven o'clock until a
quarter after, the thunder and lightning raged with extreme
violence, accompanied by a heavy shower of hail, which
seems to have accompanied it in every place ; at one time
the thunder-clap was heard simultaneously, with the violet-
coloured lightning being seen. It has been traced by the
several times from the north of Yorkshire, to Nottingham,
Wolverhamp, on, Northampton, Cambridge, London, Es.
sex, and Kent, in succession, and its speed of transit seems
to have been more than 60 miles per hour ; it must have been
a hundred miles in width, and equally violent at every part,
or have traversed the country in a succession of curves.
Immediately after the storm bad passed over Greens ich,
the wind changed to W. by S., and the barometer
was at 29in. 2, having fallen a tenth of an inch each hour
since eleven o'clock the preceding evening; it has been
succeeded by frequent showers of snow and a very sharp
frost : unfortunately my register thermometers were em-
bedded in snow until this (Friday) morning ; when cleared
they were at 12 degrees, which was the lowest they had
IR en ; it was, however, the temperature of the snow, not
the air, which we may safely allow was five degrees
lower during the night. This Right will probably be
colder than either last night or the one before, as at 4
o'clock, p.m., the temperature was 19 degrees below freez-
ing point. J. GLAISHER.

HORRIBLE MURDER AND MUTILATION OF
A CIIILD.—About half-past one o'clock yesterday after-
noon, as Captain Prescott, of Park-street, Walworth, was
crossing Waterloo-bridge, accompanied by Mr. Thomas
Isaac, of No. 5, Seymour-place, Walworth, his attention
was drawn to a brown-paper parcel lying on the parapet
of the bridge, within the balustrades. The outside wrapper
was a piece of brown paper, the next a napkin, and then
came a stout linen sheet, which, upon being opened, dis-
covered the body of a full-grown male child, apparently
about four or five days old, and evidently horn alive. The
head was severed from the body, as also were the legs
and arms. One of the cloths in which the child was
wrapped was found marked "W. H. No. 1." The re-
mains were conveyed in the sheet in which they were
found to the residence of Mr. Havers, the parish surgeon
of Lambeth, No. 13, York-road, but that gentleman has
not yet had an opportunity of making more than a cursory
inspection of them ; but he discovered that some portions
of the body were waning, and the police have received in-
strucjons to use their utmost endeavours to discover the
missing parts. It is somewhat singular that Mr. Havers
was engaged in examining the remains of the unfortunate.
Hannah Brown, who was murdered and subsequently cut
to pieces by Greenacre. Up to a late hour last night the
police had obtained no clue to the unnatural perpetrator
of the atrocity.
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE AMERCAN TRADE.
—The improvement which we have had occasion to notice
in the American trade durng the last few weeks still con-
tinues. The packet-ships which sail weekly are all taking
out full freights. The Virginian, which sails to-day, has
upwards of 1,5001. of freight on board She carries out
an immense quantity of goods, and 175 packages, intended
to have been sent by her, must await the departure of the
North Ametiea, owing to want of room. The last named
vessel, which sails on the 7th, has already a considerable
part of her cargo engaged. The change in the financial
system of the United States, contingent on the election
of General Harrison to the Presidential chair, promises to
keep the manufacturing districts in a more than usual
state of activity. The benefit of the change is already be-
ginning to be felt ; and, if the policy of the new President
be of that liberal and comprehensive cast which the com-
mercial classes have a right to anticipate, it must consi_
derably extend the business relations of the two countries
during his term of office. The existing tariff expires, we
believe, this year, and fears are expressed by sonic of the
New York papers that the necessities of the Government
will compel it to make the new tariff less favourable to
British imports than the oid one. lhist,hehoswuepvpeo;rtewrosulodf
be at variance with the policy which '
General Harrison, in all the Atlantic cities have a right to
expect.

CANTERBURY LIONS.--WONDERFUL BIRTH
AT WOMBWELL'S MENAGERIE.-The noble British lioness
on Sunddy evening last gave birth to five remarkably fine
rubs, in Wolubvveti's menagerie, now open for inspection
in lite Cattle market, in Canterbury. There are two te-
Irides and three males, and all in pet feet health. Such
an occurrence as the bringing forth of five young ones is
unprecedented, lour being the greatest number ever before
recorded as being produced at one birth. We urge our
fellow-citizens to lose no time in viewing them whilst they
are young. The keeper who puts :be other tigers, leo-
pards, &c., through their wonderful and almost incredible
performances in the adjoining den, has the superinten-
dence of the young family, whom ha treats with all the
care and assiduity cf a tender nurse. Mr. Wombwell is
the greatest lion breeder in the world. He has bred up,
wards of 120 of those animais within the last 24 years.
The lioness is a very fine one she wait tubbed in the
town of Keigbley, in the county of York, on the 17th
L-f December, 18:31, and has within four years
.pro.
duccd no legs than 16 liens and lionesses r—the first jitter
in th:3 city of Cambridge, on the 28:h November, )836;
the second at Stoutbridge, in the e6tooy of Wc:reest.,-,
August, )838; the third at Nottingham, on the 6th Oc-
tot), r, 1839 ; and lastly, in this coy. Thirteen h, r
pr.r:duce are now living—eleven a.e to be stet, in ti e
menagerie, and the other two are in the Zoological G. I
den in mmichtster,—Kentisii Observer.