The Sun.
London, England, 1841-01-21 00:00:00

_Tiii4 Alig,___.X4.

SINGULAR EFIECTS OV THE
STORM ON THE RIVER AND HARBOUR.

(From the Gictww Courier.)
Since our last the weather has been, upon the whole,
milder than for ten days previously. The change wai
perceptible on Friday night. Thaw had then com-
menced, and about mid-day on Saturday the ice-bound
river and ponds in our neigbhoarhood, and the clotted
streets and snow-clad house-tops, presented unequivocal
symptoms that it was continuous and rapid in its effects.
Apprehensions were entertained that, in the event of
an overflowing of the river, the lower parts of the city
about I3ridgegate and Stockwell-streets, would be in
danger from the flood ; and just fears were also enter-
tained for the safety of the shipping in the harbour.
Prudential measures were therefore adopted by the
parties interested to prevent such disastrous con-
sequences; and it is well that it was so ; as on
Sabbath a catastrophe happened which might otherwise
have occasioned the destruction of property amongst the
shipping in the harbour to the extent of many thousands of
pounds. The thick bed of ice upon the river above
the navigable part had given way to the rapid thaw,
and there having been several heavy showers of rain on
Saturday night, a spate was occasioned, with which,
during the early part of Sunday, the broad fragments of
ice floated down at a moderate velocity. But the
broken masses accumulated so fast, rolling down with
impetuous violence, that in the course of the afternoon
a surface was formed from Rutherglen Bridge to the
foot of the Steam-boat Quay, rugged in its appearance,
from the varied shapes and different positions which the
pent-up body of ice assumed, but as solid in its structure
as if it has been made by the best mechanical skill to
last for ages. From the continued accumulation large
bodies would rise to the height of several feet, and crush
against each other with great impetuosity, but the pres-
sure below, from the bridges to the mouth of the har-
bour, was so great as to form an impassible barrier,
while the dark surge rolled below as obscurely as if
it had been tunnelled over. The scene was one calcu-
lated to create uneasy feelings ; but even in its most
dangerous aspect there was magnificence, and many
thousands were attacted to the banks of the river and
the bridges to gaze with wonder on a sight so unusual
in this part of the world. Some looked with deep con-
cernment on the scene, while others, giving full scope
to their ideas of the sublime, fancied they saw in
embryo the glaciers of the Alps, or the wonders of the
Tyrol. It belonged to another class not to remain idle
spectators—these were the masters and crews of vessels
in the port, and the workmen of the River Trust, the
latter of whom had spent a sleepless and laborious
night in making precautionary arrangements, and were
at their posts at an early hour in the morning with
Mr. Bald, engineer of the trust, Captain Johnstone,
harbour-master, and Mr. Russell, superintendent of
the river police, giving such directions as to the
proper mooring and secure fastening of the vessels
as were necessary on the occasion. All the
ships had chains out that possessed them, and others
had double hawsers and strong hempen cables. The
straining on the vessels was dreadful, and in some
cases both chain and hempen cable were out, while the
anchor was thrown overboard. The foresight of these
shipmasters saved them ; but despite every effort, four
vessels went adrift, viz. the Earl Grey, the Mary Queen
of Scots, the Carl Johan steamers, and a schooner. The '
Carl Johann went down to Govan ; the schooner to the
Saw Mills, a little below that ; the Queen of Scots and
the Earl Grey went nearly to Renfrew ; but they were
all brought up without damage. About an hour and a
half, from four o'clock till near six, sufficed to clear the
river of the ice, which tumbled over the wear at the rate
of some thousand tons an hour, boiling and raging in its
course. Before the breaking up a fool-hardy fellow, be-
longing to a Cheshire vessel, went on to the ice, and jumped
" Jim Crow" amongst the masses, to the imminent peril
of his life ; but he was wiled ashore, and deposited under
the care of Mr. Russell, in the Police Buildings, for fear
he would harm himself, and two boys who followed
his example, were placed in the same durance till the
spate ended. On the whole, great credit is due to Mr.
Bald, Mr. Johnstone, the harbour-master, and Mr.
Russell, police, for their exertions on the occasion, which
we think deserving the especial notice of the river trus-
tees. Yesterday morning frost again set in, and con-
tinued, though at a moderate intensity, throughout the
day. A large accumulation of the broken ice remained
a little below the Glasgow-bridge, extending from the
north quay about half-way across, and several hundred
yards down the harbour. One of the tug steamers,
which had been so useful the day previously, was em-
ployed in clearing it away, but the work was proceeded
in with considerable difficulty from the renewal of the
frost.

PROPOSED BRIDGE, OR TUNNEL,

FROM DOVER TO CALAIS.

A Havre journal gives the following account of a
project announced in that town :—An Englishman, de-
scribing himself to be an engineer, recently Arrived at
Havre, has been to Paris to propose the plan of
a passage by land from Dover to Calais. The inventor
has given the following account of his gigantic plan
to many of the inhabitants of Havre :—M. W. Cop-
pitt (the inventor) proposes to place twenty thousand
piers of stone across the straits, which are to be
laid at thc bottom of the sea. These are intended
to form the foundation of a monstrous bridge seven
leagues in length. A plan of this has been engraved
in London, and will be publicly exhibited in Paris.
According to the iinventor's account, he gives the
soundings of the straits with great exactness, and the
various depths of the sea along this extensive line.
The estimated expense of this bridge is not to exceed
1,800 millions of francs. Though the plan of cones or
piers in imitation of the dike at Cherbourg may appear
ridiculous, M. W. Coppitt is an ingenious man ; and
his determination being that England shall be united
with the Ct,ntinent, he has another project to effect it.
His plan, number 2, is this :—lt is not to travel above
the surface of the water, but underneath it, neverthe-
less on dry and firm ground. In order to accomplish
this, M. W. Coppitt proposes to fix a series of tunnels
made of cast iron, three feet in thickness, and eighteen
feet diameter inside. The first of these tunnels, which
is to serve as its entrance, :s to be placed at Dover, and
the last to terminate at Calais, after following the
undulations of the submarine ground. " This plan is
simple," modestly says the inventor ; and-the execution
of it is so easy, that 1 dare not claim any merit for
the discovery, You will understand," he adds, " that
if your countryman, M. Brunel, had thought of this
plan, instead of excavating with so much difficulty
through a soil of sand at the risk of a thousand acci-
dents, he would have laid down long iron pipes from
one bank of the Thames to the other, by the adop-
tion of this method, with a saving of twenty millions
of francs in money, and ten years of labour." M. W.
Coppitt thinks that this metal tunnel from Dover to
Calais would not cost more than 1,000 millions of francs,

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half of which he proposes should be contributed by
France, and the other half by England.

THE JEWISH PASSOVER.

(FROM A CORRESPONDENT.)
For many years the fabricating of Passover cakes in
this country has been entirely monopolised by only a
few bakers, who have charged the most exorbitant
prices for this necessary article of food, which is so
strictly observed by all classes of the children of Israel
during their grand festival, which commences on ae
Gth of April, when they are solemnly forbidden to cat
any other than unleavened bread. This high charge
has been the means of preclufling the greater part of
the poorer Hebrews from obtaining it, and faithfully
observing this religious restriction, unless they undergo
the painful feeling of applying to their several congre-
gations.
A society of Ole most influential of the Jew=, patro-
nized by the Rev. Solomon Ilirschell, their high
Priest, and the chief rabbis, have formed themselves
into an association, which has been enrolled pursuant
to Act of Parliament of 4 and 5 William IV., c. 40,
under the title of " the Jewish National Friendly As-
sociation," the object of which is to do away with the
monopoly that has hitherto existed, by manufacturing
the Passover Bread on the most economical terms, and
to supply the members with it at the lowest possible
price • so as to enable thousands of tire poorer classes
throughout the United Kingdom, and their families, not
to be driven to appeal to their more affluent brethren
for the staff of life. Extensive premises have been taken
at 109, Gravel-lane, Houndsditch, for this purpose,
which have lately been visited daily by several leading
members of the Church of England, Dissenters, and
Catholics, who have been allowed, through the polite-
ness of the President, Mr. Lazarus, to witness the
whole minutia:, in the making of the Passover Cake,
which passes through more than twenty hands before it
is ready for delivery ; and, at the same time, to con-
vince the public that blood is not used by the Jews in
its fabrication, us has been erroneously stated by diffil•
rent writers of their history, which superstitious idea
caused the dreadful massacre of this scattered people at
Damascus.

METROPOLITAN IIosPITALs.—At an in
quest held the other evening, at the Royal Free Hospital
Greville-street, on the body of an unfortunate woman who
had perished through want, combined with disease, the
Rev. R. C. Packman ohscrved, in answer to a question
from Mr. Wakley, the coroner, that it was the intention
of the Trustees to erect a new and extensive building, in a
healthy suburb of foe metropolis, and to keep the
present premises in Greville-street, as a receiving house
and dispensary, Mr. Wakley highly eulogis d the inten-
tion, and said it was well worthy of the humane, inasmuch
as the sites of all the London hospitals wore anything
but healthy—indeed, as a sanatory measure, it was hiuhly
desirable, and reflects much credit on the originators.
SUNDERLAND.—It is not perhaps generally
known that there are not only more ships built on the banks
of the Wear annually than at any other port, but there is
absolutely a fourth part of the whole of the ships of the
United Kinvlom built at Sunderland. The average num-
ber is, we believe, not less than 250 built on the Wear iu
the course of a year.—Port of Tyne Pilot.