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

SCOTLAND.

EDINBURGH, MONDAY.—For the last few days the mails
have been hours behind time, owing to the roads being
blocked rip with snow. The road betwixt here and Car-
lisle on Friday was so had as to require six horses for the
mail. When it arrived at that dreary exposed part of the
country at Mosspaul Inn, which is 32 miles north of Car-
lisle, the innkeeper informed the guard, that the road
northward was quite impassable, as carriers coming south.
ward had to abandon their carts, and fight their way with
great difficulty to the inn with their horses ; indeed, that
the road was a regula7 block up, and therefore advised him
to remain with the mail until Sunday morning, for to go
forward was liazlrdous in the extreme. The guard, how-
ever, considered it his duty to proceed as far as he possi-
bly could, and therefore set out with six horses. The
coach thus proceeded with considerable d,fficulty for three
miles, when it was upset. The guard managed to procure
aid, and the coach, in which there were no passengers,
after many unsuccessful attempts, was at length raised.
The guard retained the men who had given their assistance
for the purpose of helping to clear the road, and especially
to remove the carts which had been abandoned on the
track. They succeeded in getting on fur a mile and a-half,
when they were brought to a stand-still by an extensive and
formidable wreath of snow. There was no alternative but to
attempt to hew out a path. They succeeded in clearing the
obstruction, and advanced with a fair start for another mile
and a half, when they were similarly opposed. This was
at 12 o'clock on Saturday night, and the party notwith-
standing the tempestuous state of the weather, manfully
endeavoured to clear their way, but so deep was the snow
at this spot, that with a short intermission they had to la-
bour until half-past nine on Sunday morning. At this
hour the mail coming south which loft Edinburgh at seven
o'clock on Saturday night, hove in sight, being conveyed
in a post-chaise. It was then deemed advisable to ex-
change vehicles, as Mr. Macintyre, the Guard, had so far
cleared the route southward. \Vher. ready to start north-
ward with this post-chaise, the succeeding mail from the
southward also came up, drawn by six horses ; so that both
mails, namely, that which left London on Friday evening,
and the one on Saturday morning, progressed onward to-
gether, the post.cbaise taking the lead as a pioneer to
the regular mail-coach. In this way they reached Tor-
sonce Inn, twenty-six miles to the south of Edinburgh ;
here the roads were again so heavy that it was found
nec:ssary to attach an additional pair, or s':x horses, even
to the light post-chaise. From this point to Fushie-bridge,
the road crosses Middleton Muir, where a road had been
cut, in some parts, through no less than ten feet of snow,
while from three to four feet of snow still remained on the
surface of the ground. At various places it was with the
greatest difficulty that the vehicles could be kept from
overturning. Betwixt Fushie Bridge and Edinburgh the
progress was comparatively easy. We are assured that
for several years the roads to the south have never been
so bad as they were on Saturday night and Sunday morn-
ing. During the long-continued storm in January and
February, 1838, when several of the north country roads
were blocked up for three weeks, the London mail, via
Carlisle, was, on the worst day of the storm, only nine
hours behind its time, which was the longest detention it
experienced during that winter.

DUMFRIES.

The snow which fell on Saturday was followed by rain
as the night set in, and by daylight on Sunday fields,
gardens, trees, shrubberies, and house-tops had undergone
something approaching to a complete revolution. Patches
of snow still remain, and may linger for days, should the
frost return or the weather remain dry ; but the great
breadth has been swept away to mingle in a liquid state
with the waters of the Solway. The woods, formerly so
beautifully frizzled, have resumed their usual sombre ap-
pearance in January. The roads, although heavy, are
again open ; so that in a day or two at iirthest her
Majesty's mails will arrive and depart at the times ap-
pointed, without further let sr hindrance. At eight o'clock
on Sunday morning the ice between the bridges and to the
verge of the caul broke up with a tremendous crash ; nor
was there merely one but a series of explosions, not unlike
distant thunder; and for a time the melee was fearful to
look on, as the gorged elements above and below rent,
roared, spouted, and boiled.