The Sun.
London, England, 1869-12-30 00:00:00

711 E WEA 7 HER.

The change of the wind, yesterday, from a
northerly range to south-west betokened a rapid
break-up of the frost, which had raised the hopes
and braced the sinews of skaters. The sign was
not delusive. As the day wore on the ice grew
thinner, and so did the crowds who ventured upon
it. There where no displays of graceful skill and
agility on the Serpentine, for the reason that the
Serpentine has been drained, and, by COIIS2CIUCIICC,
the fashionable throng was driven en masse to the
Round Pond, in Kensington Gardens, which
has the terrible disadvantage of being deep enough

to drown a Life Guardsmen, carried on the

shoulders of his corporal. Thither the club and
its entourage repaired yesterday, determined
to make the most of what little life was left in the

first spell of hard frost, this winter. Fashion dis-
dains those parks which lie east of the central dis-
tricts and south of the Thames ; else, the magnifi-
cent sheet of ice on the park at Battersea lake—

black, tough, and elastic—would have afforded ex-
cellent sport to the most accomplished patineurs of
the upper ten thousand. Before the sun had gained
force yesterday forenoon, or the softened atmosphere
had told upon the firm metallic surface of the pool,
there was at Battersea a finer field for the exhila-
rating exercise than could have been found else-
where within the four-mile radius. Favoured, in-

deed, by its bleak and exposed situation, the water
in Battersea-park had frozen more rapidly thae
other metropolitan pools ; and very good practice
had been made there by a large number of expert
skaters on Tuesday. The good order as well as the
good humour preserved by the officials may be
spoken of with praise. They had a hard tusk, on
Tuesday aftercoon, to clear the ice of skaters who
persisted in remaining after four, the time for
closing the park-gates. Eight " parties" at one
time might have been seen chasing a few of the
swiftest and most expert " men in possession" of
the frozen lake. Now the pursuers would d.ivi&,
and try each to capture a recusant. Now they
would form a line, only to be charged by the most
dashing of their foes, and tumbled over on the ice.
One of the skaters being caught, slipped off
coat, and, leaving it in the hands of the baffled
officials, pursued his erratic flight with his shirt-
sleeved arms defiantly crossed on his breast.
After a time, he surrende ed, and soli-
cited pardon and the return of his coat in appro-
priately humble terms. In o.ie place only, on the
Battersea lake, was the ice rough, in consequence
of its having been broken and left to freeze over

again. A few boys with brooms woull have made
the whole of .the glassy floor as excellent a field for
skating as could have ben desire]. The fact that
the water. in Battersea Park has a uniform depth of
three feet may deprive the pi ice of all sensational
interest ; but at the same time it will afford matter
of great s.itisfaction to skaters and their anxious
friends and relatives.
There were during yesterday five or six
thousand skaters and sliders on the Round
Pond in Kensington-gardens; and eleven persons

fell in, but were all rescued. In the afternoon

about four o'clock, a young man disappeared
through the ice, at a point where there was seven
feet of water, and would certainly have been
drowned but for the courage and calm judgment of
a bystander, who broke away the ice and dragged
up the exhausted sufferer, amid the applause of the
crowd on the banks. About ten minutes later a
cripple fell in, and was rescued with some difficulty.
The name of this person was the same as that of
the man who had just before displayed such intre-
pidity as to merit some more substantial token
than was presented to him on the spot by
a collection among the crowd who bad wit-
nessed his conduct. The case will, no doubt, be
recommended to the notice of the Royal Humane
Society ; and meanwhile it may be mentioned that
the object of such well-deserved praise is one
Patrick Murphy, of 23, St. Katherine's-road, Not-
ting-hill, labourer. The icemen were at the time
engaged with other immersions on a distant point
of the lake.
In Si. James's-park it is computed that at least
8,000 persons went on the ice during the day.
Thole were 60 immersions, and 15 persons received
injuries in falling. The icemen, Perry, O'Hara,
Rhodes, Hardy, and Walters, were frequently im-
mersed in trying to save life. Walters, in breaking
through the ice, about a quarter-past four o'clock,
dislocated his arm, and was obliged to go to St.
George's Hospital to have it reset. The following
persons had to be put to bed in the society's tent after
being taken out of the water :—William Hewitt, re-
siding in Kennington-lane ; Morgan Bevan, 3, Al-
bion-place, Blackfriars; William Denny,l34,Drury-
lane ; George Woodhead, 262, Gray's-inn-road ;
Alfred Barronski, 187, High Holborn ; Michael
Casey, 12, Noah's Ark-alley, Bankside ; J. Mans-
field, 130, Vauxhall-street, Lambeth ; and C. Emery,
2, Portsmouth-street, Clare-market. All the above,
besides many others, were placed in warm baths.
The report adds that the ice is now in a very dan-
gerous state.
On the broad Water in the Regent's-park the ice
was two inches and a quarter thick, but this was not
sufficient to bear the great pressure of some 6,000
persons, and, in the pursuit of their arduous duty,
the icemen were several times immersed in deep
water. Skating at the Crystal Palace, at Clap-
ham-common, and on the Hampstead-ponds was
carried on till a late hour, despite the thaw.
There was a race of bicycles, six in number, on
the ice over the large piece of water near the
London, Chatham, and Dover Railway at Brix-
ton. As an omen of severe weather yet to come,
it may be noticed that at daybreak yesterday a
flock of wild ducks passed over the metropolis at
a low altitude, as if fatigued by their journey, and
hovered over the I'hatnes for some time. They
then made towards the Kent marshes.

At the present settlement, Erie Railway shares
are being passed without the stamp of the Protec-
tion Committee just formed, but it is believed that
an agreement will be immediately come to amongst
the dealers to deal in none but shares bearing that

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4*,
•
1.1 1.1 7
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JIM js,

HER MAJESTY.

OSBORNE, Dec. 29.

Her Majesty, accompanied by her Royal High
ness Princess Beatrice, drove out yesterday after-
noon.

His Royal Highness Prince Leopold, Princess
Louise, and Princess Christian went out in the
grounds this morning.

LATEST INTELL MENGE

(REC"'ER'S TELEGRAMS.)

-~-_ _-

AMERICA.
(Per French Atlantic Cable.)

NEW YORK, Dee. 29.
The Inman Royal Mail steamship City of
Washington arrived here to-day.

COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

CLOSING PRICES.

Gold closed at 1194 ; the highest quotation dur-
ing the day was 120; the lowest, 119 i.
Sterling Exchange o❑ London loBi.
5-20 U. S. Bonds, 1884
" 1885 ll2.

cc " 1867 ll4k.
10-40 ti
108 i.
Illinois l32f.
Erie
Cotton—Mid. upland 2sBe.
Petroleum—Standard White 29le.
Flour, extra state, $5.10e. to $5.70c. Corn, old
mixed, sl.loe.

THE ECUMENICAL COUNCIL.

ROME, Dec. 29.

The general congregation of the Council held a
sitting yesterday at St. Peter's, which lasted bi
hours. Thirteen Fathers of the Council had an-
nounced their intention of speaking, but only five
addressed the assembly, among others Cardina 1
Rauacher Arc'ibialio? of Vienna, in c)nse-
quence of the accoustic defects of the hall. The
assembly discussed the question of heterodox
philosophy.

FRANCE.
THE NEW FRENCH MINISTRY.
PARIS, Dec. 29.
The following may be relied on as a correct list
of the 011ivier Ministry:—
011ivier Interior.
La Gueronniere Foreign Office.
Magne Finance.
Lebeed

Genouilly Marine.
Instruction

,ourgeau
Dupuy de Lome Public Works.
Parieu . . .Minister without
portfolio.
PARIS, Dec. 30.
The Rance de la Tour d'Auvergne and M.
Gressier have been app iuted Senators.
The Gazette des Tribunaux says :—Trauppmann,
when last night returning from the trial to Lis
cell, appeared as cheerful as on the previous even-
ing. After his dinner he played at cards with his
keepers.

Trauppmann seems to nly upon some favour-
able evidence being produced at tit.; hearing to-
thy, and has perfect c.)nfid. 13.ce in the line of de-
fence pursued by his counsel. He retired to rest at
half-past nine p.m., ani fell asleep immediately.
LIVERPOOL, Dcc. 30.

The Liverpo.d, Brazil, and River Plate Com-
pany's steamer Ptolemy, Captain Hayes, left the
Mersey this morning with the ship letter mails, 16
passengers, and a full general cargo, direct for Rio
de Janeiro, Monte Video, and Buenos Ayres.

BOURSE, Dec. 29.—Three o'clock—The market
closed as follows :

Bank Shares 2840
Ital'an Wives 56 60
Austrian Fives
Ottoman Loan
Do. Debt... 45 35
Spanish Threes
Home Debt —
Deferred
9, Cash.
Orleans i

11 per Cent.
End of month —
3 per Cent
End of month 72 45
Credit Mobilier 207 50
Transatlantic 220
Credit Foncier 1722 50
Paris Gas 1640

RAILWAY

Western
_

N orthorn ... 1125'
Strasburg . 590
Lyons and Mediterranean
Southern..... 592f
Sardinian

Austrian
Lombard 525
North of Spain 46
Saragossa
Roman 4l

Her Majesty's screw troopship SiinoDm, C iptain
Lethbridge, sailed from Portsmouth yesterday for
the Mediterranean, Irith the officers and troops on
board, as detailed in The Sun of yesterday. She
calls in at Portland and Queenstown. ir
Her Majesty 'gild ian relief screw troopshipSerapis,
Capt. Soady, embarked troops, &J., as per sub-
joined list, at Portsmouth, yesterday, and was ap-
pointed to sail at 8.30 a.m. to-day for Alexandria :
—Lieut.-Colonel H. Tyacke, 106th Regiment ;
Staff-Surg. Woodward and wife and Surg. Moffett
and wife, Ist battalion 14th Regiment; Major
Walker and wife, 2d battalion 12th Regiment;
Lieut. Handley 4nd wife, '2d battalion 10th
Regiment ; Lieutenant Baines, 18th Hussars ;
Lieut. Huddart, Royal Artillery ; Staff Assist.-
Slug. Lithgow and Lieut. Campbell, 92d; Lieut.
Townsend, 2d battalion 10th Regiment; Capt.
Magee, 2d battalion 12th Regiment ; Lieut. Brad.
shaw, Ist battalion sth Regiment ; Staff Assist.-
Surg. E. Turner ; Capt. Frizall, Ist battalion 13th
Regiment ; Capt. Dawson, 92d Regiment ; Capt.
Dooner, 2d battalion 2d Regiment ; Capt. Shine,
Royal Artillery ; Capt. Revella, 109th Regiment ;
Capt. Russea, Royal Artillery ; Capt. Johnson, 2a
battalion 11th Regiment; Capt. Adams and wife,
45th Regiment ; Assist.-Surg. Sessin and wife,
Royal Artillery ; Major M'Quine, Ist battalion Ist
Regiment ; Capt. D'Eye, 92d Regiment ; Capt.
Harvey, 2d battalion 25th Regiment; Capt. Eyre,
38th Regiment; Capt. Parnell, Ist battalion 3d
Regiment ; Assist.-Surg. Whitty and wife, RoYal
noise Artillery ; Capt. Logan, 2d battalion, 24th
Regiment ; Assistant-Surgeons Dollinson, 14-•
L'Estrange, and Corry ; Ensign Cutly and wife,
2d battalion Ist Regiment ; Ensign Manly, Ist
battalion Bth Regiment ; Ensign Cooper, 301
Regiment ; Ensign Sugden, 2d battalion 24th
Regiment ; Ensign Oakley, Ist battalion Bth Re-
giment; Ensign Dunbar, 92d Regiment; Ensign
Dowse, 2d battalion 12th Regiment; Ensign Roe
kins 2d battalion 24th Regiment; Ensign Grill,'.
Ist battalion 3d Regiment; Ensign Compton, 38t'
Regiment ; Ensign Pike, 2d battalion 12th Regi-
ment ; Ensign Barr, 109th Regiment ; Ensign
Melvin, 109th Regiment ; Ensign Ilarmswortb, 13",
battalion Bth Regiment ; Ensign Aylmer, 1034
Regiment; Ensign Smith, 2d battalion Ist Regy
went; Ensign Lovell, 88th Regiment; Veterinary"
burg. Dunuey, Royal Artillery ; Veterinary-Surg'
Dwyer, Royal Horse Artillery; Veterinary-Serg'
Ruskine, 21st Hussars; Lieut. Walker, Royal Ar-
tillery ; Lieut. Sturdee, 92d Regiment ; Lieu%
Campbell, 92d Regiment ; Ensign Dickinson, 1-,
battalion, 3d Regiment ; Ensign Wilkinson, *2'
battalion 34 h Regiment ; Ensign P. de lit
Beresford, 36th Regiment ; Ensign Thorpe, 2d bst-
talion Ist Regiment ; Ensign Pope, 2d batty
24th Regiment ; Ensign Price, 2d battalion 24t1:
Regiment; 1,005 non-commissioned officers Al':
men of various corps, .with 90-women and 165 chu
1 dren,