The Sun.
London, England, 1867-01-15 00:00:00

THE WEATHER.

During the whole of yesterday the frost in Lon-
don continued very severe. At 9in the morning
the thermometer at the receiving-house in Hyde-
park stood at 13 deg. only, but between 9 and 12 it

had advanced to 25 deg. It again fell in the after-
noon, until 5 o'clock last night, when it was again
down to 20 deg. Early yesterday morning there
hung over the metropolis a yellow fog, which Wag
extremely dense at the east-end. By noon, how-
ever, the fog had pretty well cleared away. As was
expected from the continuance of the frost, the ice on
the waters in the parks, with the exception of the
less exposed part, the western end of the Serpentine,
was tolerably firm, and in good condition for skat-

ing, being, on an average, from 2 to 2 inches in
thickness, and a consideeable number of persons
tolfi thus
ce
indaebnitesd
took t o enjoy teh e
during exercise.
th eAdalayr,ge were
but nnumberone
were fatal. In the Regent's-park about 3,000 persons
were on the ice during the day. The members of
the Skating Club, both ladies and gentlemen, mus-
tered in large numbers. About 2 o'clock, when
there were nearly 2,000 persons on the ice, an alarm
was given that some one had fallen in. A rush took
place towards the spot whence the cries for help
came, and the consequence was the giving way of the
ice in several directions, and no less than 21 persons
were in the water, which was very deep at the spot.
The icemen promptly came to the rescue with their
lines, poles, and wicker boats, and several of them,
who were provided with cork jackets, at once •
jumped
into the water. In about five minutes they had suc-
ceeded in rescuing the whole of the 21 persons from
their perilous position. One only required medical
attendance, and it was some minutes before he was
restored to consciousness. With the exception of
injuries from falls, no other accident of importance
occurred in the park during the day. On the Long
Water and Round Pond in Kensington-gardens, the
ice was very firm, especially in the former place, and
fully 5,000 persons were on it during the day, in-
cluding a number of ladies and gentlemen of the
Skating Club, who have two spacious tents erected
in the gardens.
The Serpentine was entirely frozen over, but from
the receiving-house westward the ice was not more
than half an inch thick, and the park-keepers and
icemen prevented any person from going upon it,
although several persons were foolhardy enough to
desire to do so. At the eastern end, near the Albert
Bridge, the ice was tolerably safe, ail& several hun-
dreds were upon it during the day. About three
o'clock in the afternoon Mr. J. Harman, of Ports-
down-terrace, Kilburn, had a narrow escape from
drowning. He was skating very rapidly and the mo-
mentum carried him over the rope laid down where
the ice became dangerous. In a second he fell through
into water nine feet deep. His shouts for help soon
brought some of the icemen to the spot, but several
minutes elapsed before any effectual aid could be
rendered to him, and he was at last got out ex-
hausted and carried into the receiving-house, where
he was placed in bed and attended by Dr: Christian.
It was not until a late hour in the evening that he
had sufficiently recovered to proceed to his home.
One of the icemen, named James Taylor, also nar-
rowly escaped drowning while attempting to rescue
Mr. Harman, having fallen through the ice into
deep water. In addition to the above seven cases of
severe injury from falls were brought into the re-
ceiving-house and attended. In one of these cases
the skate twisted round the foot of the wearer and
inflicted a deep wound just above the ankle. The
wound was dressed, and the injured man went home
in a cab, he having previously deposited a sum of

ABERDEEN, Monday Night.
During last night and to-day snow continued to
fall heavily at frequent intervals. Since telegram of
last evening there has been no railway communica-
tion whatever to the north or upDeeside, and traffic
in these directions has ceased. The London train of
Saturday due at Aberdeen yesterday at noon did not
arrive here till this forenoon, 23 hours behind time.
A mail for London and the south was despatched
this afternoon, but in the evening it was reported not
to have got beyond Stonehaven,l6 miles from Aber-
deen. The weather to-night is fair and frosty.
PORTUDUILLAEN (North Wales), Jan. 12.
During a heavy gals from this morning
(reports the Rev. John liughea), the smack, Cathe-
rina, of Barmouth, bound to that port from Liver-
pool, with a general cargo, anchored too far to
leeward in Porthduillaen Bay, and at low water
struck the ground, on which she for some
time beat
heavily. On seeing the dangerous position of the
vessel, the Cotton Shepherd lifeboat of the National
Lifeboat Institution was at once launched. On
reaching the smack, which had parted from one of
her anchors, the master availed himself of the
e of the
assistance of the lifeboat, and some of the men
from the boat were put on board, and ultimately
the vessel and her crew were brought safely into
great_advantage
having a lifeboat stationed here.
harbour. But for this t iraely aid the vessel must
haanvdethbiseciosmae
fresh
a total
in
instance
t awnrceek m a very short time,

.)
SWANSEA, Jan. 12.
During very rough weather on the morning of
h
the life-
boat Wolverhampton belonging to the National
Lifeboat Institution was launched in reply to signals
e 9th instant (says Alfred Sterry, Esq
of distress shown by a vessel in the bay. After
speaking several ships in the outer roadsteads the
lifeboat ultimately found a french schooner with
her ensign in the i oi
r-gi**ng. She had lost two
anchors and had her sails split. Some of the crew
of the lifeboat were put ell heard the vessel, and the
lifeboat also secured the services of a steamer to tow
of Nantes, bound from Swansea to
the disabled vessel into Swansea. She was the
tejlematnpnleadce'Awriet'h coal, and she would doubtless have
been lost but for the assistance rendered by the
lifeboat.

Paris Universal Exhibition of 1867.

- - -
The whole of the following
paper will repay
minute study. It affects, perhaps,
the most vital
question of the day, the struggle between labour
and capital ; and no words of ours could add to the
appreciation which these latest labours of the Impe-
rial Commission must win from all thinking men.
The official document issued by the British section
on the topic we have alluded to above runs thus :
A. distinct order of reward, "instituted in favour of
persons, establishments, or localities, which, by a
special organisation or special institutions, have de-
veloped a spirit of harmony among all those co-
operating in the same work, and have provided for
the material, moral, and intellectual well-being of
the workman.

These rewards
consist of ten prizes of the total
of 100,000 francs may,
value of 100,000 francs (£4,000), or £4OO each,
and twenty honourable mentions. One grand prize
in addition, be awarded to
the person, establishment, or locality, distinguished
under this head, by a very exceptional superiority.
This form must be filled up by or on behalf of any
person, establishment, or institution in the United
Kingdom, for which the reward is claimed, and
must be forwarded to the " Secretary, Paris Exhibi-
tion, South Kensington Museum," on or before the
20th January, 1867.*

At the first meeting of the International Jury,
held at Paris, on the Ist of December, 1866, the fol-
lowing principles were adopted :-Ist. The jury
may doubtless take into account, among the facts
presented for its consideration, the spirit of charity
and beneficence ; but it is not specially charged to
reward acts of that character. 2d. To constitute
them the basis of a claim ,to reward the facts ad-
daced must have been the consequence of a free and
spontaneous initiative, and not of legislative enact-
ments. 3d. It will not suffice that the work be
praiseworthy in itself ; it must at the same time be
compatible with sustained and progressive prospe-
rity. 4th. The circumstances of the position in

* It is desirable that the questions should be answered
as far as possible ; but it is not imperative that all should
be filled up ; and there are cases in which the whole are
,not applicable.