The Sun.
London, England, 1860-12-27 00:00:00

EXTRAORDINARY COLD.

The following letters have been addressed to the
Editor of the Times:---

Sir,—I lic.rcivith send you a report of perhaps the most
extraordinary cold ever known in England—certainly ex-
ceeding every record but one, and that record being loci:el
upon as an error, and indeed thought to be an impossible
teml,eraturo in England. This morning the temperature at
four feet above th© ground was S deg. below zero, and on
the grass 13.8 deg. below zero, or 45.8 deg. of frost.
As the above extraordinary temperature may seem im-
probable, I herewith append the readings of a number of
thermometers placed in different situations :

• Thermometers.
1. Negretti and Zambra's patent mercurial mini-
mum, four feet from ground — S• 3
2. Rutherford minimum, four feet 8.2
3. Spirit thermometer on grass —lo.B
4. Ditto ditto —10.7

Deg.

5. Ditto ditto
6. Sensitive mercurial theremometer on grass

7. Ditto on snow —13.3

8. Spirit thermometer on snow
9. Id. id. id. —lll

The above are all readings made at the Beeston Observe-
,ory. At llighfield-house they were :
At four feet
On grass ...

The maximum heat yesterdaywas only 20 deg., and from
7 p.m. till 11 a.m. the temperature never rose as high as
zero of Fahrenheit's thermometer. At the present time

(12.30 p.m.) the temperature is 7 deg. above zero at 4 feet,
and 2.5 deg. above zero on the grass. To-night, in all
probability, will be even colder, as the sky is cloudless, with
a fog in the distance. Wind stationary since 1 p.m. yes-
terday in west, and calm.
The Trent is full of ice, and in a few hours will be quite
frozen over.

I have just seen a horse pass with icicles at his nose three
inches in length, and as thick as three fingers.
The ground is about three inches covered with snow.
Deg. Deg.
Dee. 24, 1 p.m. temp. at 4 foot, 20.0 on grass 18 0
), 6 p.m. 2/ 6.0 „by 0.3
°,, 10 p.m. ~ 1.5 ~ 2.0
Dec. 25, 2i a.m. 22 0.0 „ - 3.0
„ 4 a.m. ~ —6.1 „ —ll4
~ 5 a.m. ~ —7.0 „ 8.3
„ 7 a.m. ~ —7.8 „ —13.3
~ 8 a.m. „ —B.O „ —lll
„ 9 a.m. „ —8.3 „ —12.8
„ 10 a.m. ~ —2.0 „by 4.0
„ 121 p.m. ~ by 7.0 „ 2.5
I have the honour to be, Sir, your obedient servant,
E. J. LOWE.
Observatory, Beeston, near Nottingham, Dec. 25.

Sir,—l venture to send you the readings of my ther-
mometers last night and this morning, as I believe the cold
they indicate is unprecedented in this country.
NIGHT OF DECEMBER 24-25.

Minimum on grass .. —12.9 Corrected.
Minimum under shed .. —ll.O "
Temperature at 930 a.m., Dec. 25 5.0 "
The instruments are by Casella, of Hatton-garden, and
:ested at Kew. The readings may be depended on.
I am, sir, faithfully yours, T. E. CRCAS.
Appleby Vicarage, Brigg, Lincolnshire, Dec. 25.

Sir,—The severity of the season justifies me in sending
you a brief notice. Last evening the frost was intense ; a
thick fog was stretched over the valley of the Thames. At
1 15 a.m. (Christmas morning), Fahrenheit's thermometer
stood at 5 deg., and the air had numerous floating crystals
in it hardly of sufficient density to descend to the earth.
The deposit of hoar frost was exceedingly rapid. This
morning at 7 50 two thermometers, one self-registering and
one upright, indicated 0 deg., that is zero, and at this un-
usually low point they stood till 8 30. The appearance of
the rime on the trees is magnificent, but it may be antici-
pated that the effect on vegetation will be very disastrous.
• Yours obediently,
Wallingford, Dec. 25. CAUEY TYSO, Florist, &c.
a

Sir,—My thermometer this morning stood 1 deg. below
zero, or 33 degrees frost. This is lower, with one excep-
tion, than on any occasion for the past 50 years. The date
to which I refer was the night preceding January 20, 1838,
when the thermometer registered 3 deg. below zero, or 35
dog. of frost.—l am, sir, your obedient servant,

THOMAS L. PLANT.

Moseley-road, Birmingham. Dec. 25.

Sir,—The severity of the cold in this district is, I believe,
unprecedented. The thermometer last night registered 5
deg. below zero, and during this day (Christmas-day) it has
been ranging between two deg. above and two dog. below
zero, with a remarkable clearness of the atmosphere and a
light S.W. wind. I trust you will think this fact worthy
a place in your columns.—l am, sir, your obedient servant,
W. C. WARD-JACKSON.
Greatham-hall, West Hartlepool, Dec. 25.

Sir,—The thermometer in my garden, on a west wall in
a shelt&ed 'situation, marked two degrees above zero
(Fahrenheit) at 8 a.m. this morning,--a degree of cold, I
believe, unknown since the year 1864.—1 remain your obe-
dient servant, A BERKSHIRE RECTOR.
Christmas-day, 1860.

WIND AND WEATHER REPORT.

Ting DAY, D
Bradford, N.E. ; frosty
Brighton, N.E.; snow
Bristol, E. ; GROW
Cambridge, N. 8.; cloudy
Cardiff, N.E. ; snow
Chatham, easterly, fresh;
cloudy
Cork, N.E. ; damp
Deal, S.E. by E., strong
Doncaster, N.; cold
Dublin, S.E.; thaw
Dundee, N.E.; frost
Edinburgh, W.S.W.; frost,

lEc. 27, 9 A.M.

fine
Falmouth, calm ; dense fog
Glasgow, N.E. ; frost
Goole, N.W. ;''frosty
Gravesend, N.E. ; heavy fall
of snow
Harwich, S.E. ; cloudy

Hartlepool, S.E. ; hard frost
Holyhead, E. ; light
breeze, clear
Inverness, S.W. ; frost
Kingstown, S.E. ; dull
Leeds, N.E. ; dull and frosty
Middlesborough. N. ; frOty
Milford Haven, S.; snow
Newcastle on Tyne, W. ;
frosty
Newmarket, E. ; dull
Norwich, N., light; frosty
Peterborough, N.E. ; frost
Southampton, N.E. ; snow
Stockton on Tees, N.E.; dull
Sunderland, N.W. ; frosty
Wakefield, E_; frosty

Weymouth, E.; snow
Whitehaven, N.E. ; dull
York, S.S.E. ; frost

EilThe accounts from Paris state that such applica-
tions as have been received for the Turkish loan are prin-
cipally from the provinces, and that latterly they have come
in slowly. Notice has been giycp, that the Loudon list
will close oil the sth January.