The Sun.
London, England, 1861-01-17 00:00:00

Last night another performance took place upon
the Serpentine in Hyde-park, which was attended.
with serious accidents to several persons.' There
seemed some probability of the weather changing,
for towards 10 o'clock there was a slight fall of
sleet or snow; but several thousand persons, in-
cluding ladies, lined the greater portion of ice on
the Serpentine. Nearly 1,000 yards, from the cas-
cade to the bridge, were studded with tents, amuse-
ment courts, several military conical tents, fires in
large iron machines for "deviling" chops, steaks,
&c. Thousands of persons formed themselves into
procession, headed by a band of bellringers and
a brass band, and, after passing up and down
the river for some time, the skaters going through
some extraordinary evolutions, such as fast
skating, fancy skating, quadrilles, and the
" Female Volunteer Battle Race," &c., the
whole party returned at railway speed to the east
end of the river, and having formed themselves into
military companies, they went through various
exercises, and at length the word of command was
to advance. The ladies, the gentlemen, and the
roughs then wheeled first to the right, then to the
left, and having formed themselves into an immense
square, the sport of the night began. A Royal
salute having been fired, the bellringers and the
brass band struck up " God save the Queen ;" after
which fireworks, consisting of nearly 1,500 ser-
pents, crackers, squibs, &c., were discharged at one
time. The first attack, a very dangerous one, was
upon the spectators on the north and south shores,
and several persons were injured by the fireworks
striking them in the face and eyes. A great num-
ber of persons, probably over a dozen, were conveyed
to the Receiving-house with cut heads. The ice is
now 13 inches thick.
The thermometer at the Royal Humane Society's
Receiving-house during Tuesday night was 23 deg.,
at 9 o'clock yesterday morning it was 25 deg., at
noon the quicksilver stood at 274 deg., and at 9 last
night the glass indexed 291 deg, and the barometer
stood at 31.21 inches. The wind was north-east,
and during-the morning exceedingly piercing.
The other parks were much crowded.
There has been another considerable fall of snow
in the Midland Counties, and the cold is again as
severe as ever. The thaw which set in on Friday
continued up to Sunday, when the f-ost again re-
turned, and at night a slight fall of snow took place
which continusl up to the following morning, com-
pletely covering the earth for the third time since
the commencement of the frost with a white mantle.
The frost has now lasted exactly a month,' It has
created great destruc' :on in the gardens. Potatoes
are very generally frosted. In some places they had
not been raised when the frcst set in last month,
and, as the ground is frozen to some depth, these
must be all destroyed. The shrubs and ornamental
trees have suffered to a remarkable extent by the
frost and snow. A cutting wind blows from the east,
and the sports on the racecourse have been renewed.
These, as described in The Sun of last week, give
entertainment to a vast number of persons, while
the unemployed labourers, watermen, gardeners,
end bricklayers pick up a hard living by waiting
upon the skaters, sweeping the snow off the ice,
supplying torches, &c. The Severn is frozen over,
and people walk over its surface daily. The canals
also have been frozen up for a fortnight, so that
the fresh water navigation of the district is com-
pletely put a stop to.
At Nottingham (Wednesday) the frost continues
extremely severe. Since the thaw on Sunday snow
has fallen, which will to some extent protect the
young wheats from the intensity of the cold. For
the past three days there has been a strong east
wind, and at present there is no indication of the
frost breaking up.
The old easterly wind, with hard frosty weather,
bas -ned at Portsmouth, after a short visit of
southerly breezes, with increased strength and
sharpness, On Monday and Tuesday nights espe-
cially the wind blew at times a perfect gale,
moderating on both days during daylight, but
still blowing heavily to leeward. Yesterday
the wind had got in to the E.N.E., and the cold
was intense, which was felt at Ityde perhaps
more keenly than in any other portion of the
south corst. At sunset yesterday the wind was, as
on the two previous days, increasing in force,
and there was every prospect of a rough night,
with a freezing head wind to homeward-bound
ships to England. The following are the readings
of a thermometer during the past six days under a
verandah in a sheltered position out-of-doors :-
11th inst., at 8 a.m., 23; 12th, 34; 13th, 38; 14th,
32 ; 15th, 28 ; 16th, 24.
The thaw which set in in some parts of South
Yorkshire at the end of last week has been suc-
ceeded by a sharp frost, which was intense on
Tuesday night. Navigation, which was expected
soon to be opened, still remains closed, with every
prospect of a continuance. Distress is acutely felt
by the watermen and others engaged in navigation,
and at Doncaster, Thorne, and
,other places, relief
has been largely administered.

FEARFUL RAILWAY ACCIDENT AT
GREETIVELL, NEAR LINCOLN.

An accident of a fearful character, attended, we
regret to say, with loss of life, happened a short dis-
tance from Lincoln yesterday (Monday) even-
ing. It appears that the down train from Hull,
due at Lincoln at 7.45 p.m., entered the Greet-
well cutting a little after its time. On reaching
the Lincoln end the tire of the engine wheel came
off, and the engine slipped off the rails, rushed over
the other line of rails, and ran into the bank—at
this place several feet high—and toppled over, the
cleaner, a young mar named Fredk. Taylor, who
resides at New Holland, falling off, the lower part
of his body being underneath the engine. The driver
was pitched upon a hedge, his head being severely
cut. The tender was also upset, but it laid in such
a position as to form en arch, under which the
stoker crept, by which means he escaped uninjured.
Next to the tender were three vans laden with fish,
all of which were thrown over, the contents being
strewn about in all directions. After the fish vans
were the passenger carriages, in the first of which
were several passengers. On either side of the
seat nearest the engine two men were sitting, ono
of whom was Mr. Chas. Clarke, wheelwright, of
Horncastle—the son of this gentleman sat on the
seat opposite. The passengers were first made aware
that something was amiss on hearing a loud bump.
Mr. Clarke at once jumped over the seat in front of
him, and no sooner had he done so than the middle
of the end of the carriage was forced in with a ter-
rific crash, Mr. Clarke, jun., having both his legs
severely injured. The father escaped with a few
bruises, but there can he no doubt that had he not
taken the precaution to move from his position he
would have been crushed to death. None of the
other passengers were injured. Both lines of rails
were completely blocked up by the shattered car-
riages, and consequently the guard (Mr. Pearson)
at once proceeded to Lincoln, the majority of the
passengers accompanying him. On Mr. Hawkins,
the station master, being made acquainted with the
particulars of the accident he at once sent for Dr.
Lowe, and that gentleman, with two assistants,
proceeded to the scene of the melancholy occurrence
about a quarter of an hour afterwards, accompanied
by a great number of persons employed at the
station and others. On reaching the spot, ee
terrible nature of the accident was
atbroknen
apparent. Fish and portions of
directions,id wel be
smash" being as complete
as foundcou under the
vans were lying about in all
imagined. The poor cleaner was
was upon the
engine, the whole weight of
whichupon examination it
lower part of his body, andd should h d been
was a
was found that his head an
there can be no doubt, frightfully scalded;
s were only momentary. It
how-
ever, that his suffeFili the
the
o extricate the body, there
not being means a an to raise the ponderous
• The injured man and the remainder of the
engine.
ers were then brought to Lincoln, and the
passeng h
wounds of t e driver were dressed in the refresh-
ment-room at the station, Mr. Clarke, jun., being
in the meantime removed to the Lion Hotel. On.
examining the latter sufferer it was found that he
was found
had sustained an extensive bruise on the right shin,
impossitbhegt d
and that his left thigh Was torn nearly from the
knee to the hip, the wound being of a serious cha.
racter. Fortunately no bones were broken. Hopes
are entertained of Mr. Clarke's recovery, but it is
feared he will be unfit to be removed for some weeks.
A number of men were sent for the purpose of dig-
ging out the unfortunate man, who, we understand,
rode on one of the carriages until the train reached
Langworth, four miles distant from the place
where the accident occurred. It is usual, we be-
lieve, to place the passenger carriages next the
engine, and had not the railway officials deviated
from this rule on the present occasion many lives
must certacnly have been lost. No blame appears
adduced at the coroner's inquest.
to attach to any one, but fuller details will be

AN UNSEASONABLE VISITOR.—A few clays since,
as Mr. R. Woodland and others were in a wood at Mr.
Duke's, Monk's Horton Priory, Sellinge, they heard a rust-
ling among some old wood near them. On looking amongst
the wood, they found that the noise proceeded from the
movements of a large adder, or British viper. Although
surrounded by snow and ice, the reptile appeared to have
lost none of its energy, and was not easily despatched.
Ultimately, the adder was decapitated ; but, what is very
remarkable, though the headless trunk lay exposed to the
cold during the whole of the day, in the evening it was
observed to move about,-21141Wettow,Torernal.