The Sun.
London, England, 1861-01-07 00:00:00

THE WEATHER AND THE PARKS.

The various parks of the metropolis have not for
many years past presented such a gay and animated
appearance as they did yesterday. From the hour
of 9 on Saturday night until late last night skating
and sliding prevailed to a greater extent than in
any previous season. Daring the night torchlight
processions and skating mat' hes were kept up with
full vigour, especially upon the Serpentine, in Hyde
Park ; and as E.OO i es tne park gates were opened
yesterday morni lg a great many persons, includ-
ing members of the peerage and elegantly-dressed
ladies and gentlemen, went into the various parks.
There were towards the middle of the day 30,500
persons on the ice on the Serpentine. The Regent's
Park had also 25,000 skaters and sliders on the ice.
St. James's Park had upon the ornamental waters
of the enclosure over 6,000, including men, women,
and children, with a great Lumber of the Scots
Fusileer and Coldstream Gua'c3s. The Volunteer
Rifle Brigade, belonging to various corps, also mus-
tered in great strength, and the diversity in the
colour of their clothing had a singular and pic-
turesque effect. The Round Pond in Kensington-
gardens had about 4,000 preons, including many
ladies, on the ice, and above 6,C00 went upon the
Long Water between the Serpentine-bridge and
Hyde Park. The above numbers, although taken
from the official retarns of the Royal Humane
Society, convey but a faint idea of the number of
prisons who thronged the foot promenades and the
carriage drives. The banks on the south and north
of the Serpentine became almost impassable, and
towards the after part of the day the carriage roads
were crowded with vehicles. At length the crowd
upon the ice and also upon the footpaths became
so great, that Mr. Young, the secretary, Mr.
Superintendent Williams, Drs. Christian, Norton,
and Sir John Fisher (chief surgeon to the Metro-
politan Police), the Honourable Colonel de Roos,
Capt. Hawkins, and Mr. Benjamin Hawes, the
treasurer, visited the different parks in order to
render assistance, owing to the many accidents that
occurred. Sir John Fisher attended principally to
see that the sufferers received proper treatment,
and he expressed himself highly as to the manner
in which the sufferers were attended to.
THE SERPENTINE, HYDE PARK.

, An immense number of accidents took place on
this water during the previous night. When the
night was dark and some hundreds were skating
over the ice with lighted flambeaux- au alarm was
given from the south shore that a men was in the
water. Deputy-Superintendent Parsons and Ice-
man Green went across the ice with a slight sledge,
being guided entirely by the cries of the man and
the people on the bank, it being too dark for them
to see. They, however, found a Mr. Aldin, living
at the Gloucester Hotel, Kensington, struggling in
the water. Upon taking the sledge to his rescue
the machine broke through the ice, and Deputy-
Superintendent Parsons was pitched head foremost
into the water, and the skin was cut away from one
of his eyes. The cork jacket he had on enabled
him to save the man but the icemen were unable
to get either the sufferer or themselves off the ice
until Mr. Arnold, of 72, Baker-street (formerly
champion diver of the river), who pushed a drag,
and Green, were enabled to save the whole party.
A lady and gentleman who had been skating by
torchlight were prevented just in the nick of time
by Parsons from falling into the channel caused by
raising the ice for her Majesty's kitchen. During
yesterday 25 persons, with seriously cut heads, in-
cluding several women, had their wounds dressed
at the Receiving-house by Mr. Superintendent
Williams. A men (name unknown) fell on the ice
and fractured his wrist. Two brothers, named
Neville, of Knightsbridge-green, were tripped up
by the skaters. One had his thigh broken, the
other was so seriously cut and otherwise injured
that, after having his wounds dressed at the
Receiving-house, be became delirious. The other
boy was removed to St. George's Hospital.
REGENTS PARK.

A great number of accidents of a serious charac-
ter happened in this park during the day, which is
not to be wondered at when it is considered that
25,000 persons were assembled, skating about in
the best way they could. Deputy-Superintendent
Parsons estimates the promenaders on the banks as
being three times the above number. To get either
in or out of the park was a work of no small diffi-
culty. Among the persons most severely injured
were a Mr. Rachel, of New-street, Dorset-square;
Mr. Franklin. of Middleton-street, Portland-road;
John Newman, of Grove-street, Poplar New-town ;
William Wright, of Duke-street, Lisson-grove ;
William Danley, Church-passage, Lisson•grove ;
and Mr. Trowbridge, the Grove, Camden-town. A
lad named C. Martin, of 6, Park-street, Dorset-
square, was cruelly treated by a fellow, who, while
skating, gave him a blow on the mouth and knocked
several of his teeth out. Search was made for the
man who inflicted tha injuries upon the sufferer,
but he could not be found.

The thermometer at the Royal Humane Society's
Receiving-house in Hyde-park during Saturday
night was as low as 21 deg. ; at 9 a.m. it was 211
deg., and at noon the mercury was 30 deg. ; but
last night the quicksilver kept descending, and at
5 o'clock it was as low as 27 deg. The barometer
in the park indexed 30.19. The wind was north-
east, and very cutting to the eyes.