The Sun.
London, England, 1861-01-08 00:00:00

THE WEATHER AND THE PARIS.

Thousands of persons assembled in the various
parks yesterday. On the Serpentine last night
there were upwards of 1,000 sliders and skaters,
and a procession was formed by several hundred
torch-bearers. They were headed by a band of
music and proceeded along the ice amid universal
cheering. There was also a display of fireworks,
and altogether the scene was novel and exciting. It
is stated that there is to be a fair and also a grand
display of fireworks this evening, at which a large
number of the Rifle Volunteers will be present.
The Serpentine during yesterday was visited by
16,000 skaters and sliders, including several mem-
bers of the Skating Club. There was about the
came number of spectators. Upwards of 20 persons
were taken into the Receiving-house, having sus-
tained very severe cut heads and contusions. Their
wounds were dressed, and Dr. Christian, the society's
medical officer, was unceasing in his attention.
On the Long Water and the Round Pond there
were about 6,000 persons. There were a few acci-
dents, but nothing of consequence took place.
In St. James's Park the number of visitors was
also very large. Several immersions occurred, but
all were rescued.

It is computed that there were about 10,000 per-
sons in the Regent's Park. Some rather serious
accidents took place during the day. About half-
past 4 o'clock Mr. John Welch, of High-street,
Marylebone, fell upon the ice and broke his collar
bone, and it was deemed advisable to convey him
to the hospital.
There is a good deal of ice in the Thames, and
the navigation is almost entirely suspended.

The weather in Devonshire during the past week
has been extremely severe. A rapid thaw took place
a few days ago, which caused the rivers Exe, Culme,
Creedy. and Clyst to overflow their banks, and so
great was the spread of water that the adjacent
marshes had the appearance of a sea. Some vil-
lages were inundated, and ricks of hay and other
valuable agricultural stock were carried away by
the water. At Hatherleigh, in the north of Devon,
a party of Marines, being on their way home in an
omnibus to visit their friends, after a sea voyage,
got immersed in the water, and their lives were
saved with great difficulty. On the road to More-
ton, which is near Dartmoor, a old man, 75 years
of age, named William Rolestone, was found dead
in the snow. The poor old man was on his way
from Dunsford to Moreton with a donkey and
cart containing apples, but he never reached the
latter place alive. At Kingsbridge another old
man, named Drew, while working in a lane,
dropped down and died from the severity
of the weather. On Sunday there was a heavy
fall of snow in Exeter, and generally throughout
Devonshire. It is gratifying to state that zealous
eforts are still being made to mitigate the suffer-
ings of the poor through the medium of public soup
kitchens. In Exeter large quantities of excellent
soup are daily supplied to the poor ; and at a pub-
lic meeting held a few days ago the Rev. Chancellor
Harington announced a donation of £3O from the
Dean and Chapter, and £5 ss. from himself towards
the funds of the soup kitchen- Other gentlemen
subscribed to the amount of £130; and it was re-
solved that parochial collections should be made.
The benefit conferred upon the poor by the opera-
tion of the Exeter Soup Kitchen is incalculable.
The Earl of Devon has made arrangements with
the committee for a supply of soup to the poor at
Kenton, a village distant seven or eight miles from
Exeter. In several other towns in Devonshire soup
kitchens have been opened with gratifying success.
The frost has been remarkably severe in Worces-
tershire, and the Severn and Avon are at this
moment completely frozen up, the former above
Worcester, and the latter throughout the whole
course through Gloucestershire and Worcestershire.
The Avon is also flooded to a great extent, the
whole of the flooded waters being frozen up, and
representing in the vale a perfect sea of life. At
Worcester the racecourse was flooded after the
melting of the snow last week, and completely
covered with water from the Severn. This froze
at the end of the week, and on Sunday and yester-
day (Monday) was covered with many thousands of
persons skating, sliding, and otherwise disporting
themselves oa the iee with perfect security, for the
water, having rapidly subsided, has left the ice on
the surface of the grass several inches thick with-
out any fluid under it. Such an event was
never recollected before in the local annals.
The canals are all frozen up and the traffic upon
them has ceased ; that upon the Severn was also
hindered from the same cause, so that we have no-
thing to depend upon for our traffic but the railways.
On these the snow offered some obstructions at first,
but now excellent time is kept, and, happily, there
have as yet been no accidents. Yesterday morning
the thermometer stood at 14 deg., on Christmas-
day it was as low as 4 deg. There is every
appearance of the cold continuing.
Yesterday, the quantity of ice which has floated
into the Humber from the North Sea had accumu-
lated so much outside the port of Hull as to render
a stoppage of the ferries between that place and
New Holland a measure of imminent necessity, if
it has not actually been adopted. A similar sus-
pension, for one day only, took place about four
years ago. After dark, of course, the danger to
navigation is the greatest.