The Sun.
London, England, 1861-01-12 00:00:00

'HE SUN, ,4NDON,
SATURDAY EVENING, JANUARY 12, 1861.
l 1

THE REV. DR. TRESHAM D. GREGG
Preaches TO-MORROW (D.V.) at WOBURN
CHAPEL, Tavistock-place.—Divine services at 11 a.m and
7 p.m.

INTERNATIONAL LIFE ASSURANCE
SOCIETY,
142, Strand, London, W.C., January 10, 1861.
Notice is Hereby Given, that the HALF-YEARLY DIVI-
DEND on the Capital Stock of the Society, at the rate of
Six per Cent. per annum, to the 31Ft December last, is now
due, and in course of PAYMENT at the Society's Office, be-
tween the hours of 11 and 3.
EDMOND S. SYMES, Chairman.
No. 142, Strand, London, W.C.

A LBERT and MEDICAL LIFE ASSURANCE
COMPANY, 7, Waterloo-place, Pall-mall, London, S.W.

Establ:shed 1838.
The Business of the Medical, Invalid, and General Life
Assurance Society having been amalgamated with the Albert
Life Assurance Company, the united business will hence-
forth be carried on under the above title.
Notice is Hereby Given, that the HALF-YEARLY DIVI-
DEND to the 31st ult., after the rate of 7 per cent. per annum,
will be in course of PAYMENT to the Shareholders on and
after the 10th January inst.
HENRY WILLIAM SMITH, Actuary.
Jan. 7, 1861.

LIFE ASSURANCE OFFICE,

METI?OrOLITAN BOARD OF WORKS

The usual meeting of the Metropolitan Board of
Works was held yesterdgy in the Council Chamber,
Guildhall ; Mr. J. Thoraxes in the chair.
The ficancial statement was presented, which
gave the following cash laiances in the hands of
the treasurer :—Current a:counts, £112,704 3s. 9d.;
deposit accounts, £74,000 total, £186,704 3s. 9d.
Government securities in the New Three per Cent.
Annuities, £17,156 6s. U ; cheques ordered but
not presented—issued, £594 16s. 3d. ; not issued,
£86,146 ss. 2d, ; total, £83,741 ls. sd.

SOUTHWARK AND IVESTMI STER COMMUNICATION

A report was received fiom the Street Improve-
ment Committee, recommending cheques to the
amount of £1,347 19s. Bd.be drawn for compensa-
tion to several owners for their property required
for the new street from High-street, Southwark, to
the Blackfriars-road. Tle recommendation was
agreed to.

CEANGE OF IVE.F'TII R.

Last night skating on the Serpentine was again
curried on with great spirit. There was a display
c,f fireworks and various novel amusements. The
ice was stated to be nearly 13 inches thick. There
is to be a fair on the Serpentine on Monday night,
unless the thaw which commenced yesterday should
happily put a stop to the late severity of the season.
All the parks were crowded yesterday, but no ac-
cident of consequence is reported.
The weather at Worcester, which has been most
intense, appeared yesterday to be changing, a partial
thaw having set in. The Severn is still frozen up
above Worcester and all navigation stopped, and a
most remarkable spectacle has been presented
nightly during the week on the Worcester race-
course. As stated in The Sun of Tuesday, this laige
meadow, which lies on the banks of the Severn,
was flooded with water at the end of last week,
which froze to a considerable thickness, and the
water receding from beneath it left the ice upon
the grass, a safe arena for the skaters and sliders.
These have mustered in great numbers, and thou-
sands of persons of both sexes have been disporting
themselves upon its surface by torchlight. Tar
barrels have been burnt on the ice, and every,
variety of game indulged in. At the time of writ-
ing (yesterday) the ice is covered with some thou-
sands of people. Here, as elsewhere, a great many
persons have been thrown out of employ by the
severity of the weather, builders, carpenters, gar-
deners, watermen, and other trades having their
oceupations suspended, and much distress is the
result. To alleviate this funds are being raised, and
coal and soup provided for the poor.
On Thursday night a gentle thaw set in at Liver-
pool, which continued throughout the night and
during the whole of yesterday. All yesterday the
streets were in a filthy and uncomfortable condition
from the melting of the snow. In the morning
large.placards were posted all over the town for
men to clear away the ice and snow, for which
service 2s. per day were offered under authority of
the corporation. The ice on the canals has been 15
inches thick for several days past.
At Leeds and the neighbourhood yesterday
(Friday) a -welcome change took place in the
weather. The frost, which for about three weeks
had been very severe, gave way to a gentle thaw,
which commenced early in the mousing, and con-
tinued throughout the day. The 'wind was from
the south-west up to three o'clock in the afternoon,
but about that time it veered almost northerly, the
temperature grew colder, and no certain prediction
could be ventured upon as to whether frost would
not again prevail in the evening.
A southerly wind yesterday brought fresh
weather at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and there was
every appearance that if the thaw continued the
ice in the Tyne would speedily break up. The
river engineer was clearing away the ice from the
front of t'ie quay and the vessels that have been
icebound so long were likely to get away to-day.
Scarcely any change has taken place in the state
of the weather 'in the eastern counties since the
notice in The Sun of Thursday, with the excep-
tion of dense fogs in the evening succeeding to
very heavy atmosphere during the day. The ther-
mometer has in no instance since Thursday that
we have heard of risen above freezing-point, nor
has it at the period of greatest severity indicated
more than 20 degrees of frost. All the rivers are
completely blocked, and trade at the ports of Mal-
don, Colchester, Ipswich, Woodbridge, and other
places, is almost suspended, the owners of vessels
preferring VI lie at anchor rather than run any
risks even where a passage has been forced through
the ice. The consequence hes been a very con-
siderable advance in the price of sea-borne coals,
thereby adding another evil to the already multi-
plied sufferings of the poor. It is now found that large
bodies of agricultural labourers must seek relief in
Union houses, tenant farmers most reluctantly
parting with them in consequence of their inability
to follow any out-door occupation. New discove-
ries of cases of most intense suffering are being
made daily, and already the Union houses are
rapidly filling.