The Sun.
London, England, 1861-01-03 00:00:00

ALLEGED ENCROACHMENI ON PUBLIC

RIGHTS AT IfIGINATE.

Yesterday afternoon, at a meeting of the St. Pan-
cras Representative Vestry, the subject of an at-
tempt about to be made to close an ancient public
foot-path, leading from the end of Swain's-lane, at
the foot of Highgate-hill, to Highgate-church, was
brought under consideration, and memorials were
presented on the subject.
Mr. Churchwarden CARTER occupied the chair,
and a report was read from the Highways, Sewers,
and Public Works Committee, stating that the com-
mittee had taken into consideration a letter which
had been received from Miss Burdett Coutts, calling
upon the vestry to close up a lane called Love-lane,
or Bromages-lane, Highgate ; that the committee,
having also viewed the locality, recommended that
the footpath should not be closed or abandoned,
being a right of way for the public, but that it
should be properly repaired and drained, for which
they had directed the surveyor to prepare estimates.
Two memorials were presented, one from the in-
cumbent and curate of St. Michael's, Highgate, and
another from the incumbent and some forty or fifty
of the inhabitants of St. Ann's, Brookfield, stating
that the lane known as " Bromages-lane," or Love-
lane, leading from the north end of Kentish-town
by Swain's-lane to Highgate, was of no use or bene-
fit to the inhabitants, but for some years past had
been the resort of improper characters, and from
the immoralities practised there a great nuisance ;
that there were several schools in the neighbour-
hood, including the endowed public school of Sir
Roger Cholmondeley ; and as allowing the lane to
remain open only tended to immorality and was of
no public benefit, the memorialists submitted that
instead of any parish money being spent thereon,
it should be at once closed.

Mr. SILAS TAYLOR said he had a memorial to
present, which was signed by the whole of the
clergy of Kentish-town and the northern districts,
by 20 members of that board, and by upwards of
300 rate payers of Highgate and Kentish-town,
praying the vestry not to listen to the attempt to
close this right of way against the public. The
memorialists stated that, understanding an attempt
was being made to stop up the footpath (known as
Bromages-walk") leading across the fields from
Swan's-lane to Highgate, they urged the vestry
not to sanction, under the plea of immoralities
having occurred there (but which was denied by
the police), so unjust an encroachment on the rights
of the public, closing, as it would, one of the few
retired and rural walks still left in the neighbour-
hood of the metropolis, and debarring the inhabi-
tants of our crowded streets and thoroughfares
from seeking within so accessible a distance of
their own dwellings that fresh air and healthy
exercise which would thus be lost to them for ever.
He moved that this memorial be received and en-
tered upon the minutes.

Mr. O. CRANE seconded the motion, which was
carried.

Mr. DOUGLAS said there could be no doubt this
was a public right of way. He could remember it
himself 60 years ago. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. ECKETT said the subject was an important
one, and he moved that all4the memorials be taken
into consideration when the estimates were brought
up.
This was seconded and carried unanimously.

THE JFE,4THER.

The frost has returned to the metropolis with
considerable intensity. Before midnight on Tues-
day the wind changed from the south-west to the
northern point of the compass, when the thermo-
meter fell rapidly, until it had descended two
degrees below the freezing register. The result
was that the streets were by midnight perfectly
dry and every puddle frozen. At sunrise the sky
was quite clear, the atmosphere exceedingly brac-
ing, and the wind keen and brisk, Nor did any
change take place during the day, with the
exception of the appearance, at intervals, of a few
fleecy clouds, the barometer continuing meanwhile
to rise towards " fair," and the thermometer never
sinking below the line marked " freezing," even
where fully exposed to the sun. Mr. Bokenham,
the Controller r.of the Circulation Department of
the Post-office, issued in the course of the morning
a notice to the effect that the bags for the follow-
ing post towns had not arrived when the morning
mails outward, and the town letters, were sent out
for delivery, viz., Stowmarket, Needham Market,
Grantham, Port Glasgow, Greenock, Paisley,
Hereford, Leominster, Ludlow, Rhayader, Tenbury,
and Kingston. The whole of the low lands for
many miles in the midland and south-eastern
counties—the mail guards reported—were under
water, and to an extent not witnessed for many
years past.

Large numbers of persons visited the various
parks yesterday for the purpose of skating. The
ice on the Serpentine, however, had been rendered
so dangerous by the thaw of Sunday and Monday,
that the officers •of the Royal Humane Society
endoavoured to prevent persons from venturing
upon it. They were generally successful in this,
though in spite of them some few people were bold
enough to run the risk, being in some cases re-
warded by falls and broken heads. The ice on the
ornamental water in St. James' Park and on the
Long Water in Kensington Gardens, was in a much
better condition, and some thousands of persons
enjoyed themselves upon it during the day, no
serious accident occurring. The ice in the Regent's
Park was dangerous, and the public were not al-
lowed upon it.

FEARFUL SCENE ON THE NORTRUM-
BERLAND COAST.

SHIELDS, lan. I.—lmmediately after sending my
despatch from here this morning, intelligence came
into the town that a brig was in great distress off
the coast, and was drifting in towards the shore.
Mr. Byrne, the chief boatman of the Coastguard at
the Spanish Battery at Tynemouth, with his crew
and a number of seafaring men, immediately got
out Manley's apparatus,with rockets, arc., and pro-
ceeded along the coast with them. The sea at that
time was fearful—higher than it has almost ever
been known, and breaking at least five miles from
the shore, and there was every appearance that the
unfortunate vessel would be engulphed with her
crew, before assistance could reach them. The mas-
ter of the vessel, however, with considerable pru-
dence, chose a good beach—Whitley Sands—on
which he ran her to attempt to save the lives of him-
self and crew, but the vessel being, unfortunately,
coal laden, she struck a considerable distance from
the shore—so far that the rockets would not carry
to her. The Percy lifeboat, belonging to the Na-
tional Lifeboat Institution at Cullercoats, was then
sent for, but some of the fishermen having blocked
the approaches to the lifeboat-house up with cables
and other craft, a delay of half an hour occurred
before the boat could be got away. It was dragged
along the coast by six horses, and launched from
the sands amid great excitement, for by this time
nearly all the fishing population in the district had
gatheredupon the sands. The boat was well manned
with an excellent crew of Cullercoats fisher-
men, Mr. Byrne, of the Coastguard, going off with
them. They pulled out bravely through the raging
sea, and got the lifeboat alongside the brig and
hooked her. At the time they did so the sea was
making a complete breach over the vessel, sweeping
her decks and leaping half way up her rigging. The
crew were in the rigging, but as soon as the life-
boat got alongside they came on to the deck. They
had no sooner done so than three of them were swept
off the deck into the water between the lifeboat
and the ship. By the admirable manner with
which the lifeboat was handled and her fine sea pro- ,'
perties the three poor fellows were laid hold of, the
last man by the hair of his head as he was sinking,
and they were dragged into the lifeboat and saved.
Other two of the men got from the vessel to the
lifeboat, but a poor lad remained on board. His t, cries were pitiable, and several gallant efforts were
made to rescue him, but none of them succeeded. /
The vessel at last began to break tip, and the life-
boat crew had only time to cut the rope holding her
to the ship and she was swept under her stern, 1,
when the ship's mainmast fell over into the sea I, just where the lifeboat had lain, and the ship broke
in two and drowned the poor lad. The five men
rescued were brought ashore in a very exhausted
condition, and had to be carried to a neighbouring .;
farmhouse, where they were carefully attended to,
and, though one of them is badly cut about the,
head, they are all likely to recover. The vessel
proved to be the Saucy
Nancy. of Seaham, a brig
of about 16 keels. She was laden, and it is stated
had two men swept from her decks on New Year's-
eve at sea.

CommanderliiS , liemdal, Capt.
Gibraltar for Copenhagen,
Gciobrrvaelttat e
panisshhuMiza,jefrsotym's
Which put into plymouth Sound on the 29th ult.
for fuel, left on Monday afternoon for her des-
tination. _ ...

A STRANGE TEXT.—In one of the Aberdeen
churches, on Saturday, a young preacher somewhat
astonished the congregation by giving out as his text the
last four verses of the first chapter of the Ist Book of
Chronicles :—" The Dukes of Edom tvere—Duke Tirana,
Duke Allah, Duke Jethoth, Duke Aholibama, Duke Elah,
Duke Pinon, Duke Kenaz, Duke Teman, Duke Mabzar,
Duke Magdiel, Duke Iram. These are the Dukes of
Edom." Though the text was, as an inielligent lady of
the old school remarked, " gey affectit kin," it was very
well handled—the burden of the lesson being—Who were
these men ? what has been the influence of their lives ? and
what will In tlAg iiifluence of your life and mine ?