The Sun.
London, England, 1859-02-16 00:00:00

BURSTING OF TILE CRINAN CANAL,

A farmer on the banks of the canal, who suffered
by the late terrible overflowing of the waters, thus
describes the catastrophe :—" I suppose you will
have heard by this time of the sad disaster that has
happened here by the breaking down of one of the
reservoirs of the Crinan Canal. It took place on
the night of Wednesday, the 2d inst., about 7 o'clock,
and has made an awful destruction; but, thank God,
there are no lives lost, although there were some
very narrow escapes and a great deal of damage
done to property ; and I am sorry to say that I
am among the heaviest of the losers. My farm
was swept over (almost every foot of it, excepting
the knowe where the dwelling-house stands) by a
volume of water not less than 10 feet deep. Six of
my corn stacks were taken away clean, and as far
as I saw them, going down towards the sea, they
were quite whole—not one sheaf of them removed
from another. The remaining six stacks of corn
and six of hay, which were left in the stackyard, a
stone wall which stood behind them preventing
them from being carried off, were almost over the
tops in the water. All my potatoes and turnips
were also swept away. The place where the water
broke forth and entered into the canal is about 100

-ards above Carinban Inn. It carried walls, em

bankments, locks, and everything that stood in its
way before it. The walls and roof of the inn are
still standing, but all the man's furniture and effects
are a total wreck. You can have no idea, nor can

I describe to you the appearance of the first ap-
proach of the flood coming down my meadows,
about a mile above my house. The noise of the
waters was most alarming ; they carried everything
before them, the cattle and people that happened to
be on the road at the time flying for their lives. I
was in bed when the alarm was first given ; and
you may depend upon it there was very little time
lost in dressing. I had just got all my cattle
and horses out of the byres and stables, and up
on to the high ground at my own door, when in
a few minutes I was completely surrounded—no-
thing to be heardbut the roaring of waters on all sides
of me, my friends and neighbours meanwhile running
round the sides of the hills seeking me, thinking they
would never see me again until they found me in
Lochflue among the frcoh herrinsa. I put On mPn to
estimate the damage done, and find that it is about
£2OO ; but we cannot yet rightly ascertain what
damage is done to the land, as the water is not
altogether subsided. The canal is in the hands of
Government, and it is hoped that they will not
allow me and others to come to such a sad loss."
—Glasgow Herald.

HEALTH OF LONDON DURING THE
WEEK.

(From the Registrar-General's Report.)

The deaths registered in London, which, in the
previous week, had fallen to 1,243, were 1,274 in
the week that ended last Saturday—showing an
increase, but not of considerable amount. In the
ten years 1849-58 the average number of deaths
in the weeks corresponding with last week was
1,180 ; but as the deaths returned for last week
occurred in a population which has increased, they
can only be compared with the average raised pro-
portionally to the increase—namely, 1,298. The
actual number of deaths last week was, there-
fore, rather less than the number obtained by cal-
culation.
The deaths arising from scarlatina and diphtheria
continue slightly on the decrease, the numbers
from the two diseases together in the last three
weeks having been 113, 92, and 89. Nineteen deaths
from diphtheria occurred last week in the following
sub districts one in St. John, Paddington, one in
Hanover-square, one in Belgrave, two in Christ-
church, Alarylebone, one in Kentish Town, two in
Islington West, one in Islington East, one in Stam-
ford-hill, one in St. Giles's North, one in St. George,
Holborn, one in Holywell,.Shoreditch, one in St.
Leonard, Shoreditch, one in Hoxton New Town, one
in Haggerston West, one in Spitalfields, one in Kent-
road, and one in Battersea. It appears that all, except
two, occurred on the north side of the river. The indi-
cations of an increase of small-pox which the re-
ports of recent weeks have contained are now very
decidedly confirmed, the deaths from this disease
having risen last week to 29. Twenty-four of these
occurred in the central and east districts, the parts
chiefly infested being situated in the sub-districts
of Finsbury, Whitecross-street, East and West
Haggerston. The registrar of Finsbury recorded
no less than six deaths from small-pox last week,
two of these in a family at 19, Cowper-street. He
states that an unusual number of children are
suffering from this complaint in Paradise-place and
Cowper street, that the locality is well paved and
drained, but lies rather low, and that the habits of
the poor people who occupy it are very dirty.
Of seven nonagenarians, whose deaths were re-
gistered last week, six were 90 and 91 years of age,
and a woman was 96 years. .
Last week the births of 898 boys and 856 girls,
in all 1,754 children, were registered in London.
In the ten corresponding weeks of the years
1849-58 the average number was 1,713.
At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the mean
height of the barometer in the week was 29.353 in.
The barometrical readings varied from 29.15 in.
on Sunday to 29.63 in. on Saturday. The mean
temperature of the week was 42.4 deg., which is
3.5 deg. above the average of the same week in 43
years (as determined by Mr. Glaisher.) The mean
daily temperature rose considerably above the
average on the last four days. The thermometer
fell to 30.8 deg. on Tuesday, the lowest point in
the week, and rose to its highest point, 52.2 deg.,
on Saturday. Tho range of the week was, there-
fore, 21.4. The mean daily range was 11.4. The
difference between the mean dew-point tempera-
ture and air temperdture was 3.6 deg. The mean
degree of humidity of the air was 89. The wind
blew almost every day from the south-west. Rain
fell to the amount of 0.48 in.