The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-01-11 00:00:00

THE WEATHER LAST YEAR.

January was throughout stormy, with heavy rains ; the
total amount in the guage 4.48 inches. Though the tem-
perature was upwards of 3 deg. above the average of the
month—viz., 39 deg. 04 min., yet there were 18 frosty
nights. The minimum of temperature occurred on the
4th, 25 deg., wind north-west; but there was no frost by
day. The barometer was throughout depressed, except
In one sudden elevation on the 18th, when it attained to
30.0 inches.

February- began with a spring-like atmosphere, a tem-
perature of 54 deg. on the Ist ; but it soon declined, and
on the 18th a course of northerly and easterly winds set
in, which continued, with little intermission, till June.
March opened with great severity. The minimum of
temperature on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, sth, and 6th, was 22
deg., 23 deg., 20 deg., 29 deg., and 23 deg. ; and the
number of frosty nights during the month was 21 ; but
there was little or no snow. A sudden and extraordinary
interval of summer-like weather occurred from the 21st to
the 24th, when the thermometer attained to 60 deg. But

it was quickly succeeded 'ay the north-east winds, and on
the 24th occurred one. of the most remarkable depressions
of temperature. At 1 p.m. on the 24th, the temperature
was 56 deg., and at 7 a.m. on the 25th it was 28 deg.,
thus showing a depression of 18 deg. in only 18 hours.
An Instance of this yet more extraordinary occurred in
April. On the 14th, at noon, the temperature was 69
deg. ; on the 16th, at the same hour, it was only 45 deg.,
and at night fell to 24 deg.
The same excessive changes from heat to cold, and vice
versa, continued through May. On the 2nd and 3rd the
minimum temperature was 27 deg., being within 2 deg. of
the greatest cold of January, while on the 9th it reached
71 deg. in the shade ! After the 20th the temperature
never passed 55 deg., and from the 24th to the 29th the
sun never appeared, attended with cold north-east winds ;
on the 29th, the minimum temperature was 31 deg., which
was destructive to all kinds of fruit.
June was throughout wet and cold. There were 28
days on which rain fell, and the month had quite the cha-
racter of October. The mean temperature of the month
amounted only to 55 deg. 79 min.
On the 3d of July a sudden change to intense heat
took place, which continued, though several times par-
tially interrupted by tremendous thunderstorms, till the
end of the month. From the 4th to the 16th the ther-
mometer stood every day at or above 80 deg.. on the sth
nearly 90 deg., and on the 9th 87 deg. On the 16th
occurred one of the most terrific thunderstorms on re-
cord ; the phenomena, indeed, were not those common to
our latitudes, but partook of the character of those ob-
served in tropical countries. The lightning flashed every
second, and the fall of rain was nearly two inches in three
hours ! Hailstones also fell the size of walnuts. On the
25th another thunderstorm took place, nearly, if not
quite, as fearful as that of the ]6th. The rain fell in
such torrents that 1.80 inches descended in 1 hours.
Several other storms occurred of minor import ; and the
unusually large amount of 4.82 inches of rain fell on only
six days of the month, due entirely to thunderstorms.
On the 3d of August the rain again set in, and from
that time to the present there has been but one week of
fair weather, which oceurred about the middle of October.
September began with some disastrous thunderstorms,
though very partial. The atmosphere was unusually close
to the 10th, when it suddenly became quite the reverse,
through a change of wind to north-west. On the 16th
the minimum temperature was 37 deg.
October began very stormy. On the 4th a deluge of
rain, with a gale from the south south-west ; 1'25 inches
of rain fell in eight hours. On the 7th the weather be-
came fine, and remained so, with intervals of showers, till
the 21st, when heavy rain again fell, and since that time
there have been but six days on which rain, more or less,
has not fallen.

The disastrous floods of November last will be so com-
pletely within the recollection of our readers as to need
but a short comment. The enormous amount of 5.79
inches of rain fell, and 6.20 near London ; from the 11th
to the 14th inclusive the rain descended with literally only
the cessation of 10 minutes during these four days and
nights.

The month of December by no means detracted from
the remarkable character of the past year. The south-
west winds blew almost constantly, and the atmosphere
was singularly mild, to such an extent that the spring
flowers were in bloom through the month. On the 11th
the maximum temperature was 58 deg., being 6 deg.
higher than on the 11th of June last ! On the 16th and
24th there were violent thunderstorms in many parts ;
that on the 16th was ganeral nearly throughout the
kingdom. On the nights of the 24th and 26th we were
visited with two of the most terrific storms of wind that
have been experienced for 13 years. That on the 26th,
especially, did much damage in many parts of the kingdom.

THE NEW CHURCH AT FAIRFIELD.

The ceremony of consecrating the new church at Fair-
field, situate midway between Edge-hill and the Old Swan,
about three minutes' walk from the Botanic Gardens, will
take place on Friday next, by the Lord Bishop of Chester.
It was originally intended that this ceremony should have
been performed on the sth of October last, but, after all
the preparations had been made, it was unavoidably post-
poned, owing to the sudden death of the Rev. John S.
Bushby, the founder and incumbent, taking place a few
days previous to that date. We published at the time a
full account of the melancholy circumstances attending
the death of Mr. Bushby, which threw a gloom over the
town.

The church, which is to be dedicated to St. John the
Divine, forms a feature in the scenery of the neighbour-
hood of great beauty. On reaching the summit of Edge-
hill, its lofty spire may be seen towering above the sur-
rounding villas ; and on passing the Botanic Gardens as
far as Beech-street into Holly-road, the body of the
church comes into view with the picturesque parsonage
house beyond, the whole surrounded by an ornamental
garden.

The church is of the pointed and decorated style of
English architecture, and is surmounted with a lofty spire
of good proportions, springing from a tower, the upper
corners of which are relieved by half-sized winged figures,
represented in a devotional attitude, with the faces look-
ing downwards. The interior consists of a nave and chan-
cel, with north and south aisles and chancel aisle, the
arches supported by pillars of black marble. It is de-
signed to accommodate 1050 persons. About 300 of the
seats will be free, and the rents of the remainder will pro-
vide the stipend for the incumbent.
The BAPTISMAL FONT, which is the gift of Mrs.
Francis Anderson, of Fairfield, stands in the centre at
the entrance of the Nave. It is of Caen stone, richly
carved—the hason, which is of octagon form, having the
symbols of the Evangelists and other sacred emblems,
with the inscription, " I acknowledge one Baptism for the
Remission of Sins." It stands upon a carved stone
pedestal rising from two steps of masonry and ornamented
with a tesselated pavement of beautiful design, and has the
following inscription round the base of the pedestal :
" Hoc Lavaicum Deo et Ecclesio dono dicavit Caroletta
Anderson, A.D., 1852." The whole is surmounted with
a cover of old oak, elaborately ornamented with iron of
antique patterns, and the handle, of polished steel em-
bellished with blue and gold, is a bold Latin cross of
beautiful design.
Over the inner entrance is the inscription : " This is
none other but the House of God" ; and on the chancel
arch is inscribed in illuminated characters, " Glory to
God in the highest, Peace on Earth, and Good-will towards
Men."

The COMMUNION place has in front a brass railing
highly ornamented with the corn and the vine, executed by
Mr. Wilson, brass-founder, of this town. The com-
munion table is of carved oak of appropriate design,
covered with rich blue silk velvet ornamented with gold
and with monogram of exquisite design, surmounted at
the back and side with a dorsel of rich damask drapery of
blue and gold.
The CHOIR, which is situate in the chancel, is of oak,
richly carved with poppy heads. It has book boards and
six candelabra, with stalls for twelve choristers on each
side for antiphonal singing. It was the intention of the
late Mr. Bushby to have full cathedral service,--several
gentlemen of the neighbourhood, who are good musicians,
having consented to take part in the service, and appear
with their surplices, as gentlemen choristers, assisted by
professional aid.

The ORGAN is placed in the chancel aisle, and is sur-
rounded by a Gothic screen, hung with rich blue damask,
ornamented with an ecclesiastical device, in gold colour.
It is a fine instrument, of magnificent tone and power,
and of a beautiful design, without case, the pipes richly
coloured in blue and gold, to suit the style of the church.
It is by Messrs. Gray and Davidson, of London, and will
no doubt lose none of its power in the hands of the organ-
ist, Mr. G. 11. Sudlow, nephew and pupil of Mr. William
Sudlow.founder of the Philharmonic Society,and originator
of the Philharmonic-hall, in this town.

The PULPIT, which is of Caen stone, is elaborately
carved with emblematical designs, representing the
preaching of the Gospel, with the inscription " Paul
planteth, Apollos watereth, but God giveth the increase."
It is placed on the north side of the chancel, about four
feet from the floor, sufficiently high for the preacher to
command the most distant part of the building without
obstructing the full view of the Communion place. It is
considered a great improvement on the old-fashioned and
somewhat cumbrous triplex rostrum of pulpit, reading-
desk, and cleric's desk, which is here dispensed with.
The service will be read from a light and ornamental
stand placed on the south side, and the lessons from a
stand of similar construction, the sacred volume being
placed on the extended wings of an eagle before the
centre of the chancel.

The PEWS are open benches with low backs, and seats
of sufficient ease for an attentive hearer to sit, and width
and convenience for the supplicant to kneel. They are
furnished with cushions and hassocks of the same material
for the poor as well as the rich, without any distinction,
unless it be that the poor will have the best places, as
they will occupy the whole centre of the nave in front of
the chancel. This is a great improvement on the too
common practice of providing the poor with only bare
benches in the remotest corners of the church.

The CHANCEL WINDOW is of richly-stained glass, illus-
trative of "the Birth , Life, Death, Resurrection, and Ascen-
sion ofourSaviour," "the Good Shepherd," and "the Four
Evangelists," with emblems of each, and the symbol of
the Holy Spirit, with texts from Scripture explanatory of
each subject. The figures, which are well drawn, will
bear a close inspection, and the window, from the entrance
at the western porch, has an imposing effect, from the
brilliancy of the colours. Tt was the gift of the founder
of the church, and was executed by Gibbs, of London.
The NORTHWEST WINDOW, near the font, is also of
richly-stained glass, of beautiful design, the subjects being
" Christ receiving little children," " the parable of the
ten virgins," and " the raising of Jairus's daughter,"
with appropriate texts of Scripture. It has also the arms
and monogram of the lady of Capt. Franklin, R.A., late Miss
Heywood, of Edge-lane Hall, the donor of the window.
The CREDENCE WINDOW is illustrative of " the Last
Supper," with appropriate device, and is the gift of Raffles
Brown, Esq., of this town, the architect of the church.
The CHANCEL AISLE WINDOW, which is illustrative of
" Faith, Hope, and Charity," is the gift of Mr. M'Kin-

ney, of St. Paul's-square.
Of the small windows at each end of the nave the one
above the chancel arch contains the emblem of the Trinity,
the other a pelican feeding her young.
The seats throughout the church are provided with
cushions of blue tnor een, and kneeling hassocks of blue
cloth, with gothic devices in gold colour; and the floor is
covered with blue carpeting, of similar design, in gold co-
lour, the whole being uniform throughout the church.
The present incumbent is the Rev. W. Calder.

CONSERVATIVE LAND SOCIETY.—A meeting of this
society was held on Saturday, to ballot for 100 rights of
choice of allotments on estates recently purchased at
Putney and Ealing. Mr. H. B. Ray, who presided,
stated that, having obtained from gentlemen of eminence
a decided opinion that the ballot was perfectly legal, they
had appointed that day for allotting the land by that
course of proceeding. It was announced that a further
drawing amongst the uncompleted shareholders for 50
rights of choice would take place on Saturday next.