GREAT SEVERITY OF THE WEATHER.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVI, Issue 1515, 19 April 1861, Page 4

GREAT SEVERITY OF THE WEATHER.

[From tho Home News, January 27, 1861.]

The great domestic topic of the mouth has been the unparalleled, or almost unparalleled, severity of the weather. The sufferings which have been endured by the poor in England since Christmas last have been indescribable. A thaw took place a week ago, and a general feeling of relief now prevails in consequence, but from the 17th of December to the 17th of January, we had with a few slight interruptions, frost of excessive severity. On Christmas-eve the thermometer registered in some places in the north J4 degrees below zero, and in several places in Engfand from 5 to 8 degrees below zero. This intensity has not since been equalled; but the figures quoted from various parts on different occasions in the course of the month have still been below zero. The mean temperature has been far below the average of the same month of the year.

The distress in the metropolis has been fearful, particularly at the east end, and the streets have presented a very sad appearance in consequence of the large numbers of destitute labouring men gathered outside the workhouse doors and parading the chief thoroughfares seeking for alms and begging of the foot passengers for assistance for their hungry families, who had been thrown into a state of actual want through the continued severity of the weather. The relieving officers at the various unions have been constantly engaged every day in distributing bread, meat, and money. The columns of the Times have been filled with the lists of donations of mouey, fuel, and provisions, in aid of the sufiering poor, and the magistrates at the different police-offices have had little else to do than apportion the benevolence which has filled their hands to overflowing. As there are mofe 1 destitute persons iv the east of London than in any other division of the metropolis, we cite the pioceedings at the Thames Police office a few days ago as an example of the nature of their occupation : —

Mr. Pyer, the chief clerk, was solely occupied from 11 o'clock in the morning; until 8 in the evening in opening the letters containing cheques, bank-notes, money orders, and postagestarnps, and recording 1 the same in a book. The contributions continued to flow until 10 o'clock at night, when upwards of £500 had been received in that single day. The number of the applicants for chanty was so overwhelming that selection was absolutely necessary, and the letters from tradesmen and landlords not known to the magistrates, and not a few of whom were suspected of recommending applicants fov the purpose of obtaining payment of debts and arrears of rent, were thrown aside. Soon after 4 o'clock upwards of 3300 women and about 2000 men had assembled, and at 5 o'clock the magistrate received the shivering creatures in batches of 20 and 30 each, and relieved 3000 poor women with sums varying from Is. to ss. each, making some inquiries of every one who e.Qteied the witness-box of the court. __

- O r^rf^ 1 lt i: Ttf~ I VrHtEecßapel aud the Commercial road by bands of hungry men, and had no relief been given, those outrages would not have stopped short at bread shops. The severity of the weather in the north of England is instanced in the following fact : — The works ou tbe Rosedale Railway, now in course of formation in Yorkshire, have been entirely suspended, and the labourers reduced to great distress. Forty of these men were driven from the works to seek shelter at the Esklitthuts,on the bleak moors, where it seems they were snowed over and could not escape. Their continued absence caused a search-party te set over the moors, and by dint of great labour a passage was made to the huts, where, on the door being opened, the poor fellows were found in a very exhausted condition. They had been prisoners for two days and nights, and had eaten tlieir last provisions and used their last The sufferings of the poor in many of the provincial districts have been as m-

tense as those of the poor iv London. We may mention Coventry ond Nottingham as being amongst the places where distress prevailed to an extent such as the present generation has not witnessed.

In London, the out of door season, for the strong and healthy, has been one of great amusement, the ice 011 tti6 various park-waters being crowded, by night as well as by day, with thousands of skaters. The demonstrations on the Serpentine occupied the first place, sham fights and other games being rife : —

The Serpentine presented an extraordinary scene last night (says the Times of January 9), and it is estimated that there were upwards 'of 200,000 persons in Hyde-park. It was anticipated that a large number of the volunteer rifles would have visited the Serpentine, but it is understood that some communication was made to the headquarters of the several corps by the authorities, requesting that such a demonstra. tiou should not take place, and, in consequence numbers were greatly limited. The drive along the Serpentine was for two hours completely blocked with carriages of the nobility and gentry, and along the banks masses of persons were congregated. From the bridge down to the extreme end of the river was one continuous blaze, there being upwards of 50,000 skaters and sliders, nearly all of whom carried lighted torches and performed their evolutions by their light. The centre, as well as near the banks of the river, was lined by several hundred tents,, consisting of skating booths, refreshment pavilions, &c. Near the east end was erected a large tent for the supply of wine, porter and refreshments of all descriptions, while the vendors of hot coffee, gingerbeer, &c , drove a most profitable trade ; several displays of fireworks took place upon the ice, and blue, green, and red fires weie ignited, which produced an extraordinary ellect. About 6 o'leock a loud cry of alarm was raised tbat the ice had given way, and two of the icemen at once ran to the south shove, where they found two persons had broken through into a lieplh of about 7 feet, and were struggling in the water. After much difficulty they succeeded in rescuing both. Shortly after 9 o'clock a large number of tents were lighted up with variegated oil lamps and festoons of Chinese lanterns, and farther displays of fireworks took place. The festivities were carried on with the utmost vigour for several hours, but at 10 o'clock a large number of persons retired. Several thousands, however, remained upon the ice until a much later period. In the other parks have been witnessed spectacles of ihe same kiud on a somewhat smaller scale. A great number of accidents have occurred, irorn falls, immersions &c. ; but not nearly so many as might have been expected considering the crowds of skaters and sliders. Those crowds have been tremendous. On Sunday (January 6), for example, there were towards the middle of the day 30,500 persons on the ice on the Serpentine ; the Regents-park had 25,000 skaters and sliders on the ice, St. James's-park had upon the ornamental waters of the enclosure 6000, including men, women, and children, with a number of the Scots Fusilier, Coldstreara Guards, and the Volunteer Riflo Brigade; the Roundpond in Kensington-gardens had about 4000 persons, including many ladies, on the ice ; and above 6000 weut upon the Long-water between the Serpentine bridge and Hyde-park. The above numbers taken from the returns of the Royal Humane Society, convey but a faint idea of the number of persons who thronged ihe foot promenades aud the carriage drives.

The Registrar-General's returns ex- 1 hibit a heavy mortality as the effect of the extreme cold. The mortality of London for the week ending Saturday, January 19, reached the appalliug uumberof 1926 deaths — an amount which not only exceeds the estimated number by 585, but is about double the average of a few weeks during the autumn. Of course, we were prepared to find that the increased aggregate was chiefly due to acute disease, especially of the respiratory organs. Accordingly, we are told that " pulmonary ooraplaints, exclusive of phthisis, carried off in the week 702 persons, while the corrected average for corresponding weeks is only 301," and that, among these, deaths from bronchus have been nearly three tim&s as numerous as usual at this time of the year. Apoplexy has been so common during this cold seasou that it is stated by the eminent physician to have almost assumed an " epidemic" form ; we are surprised, therefore, that it does uot exceed the average in this return by more thau 44 to 30; but paralysis has in- , creased in a still greater proportion, and " heart diseases were fatal iv 119 cases, while the average is only 53.' 1 We learn from Dr. Lelhoby's reports that in the oity of London the sumo general results , have been obtained in "that dis- , triot, though of a still more marked , character, and the mortality there during , last week actually rose within, seven of , the level reached at the height of the , cholera in 1848. Considering the pre- , sent low type of dis^aje .jpicl^^^ 1 -- 1 --^ ~ a sovereign remedy, it is painful to think what might have been the effect upon the half-famished population in the east of London, who have no means of resisting the first assaults of sickness except by obtaining admission to the workhouse or the hospital, had the frost lasted as long as those of 1796 and 1814 The mortality of the last week of the frost was heavier than that of any which preceded it, and a great diminution can soarcelybe expected for some time. Happily, we have now turned the third w,eok in January, after which period we are taught, by " an average of 79 years," to expect a rise of temperature. From all parts of Europe, both in the lidrth and in thesputh, we have had accounts of a similar severity of weather. Denmark, Holland, France, Spain, and Italy, have all endured the same experiences. A thaw occurred in most plaoes on the Continent about the same time as

in England ; and we already hear from all sides of terrible damage beiog done by the melting of the ico and snow, which had been accumulated during the long frost.