Wales were rendered completely impassable. For three
days no delivery took place of the London mails. A
singular sight occurred in the vicinity of Penmaen
Maur, six trains being stationary at one time, neither
able to advance or recede. The weather was tremendous,
and the wind blowing in brisk squalls, the snow was
drifted in such masses that the drivers could not see
beyond their engines. One poor man lost his life near
Conway while clearing the snow. A train came up,
and, owing to the snow, made no noise; while too late
endeavouring to get out of the way, the engine struck
him on the back of the head, fracturing his skull.
The poor inhabitants of the mountains have suffered
most severely. In the pass of Llanberis, the cottagers
being unable to leave their dwellings, passed much of
their time in bed. In many instances the farmers
narrowly escaped being frozen to death, in vain
endeavours to rescue their sheep, the poor animals
being buried by hundreds on the mountains.
In Scotland and Ireland the storm was equally severe,
and attended with similar interruptions to travelling.
Similar weather is described in the accounts from France,
Belgium, Germany, and other parts of the Continent;
and in America the season has been unusually severe;
the canals and rivers having in many places been
frozen over and the navigation stopped. There has
been a Dreadful Loss of Shipping on our Coasts during
this storm. The eastern and north-eastern coasts have
suffered most severely. The brig "Abraham," from the
Tyne, was driven ashore a short distance to the southward
of Gorlestone Pier. The poor men on board
immediately took to the rigging; they were observed from
the beach, but as there was no life-boat, nothing could
be done towards rescuing the unfortunate creatures.
They continued clinging to the rigging, for more than
three hours, when at last they gave way from the intense
cold, and were seen no more. On the rocks beneath
Tynemouth Castle eight vessels were driven on the
morning of the 4th. Their bottoms were soon beaten
out on this terrible reef, and many lives were lost. On
the following morning, as a little Scotch schooner
approached the Herd Sand it was noticed that those
on board of her had lost control. She drove across the
harbour mouth, her hapless crew taking to the rigging.
As she neared the rocks she capsized, with her masts
towards the shore. Three men were observed in the
main rigging, two in the fore rigging, and one poor
fellow was seen clinging to the crosstrees of the mainmast.
As the wreck lurched over he got one of his legs fastened
in the rattlins; the topmast broke away about the same
time, and when the vessel righted he was swung into mid
air, and his brains were dashed out against the mast.
His body, however, hung by one leg, and as the vessel
came drifting in, the unfortunate seaman's body was
tossed into the air. A fruitless attempt was made to
throw a rope to the others by a rocket. They were
heard wailing for help every time the vessel's side rose
out of the sea, and were seen by hundreds of persons
holding up their hands in supplication; for this sad
tragedy took place close to the shore. A small boat put
off, but the crew dared not go towards the schooner. If
they had they must inevitably have been drowned, as
the sea was making a clean breach over the vessel at the
time. The poor fellows in the main and fore rigging
seemed to fight for life, inch by inch, until at last only
one was seen to hold out his hands towards the shore for
assistance. Shortly a terrible sea came and washed him
into the waist of the vessel. Another sea came and
drove the vessel towards the haven, and hopes were
expressed that he might be saved at last, but a third
wave turned the vessel bottom up, drowning the poor
fellow who had struggled so bravely, and hiding the
body of his messmate, which had been swinging by
the leg all this time, from the horrified gaze of the
spectators.

A number of persons Perished in the Snow during
the late storm. Fletcher, a plate-layer, perished on
the railway near Heywood. A train stuck in the
snow; after a time every one abandoned it but Fletcher;
he was wet and benumbed, and would not leave the
engine fire. When the driver returned, Fletcher was
dead: he seems to have become insensible, and then to
have fallen against the fire-box; his head and body
were much burned. Mary Pollitt, of Higginshaw,
and James Fitton, of Buersill Head, in Lancashire,
were found dead in the snow. Humphries, a carter,
of West Lavington, perished on Salisbury Plain. In
journeying with a waggon and two horses, he was
overtaken by a storm of wind and snow; the waggon
got fixed; he mounted one horse and appears to have
led the other: after some days his body was discovered
in a plantation—one of the horses near him. The poor
man appears to have lost his way, to have fallen from
his horse, overpowered by cold, and slept the sleep of
death. Had he remained in the waggon, he would
probably have survived, as there were plenty of sacks
with which he could have protected himself from the
cold. A man was frozen to death near Lowestoft. His
watch was in motion when found, but he was quite dead.
Richard Rattenbury, an aged inmate of Bath Workhouse,
went out of the house to give evidence in an assault case;
at night he and another man and woman who were
returning to the workhouse got drunk at public-houses,
and Rattenbury fell down in the snow. His companions
gained the house, but were too drunk to explain what
had occurred. When the old man was found by the
police, life was almost gone, and he soon expired.

A Fatal Accident on the Eastern Counties Railway
took place on the 5th instant near Thetford. The
snow having cleared from a single line of rails, two
trains, each drawn by two engines, advanced in opposite
directions; and a fearful collision was the consequence.
Five persons lost their lives. Hipperson, a fireman,
Smith, carpenter, and Baldwin and Underton, plate-
layers, were found dead in the ruins; the Reverend
Joseph Bell, curate of Bunwell, and Fellow of Clare
Hall, another sufferer, died a few days afterwards.
James Latham, inspector of permanent way, suffered
seriously; and twenty labourers were more or less
hurt. Besides Mr. Bell, two other passengers were
wounded. Mr. Phillips, a silversmith of Birmingham,
had both legs broken; Mr. Ellison, an ivory-turner
of Norwich, was also hurt severely. From the evidence
at the inquest, it appears, that a train conveying
labourers to clear the line of snow left Norwich on the
afternoon of the 5th. Mr. Latham, and Mr. Ashcroft
and Mr. Mayhew, superintendent of the line, were in the
train. There were two engines. At Harling there
were danger signals to stop all trains. A man named
Briggs had been stationed to see to this; no engines
were to go forward unless he piloted them on the down-
line. But Mr. Latham and Mr. Ashcroft ordered the
train to proceed forward on the up-line; it did so. At a
few miles from the station it met a train from Thetford
—also drawn by two engines—coming on the same rails;
the drivers of both trains were at first uncertain if the
trains were on the same line; when they saw they were, it
was too late to prevent a collision. The engines were
reversed, the drivers leaped off, and the crash followed.
Latham's object in going on the up-line, contrary to the
signals at Harling that no trains should go forward, was to
clear that line, which he believed to be still encumbered
with snow. The train from Thetford had been turned
upon the up-line at that station, by order of Mr. Howard,
an inspector of the road. Mr Howard was on the
engine; when the Harling train was seen approaching,
he told the driver it must be on the down-line, as a
man had been left at Harling to protect the up-line.
The train started from Harling on the up-line against
the station-master's consent. One of the officers in the
train excused the conduct of Latham and Ashcroft in
proceeding on the up-line, because they fully believed it
was obstructed by snow; whereas, in fact, Howard had
cleared it away with more expedition than had been
expected. The inquest on Mr. Bell and Baldwin the
stoker was concluded on the 12th. Mr. Ashcroft
offered himself as a witness; but his evidence was not
received. The jury gave a verdict of "Manslaughter"
against him.

An Emigrant Ship was Wrecked on the south-west
coast of Australia on the 10th of September. The
Hannah Maria sailed from Plymouth with about 100
emigrants. She made a fair passage to Adelaide,
where she landed about half her passengers, and then
sailed again for Melbourne; but had scarcely left the
port when she encountered a fearful gale, and was