.9,01,1tkitle '

The weather has been worthy of the season For iaurnber of years 'the festivities of Christmas and the ICreW Yeal"hav'ernot been-kept to the exhilarating accompaniment of frost and Sir*" l'Ast-"week we briefly chronicled the arrival of these visitors. 04-Fitfroy,thviiiii* there came on_ a sudden thaw ; whiith lasted, however, lint aJO-#1..hiiiire, and before night had set in frost resumed 14 work, and the iceCeyered waters around the.Metropolis were agMn,in.a state ,to hear. the , tho wade. of skaters , and sliders,.whe resorted to thew.; , On ,tlse.Serpeuthie its St- James's Park, in the RegeneeFank.; andialieneington,Gardenkethereweru thousands, hotiamn theicmandromshorfh. from Sotatday-to.,WsdnossialrA,...The banks ,of. the Serpentine beim not been so WW1 c;owded,sinea the great, claykpf 4851- :As early naTuesday,thn ion on the 4erperitizie:1411` attained_ te.i. a --thickness of se-aen inches,■;-Air=holes were Main to,Pret,int an explosion Trona- the' ¢ iffiation,of,eonfined'airl 'Snot, fetleti, Sunday and-Molt- 8a sdnItllifhes ShoWevii"11.415 eiStteeal' the dangereus places; and the icemen and policemen had enough work keeping the adventurous out of difficultiss,,and, in,suceouring those, not a few, who, knocked down by skaters, otalling thiongh their own weakness or want of -eareHitifferediVarbousliaffietiain9.,,frigm simple bruissOck eats and;ron- euissionsof the brainav Gaethe4cmus tha Parks, theriniwere. prohab1y4. lm _Tiiesdayi mot less tkaithirityitheostuad,pereenspoodiiob the. banks ad foOtplithatin equal nnuibsikrofall,ronitsmaitsgest The:spectacle had the am Of some, haliilay-making mhbnonr adt ,Snow.fell in earnest-Agn Tuesday nikhatintheiMetrepplha.i, Men' day brokmen Wednesday, Paikat:the lbotwayinotheszafda, were coveted with o thickmaistle snetv:g. As a-stfong.Essterly-svind: blew nearliyall might,; manrpersons• faund; their .doorWayadalsekee, spl; attcl,lere :abd fthera drifts' many feet deep Werepiled up balthe streebs,andiabads, leering :Janke:patches, of ,grolittd. Aviaries -of inert nand,blays [with brooms. end ,ahovele:trent rentalithhtowin "Winl, for, a. erniaideratiotap•asvept.: anal...sho- dvellida• passage through, thet.siow; whieh, piled 110 haltelreadway formed cam additionalmbstruction te traffic: FewineanitiesSe ran Owners being Tame/idling -to .perilAheir cattlei, and driverawnwillingto take the resptin- .sibility. . Those whiclo:venttired, forth. weati idifaWs" seem. ky: Tour, _others by three horses and firesIose :iron:till:Spence-to Weltielimig;dand in sable - eases to eighteenpenek. Cabs sioresqttally4scorce.;; andanestlydrawathy two horses, either abreast pr tandem fmffion.4., FereMilose•lenormeusly-- 'five elalilingefor,-amile ; and Mr. •Fitzrojil was defied) Taiwan:1s night the :atm-eta-were, Few, heavy ,goodmaragkorts•idere tiatat, and these few were drawribby six end eight instead--of fcru r! heroes:- As the 'snow-storm, extended- Mier thewhdle, reountry,,, the • railway- traffic Ma, nearly stoPped.!••TheNorth-tWesteni,/lise _wits blocked, up; at the Tring mattirtg. Theimail.frain was Marbehled•there five hours, and arrived at Xusicm, Square _eight haute behind-time., The •devrti-trains ‘qtarted " at; their, fixed,,tamee On' the•Great,Weetern; the Plymoitth Mail -due at: four .a: et; .did mot arrive-till seven ,iThe trains started , at. their time, , hut , there ,' yea.' "hardly- anybody- f--to convey." • The Great Northern was 'blocked ,on both rails at Grant- ham, and traffic betweerr: Peterborough and .-Neiwaili ...ram impossible. Late at night, no trains- had . arrived,. er wore to2arrive, from :beyond Peterborough: The Mow in, tlie !.euftings-; lay,. eix , feet :deep. The Eastern Counties line was obstructed; and labourers were sent down by special engine to, clear the rekbs, ,“ In the Chesterford cut- ting, at nine o'clock, eight trains were entbe0cd in the snow." An at- tempt was made to force a train through the snow by eight engines; but, after proceeding half a mile, it came to a dead stand. The Norwich mail arrived at Shoreditch at nine o'clock p. m., fourteen hours behind time. The South-Eastern was blocked up early on Tuesday night; but some trains managed to get up. On the London and Brighton line, a path had to be dug through the snow from London to New Cross. All trains were behind time. The South-Western was blocked for some time at Farn- borough, and the Southampton mail was four hours behind.

Late in the night, the report at the General Post-Milt* was, that the Irish, Scotch, Yarmouth, Norwich, Ipswich, Cambridge, Peterborough, Dover, Deal, Margate, and Ramsgate mails, had not arrived. The lines in Lancashire, Yorkshire, Derbyshire. were snowed up., Oa Wednesday at seven p. tn., the London mail was at Stafford. The drifts were very deep, one sixteen feet At Birmingham the snow fell heavily.; and in Gloucestershire and Worcestershire. Severe storms at Shields and Tynemouth. Several vessels have gone ashore round the-coast. - There was a second fall of snow on Wednesday night, reaching to the depth of three inches. It fell without wind, and so softly that even the small points of the iron railings were tipped with snow-caps. Through- out Thursday the supply of cabs was little better than on the preceding day, but omnibuses were more plentiful. Generally speaking, the foot- ways were sloppy and slippery. There seemed to be a thaw in the streets, but where there was little traffic the thaw was not apparent. Yesterday Morning, the slushy paths of the over-night were frozen over in some places.

The report of railway operations on Thursday showed some signs of ivaprovement. The Great Western was open, in spite of the snow of the preceding night. The Eastern Counties line was opened in the afternoon ; at Cbesterford, by the hard and continued exertions of workmen. The Norwich mail came in thirteen hours behind time. The South-Eastern,

f1. e South-Western, and the London, Brighton, and South Coast lines, were opened in the course of the day. But the great North lines were early closed. The passage from London to Liverpool was completely erred at Stafford and Crewe, and numerous trains were waiting there. he Midland, greatly obstructed, was, however, forced by the .Nurth Bri.- h mail-train, which reached Euston Square thirty-six hours behind time. North of Stafford, the Nonnanton cutting was snowed up. Five .engines were sent to force the pass, but they failed. The barristers on the Sessions circuit could not get on from Derby to Nottingham. In Derby itself, the storm seems to have been heavier than in London.. The drifts against doors and windows were so high that many of the shops were closed. A grand bali was postponed : the county families were "snowed up" in their homes. The Great Northern was open to York via the Lincolnshire loop, but much obstructed.

At Liverpool, on Thursday, the merchants solaced themselves for the absence of the Times by getting up a snowball match, cotton-brokers against share-brokers. The combat was proceeding with vigour within the sacred precincts of 'Change, when in marched. Captain Greig with a Police force, and ordered the battle to cease. The brokers laughed, and renewed the engagement. Captain Greig ordered arrests to be made ; and several merchants were marched off to Bridewell, under showers of snow- balls from the "merchant princes" at large. The interrupted battle was renewed : Captain Greiff returned with a larger force ; this time be was attacked and snowballed, and his forces were broken. He entered the news-room, and was hustled out. Ultimately, he withdrew his bat- talion and released his captives. Several railway accidents are mentioned in the briefest fashion.

The Thames has attracted great attention; and' early in the week it became evident that if the frost held the river would be frozen over.. The ice had accumulated in masses, the like of which had not been seen these fifteen years. Between Richmond and BrentfOrd there has been skating. In the Pool and above it the drift-ice soon rendered navigation all but impossible. The Margate, Gravesend, Woolwich, and' Greenwich traffic was stopped. on Tuesday ; the Boulogne and Hull boats arrived with difficulty; and above London Bridge only heavy coal-barges, with additional hans, could make any way. On Tuesday a schooner was carried away above bridge, before she could be made fast with a hawser ; her crew dropped 'an anchor; it stuck in the ice, and she went under London Bridge ; the main-mast was.swept off; but here a second anchor m. sight the bottom, and she remained under the arch. The vessels in the Pool took warning and strengthened their moorings.

In consequence of the blocking-up of the river, Billingsgate was scan- tily supplied with fish. On Tuesday nearly all the supply came by rail ; nod' was from 15*. to 25s. each.

Mr. E. J. Lowe of Highfield House Observatory, Nottingham, furnishes the Times with the following table of temperatures : the scale is that of Fahrenheit.

"The following are the temperatures of the coldest days here since 1809- 1810 February 21 12' above zero. J814 January 9 44 „

„ 13 3' Pt

14 3' „ "

1815 23 • 11)

1816 February 9 s' „

1820 January 1 56:55:

18 ,.19 1826 " 15 11' -1230 „ 19 10' „ 1838 " 20 0' 1841 . ,, „ 4° „ 1845 March 14 13' „ 1854 - January 3 4' below zero. " On the 14th of March 1845, the temperature on the grass fell to l' below zero; today that temperature was 6' below zero (as indicated by several corrected thermometers); and at four feet above the ground, upon a, fiat beard, 8° below zero."

Accounts from several places, both in the South and North, point to the large flocksof birds as indications of a continuance of severe weather. A brilliant aurora borealis was observed at Tunbridge Wells on-Tuesday evening. First yellow light, forming a well-defined arch, was ob- served ; then &eels of light traversed the black space beneath the arch,, and disappearing, were followed by shooting streams of light; on either aide of the arch a deep orimson flush. Altogether the phenomenon lasted. about half an hour. During the aurora, the wind veerectfromN.N.W. to ME., and the thermometer fell from 29' to 21^.

In Scotland, the fall of snow began last week. "After a long continuance of splendid winter weather," says the Inverness Courier, of Thursday sennight, "we were visited on Monday night with a heavy fall.of Mow, which continued with little intermission till Wednesday mornings Tho effect was immediately visible in the irregularities of the mails; for the weather being dry and frosty, with a pretty strong North wind, the snow was drifted to a considerable extent. The Perthroad has been-pretty clear as yet, and the mail arrived yesterday and today only about four hours behind the regular time. On the Aberdeen road the storm has been more seriously felt. Yesterday the mail due at five a. in. did not arrive till more than twelve hours after the time, and then the bags were carried on horseback from Freres. All the coaches plying on this road have been stopped. The mail going to Aberdeen yesterday could get no further than

Neirss; the Starcoecb,. at* in the snow at .Auldearn ; and the Defiance, which left- here air-usual this morning, turned-back after going three miles. Font Aberdeen the ouil get as far its New Mills, near Ferree. Here the guard was Obligeateleare it. All trace of the road Was in many places lost, and it soul, everywhere impassable for a vehicle:'He succeeded, by dint of perseverance and good. management, is earsying the mails safely on horse- back to Inverness, The wind. was Northerly, and blew strong, and the snow consequently drifted about very much. About one hand.red men are en- gaged at vanounpoints clearinglhe road ; and itia -hoped, if-the storm does not increase; that the coeelies may be:able to.restatte the Coransurtication in a short time. The North mail came in last night very little. behind the usual hour, but it brought only the bags from Teineffronewhich.we may in- fer that the Ord of Caithness and other points-of the Mirth -Road are impas- sable. The ateamerearrived about the usual time, A correspondent at Elgin writes that that district is suffering severely from a heavy fall of snow,- and that, in consequence' all modes of conveyance-have become irregular in their arrival, particularly from Inverness. In. Ferree, the storm Was very severe and protracted. Men are out in Ail directions-eutting the roads.; and should it keep fair,-they will be-passable in day or two. • We may- state that the accounttfrom other parts of the country'are. generally to the same effeet. In the neighbourhood of Kelso the snow ley !HZ inches deep-on Wednesday;

and at Hawlek it was not more than a foot in depth."' •

In Ireland there. have been considerable falls-of-snow. Tfp tO Thesday the Southern mails had regularly arrived, but the Northern-Mid Western were delayed by the state of the roads.

The true winter weather, has been, general in Europe. Our present accounts do not come down to a very late date,. but -their character core responds with that of the weather at home. During the whole of last week the severe weather prevailed in France. --Snow -fell on Thursday. Ice drifted in blocks clown-thes Seine:- Friday-Was- marked' by those ra- pid alternations of temperature in Paris which were experienced in- Lon- don. The therniorneter in thia Meriting stood a III' Fahrenheit, ind gradually rose to 351-at sit in the evening: Show fell heavily ; next day the-trains did not arrive with the London jciuritals ; persons Ventured on the ice of the Seine ; %and the Emperor andlkipiksss drove out in a sledge alorigiliesanayer Eitiaday, the-AMC-0f tho-commerneations maybe gathered from the-fact that the Madrid journals had not arrived at night- fall. he astiallifew-Year's Days fair was held in Paris; tra, owingto a rapid thaw in the morning, the Boulevards were "one pool- of shish and water" ; greatly to the detiinient of the retail dealers -who had erected booths.

.The railway traffic between Havre' and Paris was completeryobstriusted on Monday by the snow, and no train reached Paris from that iiltree s but the line from Rouen to Paris was open: The trains from Brussels and the North, of Francs have also been much retarded in their progress, but the line was not. completely obstructed-. . Between, BOUM andlille, the snow Was-so deep on the lino that the 'direct:Ts of the .comparrrfband it necessary to apply forthe assistance of the tfoops-in- garish/9a at.* oftnaner place. Accounts from Vienna, to the 28th December, speak of a heavy fall of snow on the preceding' night,. and high windI-al:that- part of Ger- many winters are generally eery severe, 49rout it leirierely- happened that in the month of 'December the thermometer has been-heftier "-.18. degrees below zero, .Reatimur's scale.- Yon will,_ therefnisle?not be sia- prised,"--says the writer; " tolearn that eentiierreist.inieruifrerpsently fro- zen to death on their posts, although, when the weatheritiiithatallynatds they- are relieved every hour." At Orsovat on th,e 24th, the ice-was flatlets and " the•thermometee Sit -

5' Fahrenheit, with a cutting wind." • The communication-between Cronstadt in the Baltic, artdOrardenbaunsa

on tbe 20th Deise.raber„ was carried onlry-sledgeenadhersees. •

Accounts from nearly all sections of the UnitedStates, up to the.2441; December, represented the weather as extremely,colds and the* from the North statea that the 'canals and rivers were Wozeri.over, and naviga- tion stopped.. The 'boats on the Hudson had 'beers laid. up in.wintere quarters.