8 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1814. 



lation of snow already heaped 

 on the ground, and condensed by 

 th ree or four weeks of continued 

 frost, was on Wednesday increased 

 by a fresh fall, to a height hardly 

 known in the memory of the 

 oldest inhabitants. The cold has 

 been intensely severe, the snow 

 during the last fall being accom- 

 panied with a sharp wind, and a 

 little moisture. In many places 

 where the houses are old, it be- 

 came necessary to relieve the roofs 

 by throwing off the load collected 

 upon them ; and by these means 

 the carriage-ways in the middle of 

 the streets are made of a depth 

 hardly passable for predestrians, 

 while carriages with difficulty 

 plough their way through the 

 mass. The water-pipes being ge- 

 nerally frozen, it has become ne- 

 cessary for several days to afford 

 supplies by opening the plugs in 

 the streets, and the streams thus 

 constantly flowing, add to the ge- 

 neral mass of ice. An enormous 

 increase has taken place in the 

 price of coals, in consequence of 

 the river navigation and other 

 means of conveyance being so 

 greatly impeded. 



22. Oxford — Neither papers 

 nor letters from London have ar- 

 rived in this city since Wednesday 

 last. Except the Tetsworih road, 

 and that is equally impassable be- 

 yond tliat place, every approach to 

 this University is completely 

 choaked up. In many places the 

 snow is from ten to twenty feet 

 deep, and although some hundreds 

 of persons are constantly employed 

 in cutting a passage through it, it 

 will be some days before their ex- 

 ertions will be attended with any 

 success. 



On Wednesday evening the 

 Banbury coach, in its way to Ox- 



ford, was, on account of the heavy 

 fall of snow, greatly impeded in 

 its progress ; having, however, by 

 much exertion, reached within 

 about two miles of this city, it was 

 so enveloped with snow, that it 

 was found utterly impossible to 

 proceed ; two inside passengers, a 

 gentleman and a lady, with great 

 difficulty left the coach, and at the 

 hazard of their lives, attempted to 

 reach the nearest village, Wolver- 

 cot, which, aided by an outside 

 passenger, they accomplished, 

 though nearly exhausted, having 

 several times been up to the chin 

 in snow. 



The Bath mail has not reached 

 this city since Sunday last, and no 

 coach wlratever has arrived here 

 since Wednesday evening. The 

 letters due on the 19th from Gloces- 

 ter, Worcester, and Birmingham, 

 came in yesterda)^ ; they were for- 

 warded by horses, the riders of 

 which, with the utmost difficulty, 

 effected their passage. The guard 

 of the Glocester mail reports, that 

 three persons now lie dead at Bur- 

 ford ; one a post-boy, who was 

 dug out of the snow yesterday 

 morning ; a farmer, who was 

 frozen to death on horseback ; and 

 another person, who died in con- 

 sequence of the inclemency of the 

 weather. 



Leeds. — -The inclemency of the 

 weather during the last few days 

 has been almost \inparalleled. 

 All communication with the me- 

 tropolis has been suspended for 

 two days, neither the mail nor any 

 other coach having arrived since 

 Thursday. 



All the coaches which left town 

 this morning were obliged to re- 

 turn, after proceeding two or three 

 miles, though they were furnished 

 with an unusual number of horses. 



