CHRONICLE. 



beins^ unable to penetrate through 

 the masses of drifted snow. The 

 White Cloth-hall this morning 

 presented an unusual appearance, 

 therf being only about stven ma- 

 nufactnrers and the same number 

 of merchants, in the hall ; a cir- 

 cumstance which has not before 

 occurred since the hall was erected 



24. A Gentleman, who was 

 upon the spot, witnessed, on the 

 Solway Frith, a singular phenome- 

 non. The Channel, from the Eng- 

 lish side to Scotland, was a com- 

 plete body of ice, without any 

 opening, even for a boat to pass, 

 resembling in appearance a vast 

 plain covered with rugged frozen 

 snow. It extended as far lo the 

 Westward as below Workington, 

 and presented a most singular 

 aspect. 



Upon this subject, a person at 

 Maryport writes as follows: — 

 " The Solway Frith and channel 

 towards the Isle of Man, for the 

 whole of last week, presented a 

 phenomenon never before wit- 

 nessed by the oldest inhabitant. 

 While the tide was making, all to 

 the northward of Workington 

 seemed like a large plain covered 

 with hillocks of snow, and on the 

 ebbing of the tide, this scene was 

 exhibited till the eye met the ho- 

 rizon. On Monday last, the reve- 

 nue boat, stationed at Whitehaven 

 made an attempt to visit Mary- 

 port, to which place it got within 

 about a mile, when it was enve- 

 loped among innumerable lumps 

 of ice, some of which were 

 from 7 to 10 feet in thickness. 

 The boat was obliged to return to 

 Whitehaven. The oldest seamen 

 say they never saw such a field of 

 ice (as they term it) but in high 

 northern latitudes, or on the banks 

 of Newfoundland." 



25. The communication with 

 Portsmouth has been less difficult 

 than with any other of the out- 

 ports. All the mail coaches were 

 dispatched from the General Post- 

 office on Saturday night, with su- 

 perintendants, to see every possible 

 exertion made to get them through 

 the snow ; but from accounts 

 since received, it is feared that 

 only a few of them will be able to 

 proceed far on their journey- The 

 following circular letter has been 

 sent to every Postmaster in the 

 kingdom : — 



" TO ALL POSTMASTERS. 



" General Post-office, Jan. 21, 



18i4. 

 " It being matter of great im- 

 portance to the country to get the 

 roads cleared for his Majesty's 

 mails, you will apply to the Over- 

 seers of Parishes, and to the Sur- 

 veyors of Highways, as well as to 

 any other persons concerned, and 

 urge them to employ all the means 

 in their power to make the roads 

 passable for carriages with as little 

 delaj' as possible. 



" Francis Freeling, Sec." 

 Canterbury. — Fiom the drifted 

 state of the roads, the communi- 

 cation with the metropolis was 

 not open until Saturday, when the 

 snow was cut through by the mili- 

 tary at Chatham hill, and near 

 Gravesend ; and the stages pro- 

 ceeded with their passengers which 

 had been detained from Wednes- 

 day night. The mail of Thursday 

 night arrived here late on Friday 

 evening, the bags having been 

 conveyed part of the distance upon 

 men's shoulders ; the bags of Fri- 

 day and Saturday night arrived to- 

 gether on Sunday morning about 

 ten o'clock, andyesterday the mail 

 coach reached this city about 

 noon. 



