canals were of course frozen, and all traffic, except of skaters,
was at an end.

In the country the effect of the cold upon the rivers and canals was
the same--they were hard frozen. The roads were covered with snow, which
made traffic impossible; and when the snow had been cleared away, they
were equally dangerous from the frozen surfaces. As usual, in certain
localities the cold was more intense than in the registered spots;
country newspapers recorded thermometers which marked 4 deg., 6 deg., and more,
below zero. Derwentwater was entirely frozen over; fires were lighted
and feasts given to mark the occasion; and carts and waggons passed over
to the island. Windermere was also frozen over, and parties skated not
only across, but from end to end: a traffic was established between the
villages by wheelbarrows. All round the coast the very unusual spectacle
was witnessed of ice formed in the bays of the sea, and left aground
among the rocks at low-water. A traffic was established over the ice,
chiefly by amateurs, from Boston to Lincoln--thirty-five miles.*

* "Annual Register."

The closing months of the year were also severe. In October there was
a great fall of rain. Fogs unusually dense and hard frosts occurred in
November. December was a very cold month, and through the last quarter
of the year there were many storms. During the year 1,141 ships were
lost.

VISIT OF THE EMPEROR OF THE FRENCH.

One of the most interesting home events of the year occurred in the
middle of April--a visit of the Emperor and Empress of the French to
the queen. They left Paris on the 15th April, and on the 16th sailed
for England. Their arrival at Dover and their journey to London was a
triumph; and on their arrival, their progress through the great capital
was marked by a popular demonstration, which, from its enthusiasm and
vastness, may be called sublime. The line of carriages passed through
crowded streets--crowded from the kerbstones to the housetops--? until
they reached Hyde Park Corner. It is said that the emperor pointed out
to the empress the street, leading into St. James's Street, where he had
humble lodgings, when, seven years before, he was an exile residing in
London. On the 10th of April, 1848, he turned out, baton in hand, to
serve as a special constable, when the Chartists, under the guidance of
the unfortunate Fergus O'Connor, threatened an invasion of London. Seven
years and one week, save a day, had