Mr. SALISBURY’ Account of a Storm of Salt. 287 
and unusual a phenomenon, and the next morning, with my gun 
in my hand, I walked over a circuit of twenty miles, before I 
ventured to trust the evidence of two of my senses, and bring 
some branches from the hedges, still salt, to Sir Joseph Banks. 
He immediately removed most of my difficulties, by suggesting 
that this salt must have been taken up from the sea by the gale of 
wind, which had blown with great force from the east during 
most of the preceding week, and he honoured me with his com- 
mand diligently to examine the effects of this storm upon vege- 
tation the ensuing year: the ogee. are such observations as I 
was able to make. 
. The garden at Mill Hill is alt sheltered from the east: of 
- course less damage happened to the trees and shrubs in it, than 
in many that were more exposed. The Cedars of Libanus suffer- 
ed considerably: m one near the house, all the branches on the 
east side became brown, and continued so til the middle of 
May, when they put forth their new verdure very sparingly, the 
ends of a great number being entirely destroyed. The Cembra 
Pines and Pinasters also looked more than usually brown, losing 
their old foliage earlier in the summer. Near Hendon there is a 
row of Weymouth Pines and Spruce Firs, from 50 to 60 feet high, 
planted alternately in a rich deep soil: though this spot is parti- 
cularly sheltered from the east by the opposite woods, the 
branches of Weymouth Pines on that side were defoliated from 
the bottom to the top, while the Spruce Firs remained uninjured.. 
The Scotch Fir, when exposed to the full force of this wind, ap- 
peared not exempt from damage, and this was no where more: 
conspicuous than upon Hounslow-Heath; but what is remark- 
able, some of the clumps there wholly escaped, although no ob- 
vious reason occurs from their situation, why they should not all 
have suffered alike. "The Portugal Laurel seems the next ever- 
green. 
