tig& Qn the Icy 'Crust formed on Glass Windows 



not be found to be the case ;-^rwhen strictly .examined, every* 

 figure is as regularly formed as if drawn by the hand or a 

 skilful artist, and the \vnole exhibits, as it were, a beautiful 

 ation of various marine or sea plants. Sometimes there 

 IS an exact representation of the plant from which that spe- 

 cies of ashes or alkali commonly cajled kelp is made; — on 

 other parts of the glass will be seen a perfect likeness of 

 some ot the smaller .Vegetable productions, which, from a 

 sniall root, branche out into an astonishing number of very 

 tine fibres, joined together in such curious workmanship 

 as far to excel 1 any land production (at least that. I have 

 observed) ; indeed no description which I can give, without 

 a drawing, can convey any idea either of the beauty or cu- 

 riosity or* these several icy arboriiications. A few of the 

 larger kinds I have sometimes observed during a continued 

 frost; but the more common appearances resemble the plant 

 from which the kelp is made, and the smaller vegetable pro- 

 ductions. I wish to be informed by any of your learned and 

 philosophical readers, What can be the natural cause which 

 produces this effect ? Surely we cannot ascribe it to mere 

 accident; for if this were the case, there certainly would not 

 be the same regular uniformity. It may, however, be ne- 

 cessary to observe, that this uniform appearance will some- 

 times be broken; but on strict examination I have always 

 found it to proceed from some such circumstance as a sudden 

 change in the temperature of the air in the room by an in- 

 crease of company, or a larger tire, ike: these will some- 

 times in a certain degree melt the crust on the glass, and if 

 again suddenly frozen the regularity of the figures will ap- 

 pear broken ; but where Nature is left to operate without 

 interruption, I have always found the result the same. 



I can scarcely omit this opportunity of directing your at- 

 tention to another observation, which I doubt not will be 

 grateful to some of your readers, as enlarging the sphere of 

 their curiosity, and giving a more ample scope to the con- 

 templative mind : — 



The first sight of the sea to a person who has lived to the 

 years of maturity without seeing it, (and even in this island 

 there are many,) I am apt to think is the greatest object 



which 



