306 Supposed Connection of Volcanic "Emanations 



too vague to connect the existence of these tempests and earth- 

 quakes concurrent in France ; or is it altogether hypothetical 

 to say that the storms in Ireland and the floods in Scotland, 

 being the result of meteoric causes, form part of the evidence 

 in the endeavour to establish a connected series of facts ? I 

 myself was witness to the almost hourly succession of the 

 thunder-storms in Belgium during the month of July, 1829; 

 and I could adduce evidence of more careful observers, to 

 show, that those storms were not only unusual in number, in 

 even that thunder-land, but more than ordinarily fearful in 

 character. Prussia, also, in that year, was visited by exten- 

 sive inundations. 



But these remarks have already extended to an extrava- 

 gant length. Future observation may, however, justify such 

 a dwelling upon the subject ; and if these remarks shall in- 

 duce that observation, the end of their publication will be 

 answered. 



I am, Sir, yours, &c. 

 Parkstone, May 11. 1833. W. B. Clarke. 



Since the above was committed to the press, the following 

 additional facts have come to my knowledge ; and, as some of 

 them illustrate what has gone before, it is better to append 

 them now. 



It appears that an unusual quantity of ice has been disen- 

 gaged, and at an early period, from the coast of Greenland ; 

 and that several vessels have been lost in consequence. On 

 May 9. the Harvest Home was struck and staved in by an 

 iceberg ; and the crew were taken from a boat by the Lima, 

 when herself entangled in ice, on May 13., 400 miles from 

 Newfoundland, in lat. 46° 20' N. and long. 45° 50' W. 

 Vessels, also, have been fifty-one days on the passage from 

 Halifax to St. John's. 



This disengagement of the ice is sufficient to account for 

 the sudden change of the weather alluded to about the date 

 of the equinox, and in April. 



But that the season, on the whole, has been unusually 

 warm (more so, perhaps, than any on record), is proved by 

 the following facts : — 



On February 2., the cholera was raging fearfully at Ma- 

 dras ; and it was attributed (though I only quote this to illus- 

 trate the weather) to a long drought. 



Up to March 20., the colony of the Cape of Good Hope 

 were suffering from an unusually long continuance of dry 

 weather. 



