[ *J2 ] 



earth on its top. The ice in this cafe afiumes a 

 beautiful and lingular form, confifting of a flack of 

 needle-like columns, (landing in a vertical pofition, 

 all of one height; a rude fketch of which is given in 

 the annexed plate A.* The vertical column confifls 

 of tranfparent fpiculse, fometimes with a little earth 

 intermixed with them, but ufually pretty free from 

 it. They have always a little earth at top j and 

 when they are taken up, a little earth alfo adheres 

 to their bottom; and below that the froft has not 

 penetrated. Thefe columns are longer or fhorter 

 according to circumilances, from near two inches, 

 as I have feen them, to lefs than a quarter of an 

 inch. If the froft continues more than one night, 

 thefe icy pillars admit of a greater elongation by an 

 additional range of columns mooting up below 

 them, and forcing the former to rife to a greater 

 height. This fecond feries of columns is always 

 fhorter than the firfl, and is divided from it by a 

 thin ftratum of earth, as at B.* Should the froft 

 continue longer, another row of fhorter columns ftill 

 is formed beneath the former, divided from it alfo 

 by its ftratum of earth : and fo it goes on, each 

 night's froft producing a new fet of columns, which 

 become gradually fhorter, till at laft the different 

 ftrata of earth which feparate them become fo near 

 to each other, as that the watery columns cannot be 



* See plate No. I. diftiflguifhed j 



