626 MR MILNE ON A REMARKABLE OSCILLATION OF THE SEA. 



portion of the town lying towards the W. suffered most severely, whilst that por- 

 tion lying towards the N. and NE. suffered in a much less proportion ; and at this 

 place only, about one and a quarter miles from the centre of the town, no damage 

 was sustained, but about one and a half miles farther N. some damage was done ; 

 and again, at seven or eight miles NE., or between Barnsley and Rotherham, 

 there was considerable damage done ; again, in a southerly direction from the 

 town, within a mile or two, no damage of any moment was sustained ; but at 

 the villages of Norton and Dronfield, about four and six miles distant, consider- 

 able damage was done. 



" To shew you, however, the capricious nature and limits' of the storm, I 

 happened, about a week after, to be walking in the neighbourhood of our Botanical 

 Gardens with a friend, and I observed that a field of standing corn, that was 

 within 100 yards of the Gardens, did not appear to have sustained any damage, 

 whilst at the Gardens themselves, above 3000 squares of glass were broken ; and 

 I have heard of a similar instance of all the glass in one gentleman's vinery being 

 demolished, whilst his adjoining neighbour's, that was within a few hundred yards, 

 sustained no damage whatever. 



" Perhaps it may not be amiss here to state, that for two evenings preceding 

 this storm, I had observed there was something peculiar in the atmosphere, as 

 the odour from the new made hay, as well as from many of the odoriferous plants, 

 was particularly strong and overpowering." 



Mr JACKSON, surgeon in Sheffield, who read an account of the storm to the 

 Literary and Philosophical Society of that town, has also favoured me with some 

 information. He mentions, that " the temperature, for several days previous to 

 the 5th, had been high, ranging as high as 85 in the shade ; and about noon of 

 that day, the atmosphere was exceedingly sultry and oppressive." " The wind, 

 about noon, passed round from the W. by N., and at 2 P.M. stood to the E. From 

 4 to 5 P.M. it veered round to the S., and, as the storm approached, it moved a 

 little to the W. of S., from which quarter the hurricane came. Its continuance 

 was not more than half an hour, after which the wind settled in the W. The 

 temperature was extremely high during the whole of the 5th, till about 4 P.M., 

 when it fell till the occurrence of the storm, the variation being in some places as 

 much as 30 ; in a contiguous town, it was mentioned by a gentleman, as much as 

 50. The barometer was but little disturbed during the day ; one correspondent 

 observed the barometer to fall an inch, during the passage of the storm over his 

 house." 



I wrote to Mr JACKSON in regard to this last observation, and, in reply, he 

 stated that " the individual, who furnished me with the information respecting 

 the barometer having varied so much as an inch, is a gentleman (W. BUTCHER, 

 Esq.), merchant, residing about a mile from the town. His residence is rather 

 high, and the storm raged there with great violence. Since you wrote last, I have 

 communicated with that gentleman, and he states that his observation of the 



