4l8 Swgtilar Injtaiice of UrreJIrial RefrnSilotii 



Having indulged my curiofity upon the fliore for near an hour, during which the cliffs 

 appeared to be at fome times more bright and near, at others more faint and at a greater 

 (dillance, but never out of fight, I went upon tlie eaftern cliff or hill, which is of a very 

 confiderable height, when a moft beautiful fcenc piefented itfelf to my view ; for I could 

 at once fee Dengenefs, Dover cliffs, and the French coafl, all along from Calais, Bou- 

 logne, &c. to St. Vallery; and, as fome of the fifhermen afErmed, as far to the weilward 

 even as Dieppe. By the telefcope, the French fifhing-boats were plainly to be feen at anchor ; 

 ?tnd the different colours of the land upon the heights, together with the buildings, were 

 perfeftly difcernible. This curious phenomenon continued in the higheft fplendour till 

 paR eight o'clock (although a black cloud totally obfcured the face of the fun for fome 

 time), when it gradually vanifhed. 



Now, Sir, as I was afTured, from every enquiry I could pofTibly make, that fo remarkable 

 an inftance of atmofpherical refraction had never been witneffed by the oldefl inhabitant 

 of Haftings, nor by any of the numerous vifitors (it happening to be the day of the great 

 annual fair, called Rock fair, which always attracSts multitudes from the neighbouring places}, 

 I thought an account of it, however trifling, would be gratifying to you. 



I fhould obferve, the day was extremely hot, as you will perceive by the fubjoined rough 

 journal of a fmall thermometer, which was kept in the dining-room above mentioned. I had 

 no barometer with me, but fuppofe the mercury mufl have been high, as that and the three 

 preceding days were remarkably fine and clear. To the befl of my recolledlion, it was high 

 water at Haflings about two o'clock P.M. Not a breath of wind was flirting the whole 

 ■of the day ; but the fmall pennons at the mafl-heads of the fifhing-boats in the harbour 

 were, in the morning, at all points of the compafs- 



I am, &c. 



WILLIAM LATHAM. 



P. S. I forgot to mention, that I was a few days afterwards at Wlnchelfea, and at fc- 

 veral places along the coafl: ; where I was informed the above phenomenon had been equally 

 vifible. I fhould alfo have obferved, that when I was upon the eaftern hill, the cape of 

 land called Dengenefs, which extends nearly two miles into the fea, and is about fixteen 

 miles diftant from Haftings, in a right line, appeared as if quite clofe to it ; as did the fiili- 

 ing-boats, and other vefTels, which were failing between the two places : they were like- 

 wife magnified to a great degree*. 



* On this interefting fubjcft fee Mr. Huddart's Obfervations on Horizontal Refraftions, Philof. Journal, I. 

 145. Ellicor, on the Phenomenon of Looming, I. 151. The Fata Morgann, or Appearance of Figures in 

 the Sea and Air, before Reggio, defcribed, I. 215. Mudge, in the Philof. Tranf. 1795, P- 5^''> 5^7- 

 Smeaton's Account of Eddyftone Light-Houfe, p. 191. Button's Diftionary, II. 352. Thefe appearances 

 arc much more frequent and general than has ufually been fuppofcd. I have been credibly informed, that 

 the Fata Morgana has been feen from Broad Stairs, in Kent ; and that the elevation and inverfion of rer- 

 reftrial objefts is commonly or frequently obfervabic (in fummcr, I fuppofe), through a telefcope, over level 

 ground, if tlie eye of the obferver be not much elevated. In the curious inftance related above by Mr. La- 

 tham, it dees not'feem probable that the French coaft was enlarged, but that it was only elevated by the re- 

 fradlion. At all events, the objefts could fcarcely have fufTered any alteration of the horizontal angles or 

 Jiearings. N. 



STATE 



