288 M. De la Rive on the Formation o^ Hail. 



for hair an hour, and almost everywhere it was followed by 

 rain, which, however, was not very copious. 



The tempest-cloud was exceedingly low when it left the de- 

 partment of La Creuse, for it passed along below the summit of 

 the Puv-du-Dome, on which no hail fell, whilst a great quantity 

 fell on the Little Puy-du-Dome, at a height of 3700 feet. Seve- 

 ral persons who were upon this mountain at the time, were struck 

 by the hailstones without experiencing any injury from them, 

 although they were all studded with long and many pointed 

 crystals. The animals which were feeding at this elevation 

 were also assailed by these hailstones without manifesting any 

 signs of fear, whilst some accidents happened on the road to Li- 

 moges, at an elevation of 620 feet less : the horses being hit 

 hard, took fright, and the carriages were overturned. 



The hailstones at the top of the Little Puy-du-Dome were 

 carried along with great horizontal rapidity, and a few only fell 

 on the summit of the mountain ; they passed along with a hissing 

 noise in a stratum of air which was extremely cold. 



After the storm, I satisfactorily ascertained the height at 

 which the hail was formed, by an attentive examination of the 

 trees and plants, at the base and on the sides of the Great Puy- 

 du-Dome. 



. At a certain elevation, the leaves, though exposed to the 

 action of the hailstones, were not much injured, and were in no 

 degree torn ; for not having acquired at that time any great 

 vertical velocity, they struck without tearing, and so fell under 

 the trees. Somewhat lower down, descending towards Clermont, 

 the leaves of the trees were lacerated ; lower still, the branches 

 were broken, and we have already stated some of the devasta- 

 tions of which Clermont was the scene ; for the hailstones had 

 then traversed a vertical course of from SOOO to 2500 feet. 



The storm of the 28th July was assuredly one of the most 

 awful that has been witnessed for many years. During the fol- 

 lowing days numerous very heavy showers were the preludes of 

 new storms ; and on the 2d of August a part of the zone which 

 had been destroyed by the hail of the 28th July, was again 

 whitened with fresh hailstones ; but nothing had been left for 

 further destruction. 



