52 OBSERVATIONS on THE 
extremes of heat and cold, than the United States in gene- 
ral: yet we find that country to be more favorable to fe- 
cundity and life, than England, where the fummers 
and winters are }lefs intemperate. And in the Swifs Can- 
tons and Sweden, where the frequent and fudden changes, 
in the temperature of the atmofphere, are very fimilar to 
the viciflitudes which prevail in our own climate,—the na- 
tives are a hardy, vigorous and healthful people. Accord- 
ing to M.Catteau, in his general view of Sweden, the win- 
ters in that country are long, dry and extremely cold; 
the fummers fhort, and exceedingly hot; and the inha- 
bitants experience a rapid change from the former of thefe 
feafons to the latter, {prig and autumn being almoft un- 
known to them. The pure and fharp air which the Swedes 
breathe (this writer further obferves,) renders them vigo- 
rous, and preferves them from epidemical difeafes: and 
he refers to a memoir publifhed by M. Wargentin, to 
fhew, that there are numerous inftances of their attaining 
toa very great age. The 
(From a letter dated July 26, 1769, from Mr. Rittenhonfe, to the late Rev. Mr. Barton--penes 
W. Barton.)—Dr. Rufh, in his account of the climate of Pennfyivania, obferves—that the 
mercury in Fahrenheit’s thermometer ftood at 95°. onthe 15thof Auguit 1779, at Philadel- 
phia, (which is the higheft degree to which it has ever been known to rife in this city;) and 
that it fluctuated between 93°. and 80°. for many weeks. ‘The Dotor fays it ftood, for feve- 
ral hours, at 5°. below o, in January 1780, at Philadelphia; and, during the whole of that 
month, excepting one day, it never rofe to the freezing point, in the city.---It appears by 
Mr. Wigglefworth’s thermometrical obfervations --(publifhed in the memoirs of the Bofton 
Academy, for the year 1783,) that, at Cambridge in Maffachuffetts, in Auguft, 1780, the 
mercury was at 92°. of Fahrenheit’s fcale, 
+ I have faid ‘* ef intemperate”---The climate of England is, by no means, a temperate 
one. That country not only experiences great extremes of heat and cold; but the weather is 
remarkably variable and inconftant, with very frequent rains: ‘The tranfitions from heat to 
cold, and from moifture to drynefs---and vice verfa---are fudden, and confiderable in their 
degree. On the 18th of June 1788, the mercury, by Fahrenheit’s fcale, was at 88°. in Lon- 
don; and, onthe 3othand 31ft days of December, in the fame year, it fell to 44 at the city 
of Canterbury---On the sth of January following, the mercury was at 54 at the !atter place. 
The weather was very fevere, in England, from the 2rft of December 1788, to the rith of 
January 1 789; during which term, the mercury roft twice to 44%. and once to 45°. Even at 
Sienna in Italy---in lat. 43%. 10/---during the fame interval of time, the mercury fell, on the 
31ft of December 1788, to 10°; and, on the 11th of January following, it rofe to 53°.---= 
The obfervations at Canterbury and Vienna, were taken from two Sixian thermometers. 
(See Gent. Mag. for February and May, 1789.)---Ialfo find, that, on the 21ft and 22d days 
of laft June, the mercury was at 86°. in London, by Fahrenheit’s thermométer : and an En- 
glith gentleman affures me, he has knowna froft happen, in England, in the laft weekin Ju- 
ly---Dr. Ruth, in his account of the climate of Pennfylvania, mentions Mr. Rittenhoufe’s hav- 
ing informed him, that he had never paffed a fummer, during his refidence in the country, 
without difcovering froft in every month of the year, excepting Fuly. 
