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own obsel'vation. He .si)eaks of this storm as " Tho greatest, 

 the longest in duration, the widest in extent, of all the tempests 

 and storms that History gives any account of since the beginning 

 of time." It is said to have been — not merely a short and sudden 

 burst of tempest lasting a few hours, bat a fierce and tremendous 

 hurricane of a Aveek's duration, which attained its utmost violence 

 on the night above-mentioned. It had blown exceeding hard 

 for about fourteen days previous, so as to be accounted terrible 

 weather, and many sad accidents had occurred, but the nearer it 

 came to the fatal 26th of November, the tempestuousuess of the 

 weather mcreased. 



There had been a great deal of wet during the spring and 

 summer of that year, and in the early part of the autumn. Much 

 i-ain fell in places at the commencement of the storm, the wind 

 being S. and South-westerly, veering to W. and N.W., toward g 

 the end of it. As already stated, DeFoe was in London at the 

 time, and he details in the first instance what took place there. 

 He says it did not blow so hard till 12 o'clock at night, but that 

 most families Avent to bed, though many of them not without 

 some concern for their safety. But about 1 or 2 o'clock on the 

 morning of Saturday the 27th, it Avas supposed few people that 

 were capable of any sense of danger, were so hardy as to lie in 

 bed ; and the fury of the tempest increased to such a degree that 

 most people expected the fall of their houses. 



Yet in this general apprehension, nobody durst quit their 

 tottering habitations ; for whatever the danger was in-doors, it 

 was worse without. The bricks, tiles, and stones from the tops of 

 the houses flew Avith such force, and so thick in the streets, that no 

 one thought fit to venture out, though their houses Avere nearly 

 demolished Avithin. They were forced to take shelter in cellars 

 and the lowermost rooms. From two o'clock the storm continued 

 and increased till five in the morning, and from five to half-past 

 six it bleAV Avith the greatest violence ; the fury of it during that 

 particular hour and a half being so exceeding great, that had it 

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