56 



would feel if held down at the bottom of a bowl from which 

 the hot punch had just been poured away." * 



She refers here, and most truly, to the combined effects of 

 heat and a moist atmosphere, well known to be the ordinary 

 conditions of a relaxing climate. Bath lies at the bottom of 

 a basin, a river passing through it, from which there is going 

 on constant evaporation, this evaporation increasing with the 

 temperature of the air, at the same time that the temperature 

 is itself augmented in the streets by reflection from heated 

 walls. Under these circumstances the air becomes both 

 moist and rarified, as well as to a certain degree stagnant, 

 from the surrounding hills keeping off free circulation. In a 

 locality thus circumstanced, any exertion in very hot weather 

 is attended by more or less of exhaustion and languor, in 

 consequence of the amount of moisture in the air checking 

 evaporation from the sm-face of the human body. The air is 

 what we call sultry. But the lassitude experienced is clearly 

 not due to high temperature alone, for most persons would 

 allow that at such times the air on the downs is more invigo- 

 rating and salubrious than in the streets below ; though we 

 see that during last July the heat generally was scarcely less 

 on the downs than in Bath itself, while on some days of that 

 month it was actually greater. 



To return to the late summer : the hot weather culminated 

 in July, but did not terminate with that month. The begin- 

 ning of August was still very hot, and the temperature 

 generally high, with a continuance of fine settled weather 

 during the first week ; after which the heat moderated, and 

 there was a change. The thermometer in the Institution 

 Gardens was above 80° every one of the first five days of the 

 month, standing on the 4th at 87°, but falling on the 5th to 

 83°, though on this last day it rose to 90°.5 at Greenwich. 



* "Autobiography, &c., of Mrs. Piozzi," vol. ii., p. 241. 



