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The fact of the Thames being frozen over must not be taken 

 absolutely however as a proof that olden winters were so much more 

 intense than those of the present day. The facilities for a stagnation of 

 the surface water were then much greater, the obstruction caused by old 

 London Bridge, and the frequency or infrequency of the use of the locks 

 above bridge, were important factors in the case. T have, since the year 

 1860, seen persons cross the river by leaping from block to block of 

 almost, but not quite, packed ice, and had there been the old stoppage of 

 the water-way as in the last century, no doubt the entire surface would 

 have been completely frozen over by the consolidation of the various 

 floating masses brought down by the current, yet the thermometer at the 

 time I speak of only registered 12° Fah., a minimum reached frequently 

 in England, though perhaps for only a few hours. 



If then the extreme cold has not exceeded that of old days, 

 wherein do we difPer ? I think it is in the fact that the seasons are not 

 so sharply defined as they used to be. The early frosts of Autumn are 

 now succeeded by long continued open weather instead of by tlie heavy 

 rains of thirty or forty years ago, or by the gradually intensifying cold 

 of the prior series of years. The winter itself is modifiid and prolonged, 

 instead of being sharp and short — and the cold nights, and winds of spring 

 now run far very far into the summer quarter; in other words the true 

 winter now begins later, and then continues longer. A singular corrobora- 

 tion of this may be seen in an extract from an entomological book, 

 which recommends the collector soon after dark to visit open spots in 

 woods, &c., when numbers of larvae stretched out to enjoy the soft air 

 on waking from their winter's sleep, may be found upon the herbage in 

 February. This paragraph was written twenty years ago by Dr. Knaggs, 

 but as he had ali'eady disposed of his collection of insects, it must be 

 assumed to have been penned from knowledge gained some years 

 previously ; certainly such an expedition would have but poor results 

 now. and probably several would have to be taken on very favorable 

 nights before meeting with any success whatever. February too, was 

 named Sprout Kale by our Anglo Saxon forefathers as significant of early 

 growth, the two previous or true winter months being called "winter 

 moneth" and "wolf moneth." I have not been able to trace to its 

 origin the couplet ' ' March winds and April showers, bring forth May 

 flowers," but we all know how singularly inappropriate now the distich 

 is, and how seldom ouj- woods favour us with a floral selection for May- 

 day, whilst hawthorn blossoms are quite -as frequently as not seen in 

 June as in the prior month. I have nut mentioned that the dates I have 

 given of the great Thames frosts are probably old style, which would 

 place them 1 1 days later, and this would bring the breaking up of winter 

 to about the middle of February, the time when Dr. Knaggs tells us we 

 shall find genial days. 



We are now able to answer one of our queries. To what do these 

 changes tend? Firstly, the result has been an increase from 26 to 30 

 inches per annum in our rainfall for the , South Eastern counties, or 



