[ HS ] 



Again, Dr. Boate fays, it is obferved ' that ordinarily it raineth 

 in Ireland much more by day than by night ; and that, many 

 times, when it doth rain two or three days together, the nights be- 

 tween are very clear and fail.' This kind of weather, he tells us, 

 occurs not only in autumn, but in other bad feafons, when the 

 fky is overcaft with clouds and mifts the whole day. As to the 

 firft branch of the obfervation, my experience leads me to an op- 

 pofite conclufion, having repeatedly noticed, (for example, in the 

 autumn and winter of this year,) that the nights, both in rain and 

 wind, far exceeded the days. As to the fecond branch, I am not 

 yet prepared to determine how nearly it correfponds with the na- 

 ture of the weather of late years; but, to the beft of my recol- 

 ledion, I think that When we have two or three fucceffive rainy 

 days, the intermediate nights are fair, or have many fair in- 

 tervals. 



It has been alleged, that, in the inftance of temperature, the 



winters of Ireland have been, for feveral years paft, more mild and 



warm than they were in preceding times, and, confequently, that 



in this material circum.ftance the climate is altered. But Dr. Boate, 



bearing teftimony of the moderation of our winter weather, writes 



thus : ' It is very feldom violently cold there, and freezeth but 



little : There are commonly three or four frofts in one winter, but 



they are very fhort, feldom lading longer than three or four days 



together,. 

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