216 M‘Sweeny, on the Climate of Ireland. 
In 1564 and in 1565, the Scheld was frozen so as to support loaded waggons. 
1571!! All the rivers in France were covered with ice, and fruit trees, even in Lan- 
guedoc, were killed by the frost. 
1594 The Rhine and the Scheld were frozen, and even the sea at Venice. 
1608 The snow lay of an immense depth even at Padua. 
In 1621 and 1622!! All the rivers of Europe were frozen, and even the Zuyder 
Zee, a sheet of ice covered the Hellespont, and the Venetian fleet was choaked up in 
the Adriatic. 
1655 The winter was very severe. 
The winters of 1658, 1659, 1660!! were intensely cold. The rivers in Italy bore 
heavy carriages, and so much snow had not fallen at Rome for several centuries. It 
was in 1658, Charles X. of Sweden, crossed the Little Belt, over the ice into Den- 
mark, with his whole army. 
1670 In Denmark, both the Little and Great Belt were frozen over. 
1684 The winter was excessively cold, even oak trees in England were split by the 
frost, and coaches were driven along the Thames. 
1691 The cold was so excessive, that the wolves entered Vienna, and attacked the 
men and cattle. 
1695 The frost in Germany began in October, and continued until April ; many 
persons were frozen to death. 
The years 1697 and 1699, were nearly as cold. 
In 1709!!! occurred the famous winter called by distinction the cold winter. In 
the south of France the olive plantations were almost entirely destroyed. The Adriatic 
was quite frozen over, and the citron and orange groves suffered in the finest parts of 
Italy. 
1716 On the Thames booths were erected, and fairs held. 
1726 People travelled from Copenhagen to Scania, in Sweden. 
1729 Much injury done by the frost in Scotland, multitudes of cattle buried in the 
snow. 
. 
The successive winters of 1731—1732 were extremely cold. 
1740!! The cold was scarcely inferior to that-of 1709, the snow lay on the 
ground eight or ten feet deep in Spain and Portugal, and the Zuder Zee was frozen 
over. 
1744 The winter was again very cold, the Mayne was covered with ice seven 
weeks. 
The winters during the five successive years 1745-1746-1747-1748-1749, were all 
of them very cold. 
In 1754 and again in 1755, the winters were particularly cold. 
In England strong ale exposed to the air, in a quarter of an hour, was covered with 
a film of ice. 
