The late Phcenomenon at Burladoes. 73 



were brought in. At eight o'clock it was pilch dark in the 

 open air; or, in other words, so dark that we could not 

 perceive our hands when held up before our faces at two 

 ieel distance. No nighi at home in winter, when neither 

 the inoon nor a star is to he seen, was ever more sombre. 

 This darkness continued of the- same intenseness until 23 

 minutes past twelve o'clock — that is, for the s[)ace of four 

 hours and 25 minutes, at which time we perceived very in- 

 distinctly the outlines of large and near objects. At half- 

 past twelve o'clock we distinguished them more correctly ; 

 from which period the light increased until between three 

 and four o'clock P. M. but was very obscure. 



" From the time at wliich I got up in the morning until 

 we went to bed at home in the evening at eight o'clock 

 there was a constant fall from the clouds of a substance in 

 extremely fine flakes, which when first gathered from our 

 clothes had the appearance of the dust of wood-ashes ; but 

 which, when suffered to accumulate, assumed the resem- 

 blance of powdered roti.en-stone, and possessed the same 

 quality of cleaning brass, 



" In order to asceitain the quantity which had fallen, 

 Mr. H. last night took up that which la^' upon a foot square, 

 when it measured three pints, somewhat pressed into the 

 measure, and weighed one pound and three-quarters. 



" This morning another square foot, wheic the surface 

 was hard and level, cave, in five eighths and one half of an 

 inch in depth, three pints loosely filled up in measure, and 

 one pound seven ounces and a half in weight. 



" Against the bottom of windows, doors, and walls, it 

 was considerably deeper. But assuming the prcxluct of my 

 experiment as the medium quantity which fell on a foot 

 square throughout the island, and estimating from onr best 

 maps the quantity of land in the island at 10fi,470 acres*, 

 the total quantity of this extraneous substance which is 

 jiow on its surface, indepcndcni of that which is upon the 

 trees, could not be less than l,/39, 187,7.'^0 tiailons, wine 

 ineasuref, or 0,bl IjSiJjSliJ pounds avoiidu{)oi&|. 



Acres. Acres. Acrc«. 



•ChriMtchurcliparisli.H iilO ' St. J(»lin . . . 8.(;0() I St. Andrew. . 8.7«0 



St. Philip \:j 0^0 I St. James . . . 7,M)0 | St. Pcicr . . . 8,330 



.St. Michael 9,J8u I St. 'i'iioinas . U,.".0U S;. Lucy . . . 8,725 



St. George ....... 10,79.') , St. Josej)!! . . 6,010 . 



f lO'i, 170 acres in the i5liiiid,multi\)lieij bv •l;J,,'J()() square feet !n one acre, 

 is eciiial t<i 4, (i:!7,83'J,i!00 square feet, multiplied by 3 piut.s per foot, ia equal to 

 J3,9l;},4;i9,G0O pints, divided by 8piiits iu a gallon, iseijual to 1,731),I87,'I.;0 

 galKiuh, wnie measure. 



I 4/)37,833.'JOO i>i)Mare feet in the island, niultipllej by 1 lb. per inch, 

 7^ c. feet, it equal to C,81 1,817, 5rJ lbs. uvoirdupuiii. 



" The 



