of the last Half of the Year 1817. 191 



4th, hail of the size of filberts fell at Munich and Lons Le Saul- 

 nier; and on the 10th, many leagues in the departments of the 

 Yonne and Ain were in less than an hour laid entirely waste by 

 another storm of hail as large as pigeon's eggs, and precipitated 

 with astonishing impetuosity. The 1 1th was marked by a storm 

 of still greater fury. At Pforzheim in the duchy of Baden, and 

 on the frontiers of Hungary and Lower Austria, hail-stones were 

 collected of the bulk of the largest hen's eggs ; several men and 

 beasts were killed, and the hopes of a fine harvest wholly de- 

 stroyed. The night of the same day was most ruinous to the 

 cantons of Chateauneuf and Eymoutiers in the department of 

 Upper Vienne. The hail was of such force that even the ches- 

 nut-trees were destroyed, and in such abundance that two days 

 afterwards it was found in heaps upon the ground. On the 31st, 

 there fell at Manchester, in England, and its environs, hail of 

 such an extraordinary bulk that two persons were killed by it at 

 Pendleton, and several others grievously wounded. 



On the 8th of August, a thunder-storm burst on the town of 

 St. Avoid (Moselle), and caused a fire which consumed thirty- 

 three houses and thirty-eight barns*. The 16th was a day 

 cruelly memorable to the departments of the Aisue and Ardennes. 

 The reapers were occupied in collecting one of the finest har- 

 vests which had been known for a long time ; the heavens be- 

 came suddenly obscured by thick and heavy clouds ; and soon 

 a storm of hail burst forth of such impetuous force, that in ten 

 minutes the crops and fruits of every description in the territory 

 «f four villages were hashed in pieces. Some of the hail-stonee 

 found were three po7mds in weight. These congelations re- 

 sembled a bullet cut in two ; the centre of each hemisphere was 

 harder than the rest, and of a brownish colour. On the 22d, 

 after two months of excessive dryness, Rome was the scene of 

 another dreadful tempest : some vineyards were quite ruined, 

 and more than thirty of the largest trees of the villa Panfili were 

 torn up by the roots. On the 26th, there was a hurricane at 

 the estate of Gourgivaux near Epernay, which, though it only 

 lasted three minutes, tore up and shattered a number of trees, 

 carried oif several roofs, knocked the barn of a farm topsy-turvy, 

 and scattered to the winds 300 well-bound sheaves. On the 

 27tii, in the valley of Pia near Genoa, there was a similai hur- 

 ricane, but of a longer duration; the damage occasioned by 



• A popular error augments the evils occasioned by sucli Storms at many 

 places. When assistance should be run for, the women discourage the 

 ■»«n with tlie greatest eamcttness, saying, that vjhcn the fire of Heaven tlc- 

 aeeruU, it i» in wain to teekfor relief; and that v.atcr, fur from allaying it, 

 yslU OHf^ incretue Hi force aitd adivity. ^ ^ ' 



wliith 



