on the Night of Simday, July 30, 1 820. 121 



and far more extensively, obtained from the daily public prints. 

 These have all concurred in describing it as a very severe visita- 

 tion, in which the hail was large, abundant, and destructive both 

 to ve^etalion and the feathered tribe. The latter, indeed, abso- 

 lutely strewed the ground in some places (at Worthing, and some 

 parts of Kent), and were picked up on the following morning bv 

 barrow loads. Two instances of its effects occurred in our own 

 immediate vicinity. A house situated on Croydon common was 

 struck bythelightning; the fluid passed direcllydown the chimney, 

 disordered the brick-work here and there in its descent, and finally 

 broke a large kitchen slab, under the range, into many fragments. 

 A house at Banstead Downs was likewise considerably damaged. 



Observations, &c. 



In attempting to trace the progress of a storm, particularly of 

 one so formidable in its appearance as that of the 30th of July 

 last, it will doubtless be considered more correct to notice the 

 state of the atmosphere some hours prior to its commencement: 

 indeed, when we reflect, that the variation produced on the ba- 

 rometer and thermometer, by sudden and violent changes in the 

 higher regions of the air, must be regarded as the only datum 

 from which meteorologists are warranted in deducing the causes 

 of the effects they observe in atmospheric phaenomena, such a 

 step appears indispensable. 



The morning of the day on which the storm took place was 

 remarkably fine ; the thermometer at 9 o'clock A.M. stood at 

 68"; barometer 30' 18 inches; the former is hung out of doors 

 at the back of the house, the aspect of which is nearly due north. 

 The wind blew from S.S. E. The general appearance of the 

 sky was fair, being covered with cumuli, not of the fleecy-white 

 kind, but partaking more of the gray cast. At noon these ap- 

 peared to resolve themselves into cirro-cnmuli, and entirely co- 

 vered the face of the sky, rather indicating rain. At 3 o'clock 

 in the afternoon the thermometer stood at 75°, the barometer 

 having sunk to 30-15 inches; wind blowing from the south. 

 At about five in the evening the face of the sky was again covered 

 with cumuli, and the sun shone : the lower part of these 

 clouds was dark, and portended rain. Between 6 and 7 o'clock 

 a htrong haze began to make its appearance in the east, and 

 gradually extended itself over the west, causing the sun-light to 

 appear of a much yellower tint, usually denominated a gleam. 

 Between 8 and J) o'clock this appearance was much increased in 

 the east, which indeed assumed quite an inky blackness, accom- 

 panied with an ojjpressive heat, so that all who observed it prog- 

 nosticated a storm. This threatening aspect continued to in- 

 crease until 10 o'clock, about which time the wind blow briskly 



Vol. 5(j. No. 2GS. yluf^. 1820. . Q from 



