CLIMATE, SEASONS, ETC. 



1818. 



Jan. 28. suits me. Does not pester me with questions. 

 Does not cram me with meat. Lets me eat and 

 drink what I like, and when I like, and gives mugs 

 of nice milk. I find, here, a very agreeable and 

 instructive occasional companion, in Mr. M ALLis- 

 TER the elder. But, of the various useful informa 

 tion, that I received from him, I must speak in the 

 second part of this work. 



29. Very hard frost this morning. Change very sudden. 

 All about the house a glare of ice. 



30. Not so hard. Icicles: on the trees on the neighbouring 

 mountains like so many millions of sparklings tones, 

 when the sun shines, which is all the day. 



3 1 . Same weather. Two farmers of Lycoming county 

 had heard that William Cobbett was here. They 

 modestly introduced themselves. &quot;What a contrast 

 with the &quot; yeomanry cavalry ! &quot; 



Feb. i. Same weather. About the same as a &quot; hard frost &quot; 

 in England. 



2. Same weather. 



3. Snow. 



4. Little snow. Not much frost. This day, thirty- 

 three years ago, I enlisted as a soldier. I always 

 keep the day in recollection. 



5. Having been to Harrisburgh on the second, returned 

 to M Allister s to-day in a sleigh. The River begins 

 to be frozen over. It is about a mile wide. 



6. Little snow again, and hardish frost. 



7. Now and then a little snow. Talk with some hop- 

 growers. Prodigious crops in this neighbourhood ; 

 but, of them in the Second Part. What would a 

 Farnham man think of thirty hundred weight of hops 

 upon four hundred hills, ploughed between, and the 

 ground vines fed off by sheep ! This is a very 

 curious and interesting matter. 



8. A real Frost. 



9. Sharper. They say, that the thermometer is down 

 to 10 degrees below nought. 



10. A little milder ; but very cold indeed. The River 

 completely frozen over, and sleighs and foot- 

 passengers crossing in all directions. 



11. Went back again to Harrisburgh. Mild frost. 



12. Not being able to bear the idea of dancing attendance, 

 came to Lancaster, in order to see more of this pretty 

 town. A very fine Tavern (Slaymaker s) ; room to 

 myself ; excellent accommodations. Warm fires. 

 Good and clean beds. Civil but not servile, land 

 lord. The eating still more overdone than at 



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