NEW LETTERS. XIX 



Hiyh-wood, another rare plant. The clouds are all gone ; and 

 we may expect frost. 



We have here this winter a weekly concert consisting of a first 

 and second fiddle, two repianos, a bassoon, an haut-boy, a violin- 

 cello, and a German-flute ; to the great annoyance of the neigh- 

 bouring pigs, which complain that their slumbers are interrupted, 

 and their teeth set on edge. 



(To Miss ANNE BARKER.) 



Selborne: Feb: 5th : 1785. 



DEAR NIECE, 



I was just thinking to write to some- RAIN AT SELBORNE 



body in your family, when your agreeable IN 1734. 



letter came in. i nc : h : 



As the late frost was attended with some Jan : - 3 



unusual circumstances, your father, I trust, Feb : 



will not be displeased to hear the particulars. Mar : - 3 



The first week in Dec 1 was very wet, with Apr : - 3 



the Barom r very low. On the 7th with the May - 1 



Bar : at 28 - 5 - 10 : there came on a vast June - 3 



snow, which continued all that day and the July - 2 



next, and most part of the following night ; Aug : - 3 



so that by the morning of the 9th the works Sept r 2 



of men were quite overwhelmed, the lanes Oct r 



filled so as to be rendered impassable, arid NoV 4 



the ground covered 12 or 14 inches where Dec 3 



18 

 77 

 82 

 92 

 52 

 65 

 40 

 88 

 51 

 39 

 70 

 6 



80 



there was no drifting. In the evening of the 



9th the air began to be so very sharp that Total 



we thought it would be curious to attend to 



the motions of a Therm r . We therefore hung out two, one 



made by Martin and one by Dolland, which soon bean to 



shew us what we were to expect. For by 10 o'clock they 



fell to 21: and at ll h : to 4, when we went to bed. On 



the 10th in the morning Dolland's glass was down to half a 



degree below zero ; and Martin's, which absurdly was graduated 



only to 4 above zero, was quite into the ball : so that when the 



