280 THE NATURAL HISTORY [LETT. 



above, that though frosts advance to their utmost severity by 

 somewhat of a regular gradation, yet thaws do not usually come 

 on by so regular a declension of cold ; but often take place 

 immediately after intense freezing ; as men in sickness often 

 mend at once from a paroxysm. 



To the great credit of Portugal laurels and American juni- 

 pers, be it remembered that they remained untouched amidst 

 the general havoc : hence men should learn to ornament chiefly 

 with such trees as are able to withstand accidental severities, 

 and not subject themselves to the vexation of a loss which may 

 befall them, once, perhaps, in ten years, yet may hardly be 

 recovered through the whole course of their lives. 



As it afterwards appeared, the ilexes were much injured, 

 the cypresses were half destroyed, the arbutuses lingered on, 

 but never recovered; and the bays, laurustines, and laurels, 

 were killed to the ground, and the very wild hollies, in hot 

 aspects, were so much affected that they cast all their leaves. 



By the 14th of January the snow was entirely gone ; the 

 turnips emerged not damaged at all, save in sunny places ; 

 the wheat looked delicate, and the garden-plants were well 

 preserved ; for snow is the most kindly mantle that infant 

 vegetation can be wrapped in; were it not for that friendly 

 meteor, no vegetable life could exist at all in northerly regions. 

 Yet in Sweden, the earth in April is not divested of snow for 

 more than a fortnight before the face of the country is covered 

 with flowers. 



