284 



THE NATURAL HISTORY 



[LETT. 



correspondents, at Lyndon, in the county of Eutland, the 

 thermometer stood at 19 ; at Blackburn, in Lancashire, at 19 ; and 

 ut Manchester at 21, 20, and 18. Thus does some unknown 

 circumstance strangely overbalance latitude, and render the cold 

 sometimes much greater in the southern than the northern parts 

 of this kingdom. 



The consequences of this severity were, that in Hampshire, 

 at the melting of the snow, the wheat looked well, and the 

 turnips came forth little injured. The laurels and laurustines 

 were somewhat damaged, but only in hot aspects. No ever- 

 greens were quite destroyed ; and not half the damage sustained 

 that befell in January 1768. Those laurels that were a little 

 scorched on the south sides were perfectly untouched on their 

 north sides. The care taken to shake the snow day by day 

 from the branches seemed greatly to avail the author's ever- 

 greens. A neighbour's laurel-hedge, in a high situation, and 

 facing to the north, was perfectly green and vigorous ; and the 

 Portugal laurels remained unhurt. 



As to the birds ; the thrushes and blackbirds were mostly 

 destroyed ; and the partridges were so thinned by the weather 

 and poachers, that few remained to breed the following year. 



LETTER CVII. 



TO THE HONOURABLE DAINES SARRINGTON. 



As the frost in December 1784 was very extraordinary, you, 

 I trust, will not be displeased to hear the particulars; and 

 especially when I promise to say no more about the severities 

 of winter after I have finished this letter. 



The first week in December was very wet, with the barometer 

 very low. On the 7th, with the barometer at 28-five tenths, 

 came on a vast snow, which continued all that day and the 

 next, and most part of the following night; so that by the 

 morning of the 9th the works of men were quite overwhelmed, 

 the lanes filled so as to be impassable, and the ground covered 

 twelve or fifteen inches without any drifting. In the evening 



