102 CORRESPONDENCE WITH HIS FAMILY. 



continued white at least in part. This bird remained in this 

 mourning garb to the day of its death, and lived, I perfectly 

 remember, altogether on hempseed, a kind of food which, I 

 have heard before, has a tendency to blacken those birds that 

 live altogether upon it. The owner of the bulfinch had at the 

 same time a skylark which was supported altogether in the 

 same manner and became very dusky but not black. 



Be pleased to remember that tho' I happened to have seen 

 a similar case, yet I look upon the phenomenon as odd and 

 extraordinary, and am much obliged to you for your infor- 

 mation, and shall be for the future for any curious anecdote 

 that falls in your way. 



From the 9 th of Aug. to the 14 th inclusive, the heat was 

 very severe night and day; and on the 13 th , in the evening, 

 arose from the S. that great tempest of thunder and lightning 

 which did so much damage in and about London. The rain 

 attending that storm was of signal service to the hops, which 

 before began to languish. But in the night between the 18 th 

 and 19 th of Aug. such a wind came from the N". that it well- 

 nigh demolished all the plantations. In S r S. Stuart's * gar- 

 den, consisting of 20 acres, not one pole was left standing for 

 many acres together ; and as his crop was remarkably fine, 

 he suffered the loss of many hundreds of pounds in that one 

 night. Since the storm hops have never thriven, and are 

 now picking, but are small and brown, and will be very dear 

 and very poor and ordinary. My therm r on the 13 th of Aug. 

 was at 78^- within doors. 



In the beginning of wheat harvest we had some rain, which 

 frightened some farmers, and made them house some of their 

 wheat too soon ; but, on the whole, wheat went in in most 

 curious order. As to the spring corn, both here and on the 

 downs it all lies abroad in a bad way ; for we have had no- 

 thing but rain since Sep. 1 . Apples fail in general : I have 

 again, as I had last year, more than my share, but not one 

 pear. My apricots were almost all cut off in bloom ; but I 

 have on my wall about 10 dozen of the best-ripened peaches 



* [Sir Simeon Stuart, Bart., of Hartley Park, of whose family several 

 monuments still remain in the church of that parish. T. B.] 



