406 'The Natural History of Selborne 



such as Nore-hill, the Barnet, Butser-hill, and Portsdown, 

 which somehow divert the storms, and give them a different 

 direction. High promontories, and elevated grounds, have 

 always been observed to attract clouds and disarm them of 

 their mischievous contents, which are discharged into the 

 trees and summits as soon as they come in contact with 

 those turbulent meteors; while the humble vales escape, 

 because they are so far beneath them. 



But, when I say I do not remember a thunder-storm 

 from the south, I do not mean that we never have suffered 

 from thunder-storms at all; for on June 5th, 1784, the ther- 

 mometer in the morning being 64, and at noon 70, the 

 barometer at 29.6^, and the wind north, I observed a blue 

 mist, smelling strongly of sulphur, hanging along our sloping 

 woods, and seeming to indicate that thunder was at hand. 

 I was called in about two in the afternoon, and so missed 

 seeing the gathering of the clouds in the north ; which they 

 who were abroad assured me had something uncommon in 

 its appearance. At about a quarter after two the storm 

 began in the parish of Hartley, moving slowly from north 

 to south; and from thence it came over Ncrton-farm, and 

 so to Grange-farm, both in this parish. It began with vast 

 drops of rain, which were soon succeeded by round hail, and 

 then by convex pieces of ice, which measured three inches in 

 girth. Had it been as extensive as it was violent, and of any 

 continuance (for it was very short), it must have ravaged all 

 the neighbourhood. In the parish of Hartley it did some 

 damage to one farm ; but Norton, which lay in the centre of 

 the storm, was greatly injured; as was Grange, which lay 

 next to it. It did but just reach to the middle of the village, 

 where the hail broke my north windows, and all my garden 

 lights and hand-glasses, and many of my neighbours' windows. 

 The extent of the storm was about two miles in length and 

 one in breadth. We were just sitting down to dinner; but 

 were soon diverted from our repast by the clattering of tiles 

 and the jingling of glass. There fell at the same time 

 prodigious torrents of rain on the farms above-mentioned, 



