6 STATISTICAL SURVEY 



eaft: thefe gales are often preceded by flight frofts, 

 which quickly thawing, and afcending early, are the 

 forerunners of tremendous ftorms of wind and rain 

 from that quarter. In juftice to our climate I muft 

 not omit the month of October, which, after the fub- 

 fiding of the equinoctial gales, offers fome weeks of 

 clear and mild weather, which, probably, we prize the 

 more, from the dread of approaching winter ; and, al- 

 though the north winds are the leaft prevalent, yet, 

 after this month, at the breaking up of the weather, 

 fome days, very tempeftuous, are ufual from that 

 point; from which, likewife, proceed heavy falls of 

 fnow, and the moft lafting frofts. The influence of 

 the fea air is very ftrongly felt upon the coafts, where 

 the froft is neither fo hard, nor of fo long continuance, 

 as in the inland parts, where the ground is fometimes 

 fo hard as to prevent the plough from going, whilft in 

 Lecale, and other maritime diftricls, it is fufficiently 

 open, to permit every agricultural operation to be car- 

 ried on. Fogs are not frequent, except in the vicinity 

 of the mountains, which, in general lying on the coaft, 

 are fo well ventilated, that little inconvenience, and 

 fcarcely any damage, is experienced from them. Upon 

 the whole, the climate of this county 'is amongft the 

 moft wholefome. From the fhape of the grounds, the 

 water runs off after every fall of rain with quicknefs, 

 and feldom ftagnates in any confiderablc quantity; and 

 the foil) in moft parts, not being retentive, and having 



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