476 OBSERVATIONS Part IV. 



2 1 ft, after fome days of cold rain. The grapes that were gathered 

 firft, fermented very foon : thofe that were gathered later, were 

 fome days before they began to grow warm. The wines were made 

 fo expeditioufly, that they were all tunned by the beginning of Oc- 

 tober. 



Towards the 25th, faffron began to be gathered. If the crop 

 of this flower had been greater, much of it would have been loft, 

 becaufe the feafon for gathering it happened juft at the time of the 

 vintage. 



October. 



The fky was over-cafl almoll all this month, the' we had but 

 little rain : confequently the earth was well difpofed for plowing and 

 fowing. The farmers took advantage of it; and moil: of their lands 

 were fown by the loth. The reft of this month was employed i.i- 

 giving the winter fallow. 



The late peaches did not ripen thoroughly. 



November. 



It rained almoft every day this month, and the wind was often 

 very high. So much rain fell, that ponds were formed in feveral 

 ftift' grounds, where the farmers were not able to continue their til- 

 lage. -The river Effonne was fwelled confiderably. 



The corn came up very finely; and, notwithftanding the rains, 

 preferved its verdure tolerably well in grounds not ftiff enough to re- 

 tain the water. 



On the firft of this month, a day remarkable for the earthquakes 

 that were felt in Portugal, Spain, France and England, a very cold 

 north wind blew. The thermometer was 2 degrees and an half 

 above the freezing point; and on the 2d, i degree. The Barometer 

 was at 27 inches and eleven twelfths; on the 2d, at 27 inches and 

 tvventy-one twenty-fourths; on the 3d, at 27 inches and three fourth?; 

 on the 4th, at 27 inches and five twelfths ; and on the 5th, at 27 

 inches. That fame day, it thundered, and we had a fliower of 

 hail with a ftrong wind. The quickiilver was very low all this 

 month. 



I am the more particular in my account of the rife of the quick- 

 iilver, becaufe of the relation it may pofiibly have with the earth- 

 quakes, which were very little felt in our province, where, however., 



fome 



