360 PHILOSOPHY OF STORMS. 







It was animated, says Mr. Lalanne, engineer of bridges 

 and roads, with a very manifest oscillatory motion both verti- 

 cal and horizontal, like a pendulum which should be suc- 

 cessively approximated to the clouds and removed from them, 

 and at the same time balancing itself around the point of 

 suspension. 



Between its place of departure and the Croix du Freche, 

 there was a great space of the avenue without trees. 



After the junction of St. Dennis, two hundred and fifty 

 metres further on, there were fruit trees on the borders of 

 its path ; these trees had on the west north west like the 

 first, all their leaves dried and scorched, whilst the leaves 

 on the east south east were preserved fresh. These trees 

 were not merely inclined, but entirely prostrated, and lying 

 on the ground, turned towards the west north west. A 

 cherry tree was torn up and divided into two portions, the 

 portion which was separated from the (culee) was divided 

 into little splinters like thin laths, such as one finds in the 

 trees which have been struck with thunder, and which have 

 served as conductor to a powerful discharge. 



Arrived at the Croix du Freche, the descendant cloud 

 had great dimensions ; it was then a terrestrial spout well 

 formed, which, according to the account of several inhabi- 

 tants of Fontenay, had the form of an inverted cone, having 

 its base in the upper clouds, and its apex, about seven metres 

 from the earth. The vapors which composed it had a grey 

 tint, and rolled one on the other with a great impetuosity, 

 letting some points of their pale light be seen, and causing 

 a confused rolling to be heard. The spout then began to de- 

 viate from its first direction, and went to the north east, to- 

 wards a little row of trees along a brook without water, but 

 somewhat moist. It overturned them all in the direction of 

 its march, and it split them into slender strips, in the slen- 

 derest part of their trunks. It passed at the south west ex- 

 tremity of the village of Fontenay, reached the farms of 



