THUNDER-STORM. 259 



ing 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 Hart- 

 ley, moving slowly from north to south ; and from thence it 

 came over Norton-farm, and so to Grange-farm, both in this 

 parish. It began with vast drops of rain, which were soon suc- 

 ceeded 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, which occasioned 

 a flood as violent as it was sudden ; doing great damage to the 

 meadows and fallows, by deluging the one and washing away the 

 soil of the other. The hollow lane towards Alton was so torn 

 and disordered as not to be passable till mended, rocks being 

 removed that weighed 200 weight. Those that saw the effect 

 which the great hail had on ponds and pools say that the dashing 

 of the water made an extraordinary appearance, the froth and 

 spray standing up in the air three feet above the surface. The 

 rushing and roaring of the hail, as it approached, was truly 

 tremendous. 



Though the clouds at South Lambeth, near London, were at 

 that juncture thin and light, and no storm was in sight, nor 

 within hearing, yet the air was strongly electric ; for the bells of 

 an electric machine at that place rang repeatedly, and fierce 

 sparks were discharged. 



When I first took the present work in hand I proposed to 

 have added an Annus Historico-naturalis, or the Natural History 

 of the Twelve Months of the year ; which would have comprised 

 many incidents and occurrences that have not fallen in my way 

 to be mentioned in my series of letters ; but, as Mr. Aikin of 

 Warrington has lately published somewhat of this sort, and as 

 S 2 



