1836.] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



249 



place, without variation m summer or winter, was 

 the same 43^ degrees. 



Dr. Williams wrote his history about 1794, and 

 he says "the cold of the winters decreases — the 

 rivers are not Jrozen so soon — so thick or so long, 

 as they formerly were. A remarkable change o(" 

 this kind has been observed in all the settled parts 

 of North America. The bays and rivers in New 

 Kngland are not trozen so hard or so long as they 

 were at the first settlement of the country. At the 

 first settlement of Philadelphia, the river Delaware 

 was commonly covered with ice about the middle 

 of November, old style. It is not now covered 

 with ice till the middle of January." Dr. Williams 

 for the last assertion, refers to Kalm's Travels. 

 Kalm travelled in Pennsylvania about that pe- 

 riod, and the Delaware might on one or two occa- 

 sions have been covered with ice about the middle 

 of November; but the assertion in its broad sense 

 is evidently incorrect. We consider the account 

 given by Penn at the very period, and on the spot, 

 and the account given by 3Iakin in 1729, 46 years 

 afterwards, as much more entitled to credit than 

 the researches of a passing traveller. It is well 

 known, that for the first 150 years or more after 

 the settlement of this country, no particular or mi- 

 nute accounts of the weather appear to have been 

 kept. It is very certain, that notices of the cli- 

 mate, or weather, anterior to 1750, are exceedingly 

 scanty. But scanty as they are, they furnish 

 strong if not conclusive evidence, that the major 

 part of the winters for the first 150 years after the 

 settlement of the country were moderate, equally 

 60 as the winters of modern times. After the ex- 

 tremely severe winter of 1607, we find very rare 

 notices of severe winters up to the commencement 

 of the present centurj' — mild winters would of 

 course pass without recorded notice. Immediate- 

 ly succeeding 1607, it is fair to infer, that for many 

 years the winters were mild — it is fair to draw 

 such an inference from a perusal of the events and 

 circumstances of those periods, and in the absence 

 of all notice of severe weather. 



Kalm travelled in this country in 1749. It was 

 from theoW Germans in Pennsylvania, that he de- 

 rived the information of the change in the winter 

 seasons, from cold to more moderate. And the 

 ancient people at Quebec, in 1749, informed him 

 that the winters in Canada were formerly much 

 colder than they then were.' The Baron Lubantar 

 put to sea from Quebec the 20th November, new 

 style, in 1690, the like of which he says was never 

 seen before in that place ; yet we well know, that 

 at that period it was impossible to obtain inll)rnia- 

 tion at Quebec of the actual state of the climate 

 there, for many years anterior to 1690. In 1794, 

 Dr. Williams says that the St. Lawrence is 7inw, 

 not frozen over till the latter end of December or 

 beginning of January. If Dr. Williams had expe- 

 rienced the last six winters, it can hardly be 

 doubted, that he would have changed his opi- 

 nion as to the gradual moderating of our win- 

 ters. 



We have satisfactory evidence, that (he infor- 

 mation given to Kalm in 1749. that the Delaware 

 was fbrmeriy frozen over by the middle of Novem- i 

 ber, is wholly devoid of foundation. The follow- | 

 ing notices from the jjazettes of the periods, v/ere 

 collected by Samuel Harvard, Esq. They are in- j 

 teresfing, and do not occupy much space. I give, 

 however, onlv a few— such as are conclusive to 1 



Vol. IV— 32 



prove the incorrectness of the information given to 

 Kalm. 



1681, December 11th. The Delaware fi-oze 

 over that night. 1704. Snow fell one yard deep. 



1714, February. Flowers seen in the woods. 



1720, December 20. Our river is full of ice 

 27th December. The river is now clear of ice. 



1721. The river is full of ice. 26th December. 

 The river is locked up. January, 1722. Vessels 

 get up to New Castle. February 6. Vessels 

 cleared and entered. 



1723, January 1st. Weather is yet moderate 

 and our river open. 6lh, do. — and free from ice. 

 December, same year. Vessels enter and clear 

 through the month. 1724, January 18th. River 

 free from ice. December 22. River full of ice. 

 29. Some driving ice. 1725, 3rd March. /A 

 snow 2 feet deep, which had not been known or 

 some years. 1725, December 21. River fiill of 

 ice, but not closed. 



1726, January 18. Kntries and clearancef. 

 December. Do. through the month. 1727, Feb- 

 ruary 14. River not closed. 1728, 23rd January. 

 River frozen up — very hard weather for a Ibrtnight 

 previous. December 31st. 36 vessels, &c. frozen 

 up at docks. 1724, Feb. 17. Entries and clearan- 

 ces. Dec. Do. through the month. 20th Jan. ]730. 

 A very deep snow — river full of ice. 27th Jan. A 

 vessel cleared. Dec. 29th. Entries and clearances. 



1731, December 14th. River full of ice. 21. 

 River a little opened. 1732, December. Entries 

 and clearances. 1733, January 18. Great snow 

 at Lewes. December. Entries and clearances. 

 1734, January 1st. River continues open, and 

 even then very moderate — winter hitherto as mo- 

 derate as for many years past. December. River 

 free from ice — weather fine and open. 



1735, 16th January. River open and weather 

 very moderate. December. Entries and clear- 

 ances. 1736. 6th January. River is fast and full 

 of ice. February 5th. Arrivals. 25th. Two 

 whales killed at Cape May. December. Arri- 

 vals and clearances through the month. 



1737, January 20th. Weather very cold — per- 

 sons frozen to death — river frozen up. Decem- 

 ber. Entries and clearances through the month; 

 also through January and February, 1838. De- 

 cember, do., till the 18ih. 1739, 25th January. 

 River clear of ice. December. Entries and clear- 

 nnces. 1740, January 10. No entries, &c. till 

 21st Februar3^ March 15th. Ice broken up in the 

 Delaware. December 19th. River frozen up till 

 13th March. From Lewes- it is all ice toward.^ 

 the sea as far as the eye can reach. Tuesday and 

 Wednesday are thought to have been the coldest 

 days fiir many years. 



.5th March. The severity of the winter com- 

 plained of throughout the country — cattle dying 

 from want of fodder — many deer fijund dead in the 

 woods, and some came lanmly to the nlantations, 

 and fed on hay with other creatures. 13th March. 

 River navigaljle — the winter extremely long and 

 severe. 19th. River now quite open — vessels 

 daily come up. 



April 19lh. We hear from Lancaster county, 

 that during the great snow, which in general was 

 more than 3 feet deep, the black inhabitants suf^ 

 li-rcd much for want of bread, &c. &c. The In- 

 dians fear a scarcity of deer and turkeys. Decem- 

 ber. Entries and clearances. 1742, January. 

 Do. 22nd. Conicl visible for some time. Feb- 



