PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. 



A remarkable phenomenon in the shape of a waterspout occurred 

 at High Stoy, the highest point of a range of hills between 

 Melbury and Minterne, on the 7th of June last, about six o'clock 

 p.m. It followed the road which traverses the crest of the hill, 

 tearing up the largest stones from its foundation. It was preceded 

 by much thunder and lightning, but with little rain, during the 

 previous afternoon. The column of water, which was described as 

 being about the thickness of a man's body, moved at a rapid rate 

 in the direction of the axis of the hill range, shown by the 

 devastation it occasioned. Holes eight or nine feet deep were dug 

 out in several parts of the road, and an overwhelming stream 

 hurled the material down the hill side. The Rev. A. J. Poole, of 

 Stowell Kectory, in his description of it said there was no other 

 evidence of the destructive effects of the waterspout neither on 

 the other parts of the road nor on the surrounding land, and that 

 the holes could not be assigned to the action of a storm, as the 

 road is situated on a ridge of the hill, and could only have been 

 occasioned by a solid column of water falling with force from a great 

 height. The contents of the waterspout were poured out in its 

 passage over Batcombe, Hannaf ord, .and Chetnole on the west side ; 

 Cerne and Minterne on the north. The tumultuous torrents poured 

 down the hill side and took the course of a small stream, which 

 soon overflowed its banks, carrying destruction to everything which 

 opposed its course. At Hannaford Mill much stock was drowned, 

 and at Chetnole Mills the men had scarcely time to escape before the 

 water had reached the first floor. Large trees were uprooted and 

 carried down some distance by the force of the stream. About a 

 hundred yards of Major Wingfield Digby's garden-wall and his green- 

 house were thoroughly wrecked. Through his help several school- 

 children were promptly rescued from a watery grave. The atmos- 

 pheric disturbances in the neighbourhood were very excessive ; 

 thunder and lightning, accompanied with torrents of rain, occurred 

 at Cattistock in the afternoon of the 7th of June. At Melbury 

 there was thunder and lightning without rain. A terrific thunder 

 storm occurred at Langton Herring on the night of the 6th. At 



