OF THE HEAVENS AND THE AIR. 7 



Monday night, 8th March, 1762, and the next day, were much 

 like that Sunday, both for fnow and wind ; the vallies and hol- 

 lows rifing to hills of fnow among our mountains ; and every 

 where elfe we were prefentcd with fnow-profpects till Thurfday- 

 night following, when the fcene \vas changed by rain and a high 

 wind, which blowed very loud till morning, but 'the rain conti- 

 nued till Saturday, and a lowering, hazy fey compleated the 

 thaw. Thefe two florins were general through the kingdom, 

 and were fatal both by fea and land ; mips and their cargoes, and 

 the brave failors, fuperior to all other dangers, perifhed in the 

 fea, and many unfortunate perfons were fuddenly cut off. 



About fourteen years ago, as the fun was crofling the line, the 

 weather was fo flormy and tempefhuous, that the fea flowed and 

 ebbed twice at one tide, at Blyth ; the waves, in their approach 

 to the rocks, magnificently terrible. 



Blights, of a pernicious nature, feldom infeft this country. The 

 worfl that I have obferved happened 31 ft May, 1759, and ift June, 

 1760; both in the night. In the morning, the woods, and 

 hedge-rows, and nurfery-plants, particularly aftics, appeared in 

 mourning, their young fhoots and leaves fcorched and fhrivclled, 

 and made coal-black by a piercing vapour and keen frofty air, 

 the ground being covered with a hoar-froft in the morning of the 

 firft of June. Trees and fhrubs of a hardy nature, whofe moots 

 and leaves were better guarded againft its virulence, efcaped 

 unhurt. 



PolyfiUablcal Echoes are generally thought worthy of remark. 

 We have two of thefe, very curious and uncommon. One is 

 under the bank on the north-fide of the river Coquet, oppofite to a 

 farm-yard by Mr. Clutterbuck's fummer-houfe, at Wark-worth. It 

 will return feven notes from a German flute in a ftill evening. In 



a 



