2IO History of Animal Plagues. 



' About the middle of July the distemper appeared at Ishngton, 

 and thereupon their Excellencies, the Lords Justices, having notice 

 of it, were pleased to command that I should examine into the 

 truth of the report of its being contagious ; and ordered the 



vious to the breaking out of this epizootic disease, or to those who are yet believers in 

 the spotitaneous origin of this malady in Britain, I will take the liberty of transcrib- 

 ing the principal characters of the months which had elapsed before its outbreak 

 in 1 714. Dr Short says : ' We are now entered on a set of dry years, which con- 

 tinued to the end of 17 19 ; the last four were exceeding hot and dry, preceded this 

 year by an uncommon height of the barometer continuing many weeks together, 

 notwithstanding the greatest rains I ever remember. All January, the mercury 

 stood almost invariably at settled dry, commonly marked settled fair. As the 

 weather is mostly close when the mercury is highest, such was the state of this 

 month, the greatest part cold, but little frost. Wind sometimes S.W., but preva- 

 lently E. and N.E. On the 6th some flights of small snow ; the 1 8th, 25th, and 

 29th, small showers. . . . First half of February generally fair and mild like May ; 

 the 14th to the end, squally weather, with some white frosts, wind N. ; the 17th, 

 gooseberries in bloom ; the 19th, dreadful storm at N., and with this a very high 

 tide, overflowing all the Deans. The 15th, morning, wind S. W. blowing hard ; p.m. 

 squally, N.W. 3 hor. Morning 5, N.W.; p.m. 6J, N.W., or W.N.W., small 

 storm, then northerly from P.M. 5^ to 6|. A great number of ships in the road 

 sunk, shored, or driven from their anchors ; and houses stript. The mercury sunk 

 the most suddenly that afternoon that ever I observed, and rose as quickly 65 degrees 

 when the storm was over at 8 o'clock. . . . March, glorious days and nights from 

 the 1st to the 12th, yet hard frost in the morning, wind southerly ; then still warmer 

 west winds, and showery weather, with clear nights ; the 20th to the 31st, wind 

 northerly, yet sundry pleasant days. Grass grew so fast, that my grass-plot was 

 mown the 13th and the 31st ; the i6th, currants shot an inch long, yet the wind 

 southerly ; the 26th to the 31st, wind N.E. The leaves of the gooseberries were 

 blasted. I had observed the caterpillars on them in the depth of winter, and they now 

 appeared thick. . . . The beginning of April, the weather set in so cold with hail and 

 snow lying two inches thick, that on the 3rd it froze within-doors. This frost lasted 

 four or five days, the nights cloudless ; yet from the 9th to the 12th, iSth, and 17th, 

 warmer by the thermometer than it often is in May or June, especially the I2th. 

 Wind S. W. and southerly. The 19th to the 28th, wind N.E., dry weather, variable 

 winds and showers to the end, with some fogs. . . . The first days of May, warm as 

 those in April ; from the 4th to the 6th, wind N.W. with squally weather ; to the 

 24th, easterly winds, and mostly very dry, cold, and clear. Gooseberries and cur- 

 rants not all out of bloom ; the 19th, distant thunder, with hail and rain ; the 27th, 

 rained almost all day. The artichokes which were fruited in winter, were now no 

 bigger than large apples. . . . June began dry; the 1st to the 3rd, N.E, then west- 

 erly and stormy from the 6th to the loth ; the rest of the month N.E. and dry ; 

 not very hot yet. . . . July, currants began to ripen, and gooseberries next week. 

 Wind sometimes westerly, but chiefly at E. this month ; the 2nd, loth, and 20th, 

 remote thunder ; little rain before the 12th and 13th ; the latter half showery, and 

 a great deal the last weeks ; the 24th, new corn brought to the mills ; the 2nd, 

 numberless butterflies hanging about the gooseberry bushes, or rising from them ; 

 on the 7th, the air swarmed with them. Their wings were red, spotted with white ; 

 the spawn of the silk-worm caterpillar.' — Op. cit., vol. i. p. 470. 



