of Selborne 247 



balance latitude, and render the cold sometimes much 

 greater in the southern than in the northern parts of this 

 kingdom. 



The consequences of this severity were, that in Hamp- 

 shire, at the melting of the snow, the wheat looked well, 

 and the turnips came forth little injured. The laurels 

 and laurustines were somewhat damaged, but only in hot 

 aspects. No evergreens were quite destroyed ; and not 

 half the damage sustained that befell in January, 1768. 

 Those laurels that were a little scorched on the south- 

 sides were perfectly untouched on their north-sides. The 

 care taken to shake the snow day by day from the 

 branches seemed greatly to avail the author's evergreens. 

 A neighbour's laurel-hedge, in a high situation, and 

 facing to the north, was perfectly green and vigorous ; 

 and the Portugal laurels remained unhurt. 



As to the birds, the thrushes and blackbirds were 

 mostly destroyed ; and the partridges, by the weather 

 and poachers, were so thinned that few remained to breed 

 the following year. 



LETTER LXIII 



TO THE HONOURABLE DAINES HARRINGTON 



As the frost in December, 1784, was very extraordinary, 

 you, I trust, will not be displeased to hear the particulars : 

 and especially when I promise to say no more about the 

 severities of winter after I have finished this letter. 



The first week in December was very wet, with the 

 barometer very low. On the 7th, with the barometer at 

 28, five-tenths, came on a vast snow, which continued all 

 that day and the next, and most part of the following 

 night ; so that by the morning of the 9th the works of 

 men were quite overwhelmed, the lanes filled so as to be 

 impassable, and the ground covered twelve or fifteen 

 inches without any drifting. In the evening of the 9th 

 the air began to be so very sharp that we thought it 

 would be curious to attend to the motions of a 



