254 The Natural History 



thence it came over Norton-farm, and so to Grange-farm, 

 both in this parish. It began with vast drops of rain, 

 which were soon succeeded by round hail, and then by 

 convex pieces of ice, which measured three inches in girth, 

 Had it been as extensive as it was violent, and of any con- 

 tinuance (for it was very short), it must have ravaged all 

 the neighbourhood. In the parish of Hartley it did some 

 damage to one farm ; but Norton, which lay in the centre 

 of the storm, was greatly injured ; as was Grange, which 

 lay next to it. It did but just reach to the middle 

 of the village, where the hail broke my north windows, 

 and all my garden-lights and hand-glasses, and many 

 of my neighbours* windows. The extent of the storm 

 was about two miles in length and one in breadth. We 

 were just sitting down to dinner ; but were soon diverted 

 from our repast by the clattering of tiles and the jing- 

 ling of glass. There fell at the same time prodigious 

 torrents of rain on the farms above-mentioned, which 

 occasioned a flood as violent as it was sudden ; doing 

 great damage to the meadows and fallows, by deluging 

 the one and washing away the soil of the other. The 

 hollow lane towards Alton was so torn and disordered as 

 not to be passable till mended, rocks being removed that 

 weighed 200 weight. Those that saw the effect which 

 the great hail had on ponds and pools say that the dashing 

 of the water made an extraordinary appearance, the froth 

 and spray standing up in the air three feet above the 

 surface. The rushing and roaring of the hail, as it ap- 

 proached, was truly tremendous. 



Though the clouds at South Lambeth, near London, 

 were at that juncture thin and light, and no storm was in 

 sight, nor within hearing, yet the air was strongly electric ; 

 for the bells of an electric machine at that place rang re- 

 peatedly, and fierce sparks were discharged. 



When I first took the present work in hand I proposed 

 to have added an Afmns Historico-7iaturalis^ or the Natural 

 History of the Twelve Months of the Year; which would 

 have comprised many incidents and occurrences that have 

 not fallen in my way to be mentioned in my series of 

 letters ; — but, as Mr. Aikin of Warrington has lately pub- 



