316 WEATHER. 



in Hampshire, 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 befel 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. 



LXIII. 



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 even- 

 ing of the 9th the air began to be so very sharp, 



