324 WEATHER. 



to south ; and from 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 continuance, (for it was very short,) it must 

 have ravaged all the neighbourhood. In the parish 

 of Harteley 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 jingling 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 approached, was truly tremendous. 



Though the clouds at South Lambeth, near Lon- 

 don, 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 



