32 FEBRUARY. 



clear frosty air sharply saluted the face by day, 

 and revealed to the eye at night a scene of pure 

 and sublime splendour in the lofty and intensely 

 blue sky glittering with congregated stars, or 

 irradiated with the placid moon. There was a 

 sense of vigour, of elasticity, of freshness about 

 you, which made it welcome : but now, most 

 commonly, by day or by night, the sky is hid- 

 den in impenetrable vapour ; the earth is sodden 

 and splashy with wet ; and even the very fire- 

 side does not escape the comfortless sense of 

 humidity. Every thing presents to the eye, 

 accustomed so long to the brightness of clear 

 frosts, and the pure whiteness of snow, a dingy 

 and soiled aspect. All things are dripping with 

 wet : it hangs upon the walls like a heavy dew ; 

 it penetrates into the drawers and wardrobes 

 of your warmest chambers ; and you are sur- 

 prised at the unusual dampness of your clothes, 

 linen, books, and papers ; and, in short, almost 

 every thing you have occasion to examine. 

 Brick and stone floors are now dangerous things 

 for delicate and thinly-shod people to stand upon. 

 To this source, and in fact, to the damps of this 

 month operating in various ways, may be attri- 

 buted not a few of the colds, coughs, and con- 

 sumptions so prevalent in England. Pavements 

 are frequently so much elevated by the expan- 

 sion of the moisture beneath, as to obstruct the 



