240 Literary and Philosophical Society. 



from Hecla in Iceland, and that other volcano which arose 

 out of the sea near that island, which smoke might be 

 spread by various winds over the northern part of the 

 world, is yet uncertain. 



' It seems however worth the inquiry, whether other 

 hard winters, recorded in history, were preceded by 

 similar permanent and widely extended summer fogs, 

 because if found to be so, men might from such fogs con- 

 jecture the probability of a succeeding hard winter, and of 

 the damage to be expected by the breaking up of frozen 

 rivers in the spring, and take such measures as are possi- 

 ble and practicable, to secure themselves and effects from 

 the mischiefs that attended the last/ 



'Passy : May 1784.' 



John Kennedy. 



Towards the end of last century several Scottish youths 

 came to Manchester and made themselves prominent as 

 engineers, leaving descendants who are still interested in 

 the prosperity of the town. Although many have since 

 come, it is intended to mention only a few of the earliest. 

 James Watt, Junior, has been mentioned as having 

 remained here for a time as representative of his father. 

 We may next mention Mr. John Kennedy, who became a 

 member in 1803 and continued so to his death in 1855. 

 He was a friend of Watt, of Dalton, and of Henry, as well 

 as other eminent men, and his house, from 1822, was a 

 prominent one in Manchester, standing at the southern 

 end of Ardwick Green, ready to welcome talent from all 

 quarters. Mr. Kennedy was said by one whose name at 

 the time was the oldest in the directory of business men in 



