NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE. 287 



111 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 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 two 

 hundredweight. 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 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 repeatedly, 

 and fierce sparks were discharged. 



When I first took the present work in hand, I proposed 

 to have added an Annus Historico-naturalis, 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 



