NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE. 197 



sunbeam let into a dark room. We thought them at first particles 

 of the rime falling from my tall hedges ; but were soon convinced 

 to the contrary, by making our observations in open places where 

 no rime could reach us. Were they watery particles of the air frozen 

 as they floated, or were they evaporations from the snow frozen as they 

 mounted ! 



We were much obliged to the thermometers for the early informa- 

 tion they gave us; and hurried our apples, pears, onions, potatoes, 

 &c. into the cellar, and warm closets ; while those who had not, or 

 neglected such warnings, lost all their store of roots and fruits, and had 

 their very bread and cheese frozen. 



I must not omit to tell you that, during these two Siberian days, my 

 parlour cat was so electric, that had a person stroked her, and been 

 properly insulated, the shock might have been given to a whole circle 

 of people. 



I forgot to mention before, that, during the two severe days, two 

 men, who were tracing hares in the snow, had their feet frozen ; and 

 two men, who were much better employed, had their fingers so 

 affected by the frost, while they were thrashing in a barn, that a 

 mortification followed, from which they did not recover for many 

 weeks. , 



This frost killed all the furze and most of the ivy, and in many places 

 stripped the hollies of all their leaves. It came at a very early time of 

 the year, before old November ended ; and yet may be allowed from its 

 effects to have exceeded any since 1730-40. 



LETTEE LXIV. 



TO THE SAME. 



As the effects of heat are seldom very remarkable in the northerly 

 climate of England, where the summers are often so defective in 

 warmth and sunshine as not to ripen the fruits of the earth so well as 

 might be wished, I shall be more concise in my account of the severity 

 of a summer season, and so make a little amends for the prolix account 

 of the degrees of cold, and the inconveniences that we suffered from 

 some late rigorous winters. 



The summers of 1781 and 1783 were unusually hot and dry; to 

 them therefore I shall turn back in my journals, without recurring to 

 any more distant period, t In the former of these years my peach and 

 nectarine-trees suffered so much from the heat that the rind on the 

 bodies was scalded and came off; since which the trees have been in 

 a decaying state. This may prove a hint to assiduous gardeners to 

 fence and shelter their wall-trees with mats or boards, as they may 

 easily do, because such annoyance is seldom of long continuance. 

 During that summer also, I observed that my apples were coddled, as 

 it were, on the trees ; so that they had no quickness of flavour, and 

 would not keep in the winter. This circumstance put me in mind of 



