OF SELBORNE. 313 



indicate that thunder was at hand. I was called in about 

 two in the afternoon, and so missed seeing the gathering of 

 the clouds in the north, which they who were abroad 

 assured me had something uncommon in its appearance. 

 At about a quarter after two the storm began in the parish 

 of Hartley, moving slowly from north 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 con- 

 tinuance (for it was very short) , it must have ravaged all 

 the neighbourhood. In 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 

 garden-lights and hand-glasses, and many of my neigh- 

 bours' 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 hundred- 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 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. 



