296 REMARKS ON THE LAW OF STORMS. 
of an inquisitive and philosophical turn of mind, and a projector 
withal, for we have another production of his in which he describes a 
notable invention of his own, viz.: “An Engine to. work by the Wind, 
that with a long time, and a close and intent application of thoughts, 
and a large expence in making and altering of models, I have now 
brought to answer the ends proposed.” These ends were nowise 
trifling, and had they answered the anticipations of the worthy pro- 
jector would. doubtless, instead of having been consigned to the limbo 
of forgetfulness, have earned for him the expected, immortality. 
However, as, an observer of nature, he seems to have been most. inde- 
fatigable. In his description of the hurricane and its. effects, he does. 
not omit the smallest particular from the “uprooting of over a thou- 
sand and five oaks on the demesne of Sir Thomas Webster, Bart.,’’ to. 
the damaging of a stack of chimneys, or the unroofing of a pig-stye. 
He opens his narrative by saying, “‘ We had the surprising horror of 
seeing (at about twenty miles distance), such unintermitting corusca- 
tions, together with such dreadful darting and breaking forth of liquid 
fire at every flash of lightning in the way of the hurricane, as perhaps. 
has not been seen in this climate for many ages. He proceeds to give 
‘a careful collation of the weather for the nine days preceding the 
hurricane,”’ as follows : ' 
“May 11.—Storm of hail in the evening, wind W. b. N., the wind 
for a long time before having been northerly. 
12.—White frost, warm and fair with moderate breeze 8. b. W. 
13.—Clear, light breeze from the S. 
14.—Cloudy, light breeze from. W. 
15.—Very clear, warm breeze from S. E. 
16.—Very serene air, with a sensible increase of heat ; wind S. E. 
17.—Very clear with a soft W. wind. 
18.—Very serene, and began to be exceeding hot and sultry. 
Wind S$. 
19.—A somewhat thick air in the morning, but very clear and 
exceeding hot in the afternoon. Wind S. W. b.S. 
20.—A slight flying tempest in the morning with a little scatterig 
rain. The rest of the day very clear and extreme hot. and sultry. 
Wind S. till about 5 p.m., when there began to appear a haziness in 
the S., which by degrees, with a vanishing edge, arrived at our zenith 
about 7 p.M., when there began to appear plain symptoms of a tem-. 
pest. We distinctly. heard the thunder at 8 p.m., and had a prospect 
