Miscellanies. 185 
chamber windows, in the morning, upon rackets, snow shoes. Far- 
mers had no way to get wood, but by walking upon rackets. John 
Winthrop of New London lost eleven huidred sheep on Fisher’s 
Island, where they were buried in snow sixteen feet deep. ‘Two of 
the sheep, however, survived, being taken out alive, after being cov- 
ered twenty eight days. They lived by chewing the wool of the 
others; but after being relieved, their own wool came off. See 
Winthrop’s Letter, Historical collection, vol. ii, p. 12. Ido not find 
it mentioned that the cold of that winter was of unusual severity. 
In 1788—9, the Seine in France was covered with solid ice for 
several weeks. 
The winter of 1741 was of great severity. My father, who was 
a witness of the winters of 1741 and 1780, considered the cold of 
the former quite equal to that of the latter. But I have seen no 
thermometrical observations made in New England in the year 1741. 
By Mr. Jefferson’s observations in his notes, it appears that the 
winter of 1780, was the most severe, as in 1740—41, York River . 
was not frozen over, whereas in 1780, the Chesapeake was covered 
with solid ice from its head to the mouth of the Potomac. At An- 
napolis, where the bay is more than five miles wide, the ice was five | 
inches thick. 
In the winter of 1779-80, the first snow storm occurred about — 
the 25th of November, and subsequent falls of snow raised it'to the 
hight of three or four feet upon a level. ‘The wind for several 
weeks from the North West was cold, the snow was so dry and 
so continually driven by the wind, that no good path could be made, 
and traveling was almost impeded. I passed often, half a mile or a 
mile on drifts as high as the fences. Farmers could do little else 
abroad than feed their cattle and provide ‘them with water. For 
about six weeks the cold was so intense, that no snow melted on the 
south side of buildings. ‘The sound between Long Island and the 
main was nearly all covered with ice, and troops of horse and heavy 
cannon passed on the ice between New York and Staten Island. 
Since that, as in 1788, the ice in the east river has been passable for 
a footman, for a few hours only at a time. 
Thermometrical observations made at Hartford, on ‘Fahrenheit’s 
scale. 
Vol. XX VUHI.—No. 1. 24 
