m the Tempera f lire of JFinter. 31 



Smith however, when he wrote the foregoing note, 

 was writing in the text of his history, that Governor 

 Fletcher sailed from New- York for Albany on Feb. 13th 

 or 14th, in 1693. This certainly was a rare event, but 

 it should have made him doubtful at least of a change 

 of climate. Another fact cited by Dr. Williams, is,, that 

 Baron Lahontau put to sea from Quebec in 1690, on the 

 20th of November, new stile, the like of which had 

 never been known in that place before. The St. Law- 

 rence had been covered with ice on the 14th of Novem- 

 ber, but was cleared by a sudden thaw. Yet what con- 

 clusion can be drawn from the fact ? Simply this, that 

 the seasons then were sometimes very variable, as they 

 are now. But Dr. Williams infers from this passage of 

 history, that the St. Lawrence was, in former times, 

 usually closed with ice by the middle of November ; 

 whereas in modern days, he says, it is not frozen over 

 till the latter end of December or beginning of January. 

 But this inference is probably drawn from some mild 

 winters. In one fourth of our winters, the Hudson, 

 Delaware and Connecticut are closed with ice in the 

 42d and 43d degree of latitude, as early as the last 

 week in November, or first wxek in December ; and 

 it is against all probability that the St. Lawrence, in the 

 46th degree, continues open a month later. 



In proof of his opinion, Dr. Williams cites a passage 

 from Wood's Prospect, a work written in the early set- 

 tlement of this country, which says, that the winters 

 then began in December, and continued to February 21 

 (new stile,) when the rivers and bays were unlocked by 

 warm weather ; the duration of winter then was two 

 months or ten weeks. This is mentioned to have been 

 a very regular occurrence for ten or twelve years. 



From this passage the author concludes the bays 

 about Boston, on the first settlement of New-England, 

 must have been " anrually covered with ice," and that 

 this bridge lasted through the winter months : Where- 

 as in these days, this is not a regular event, nor when 

 froze, does the ice continue so long. From data which, 

 he supposes sufficiently correct,, he concludes that our 



