during the past Winter. 375 



margins to the leaves is often planted with good effect in vases 

 surmounting the pillars of gateways. Of these, some have the 

 upper leaves killed, but many are little injured, though the 

 roots must have been exposed to severe cold. The common 

 myrtle, though a native of this part of Italy, is more cut by the 

 frost than any of the exotic plants above named, and has suffered 

 as much as it often does in Devonshire in severe winters. 



Rain. — Deluges of rain, both heavier and of longer con- 

 tinuance than are usual in England, fell in the latter end of 

 November and middle of December. Of these, taking the 

 Arno as a rain-gauge, that which prevailed more or less from 

 the 17th to the 21st of December was the most considerable. 

 From the 21st of February to the 31st of March, some very 

 slight showers excepted, no rain fell; whence resulted not 

 pecks, but tons, of March dust, and the finest possible weather 

 for pruning the vines, and working the vineyards and olive 

 grounds, which entirely surround Florence for miles, and are 

 almost wholly dug by hand. 



Snow. — Some snow, mixed with sleet and rain, fell on the 

 9th and 17th of January, and on the 13th the roofs were 

 covered half an inch deep for a few hours : but the only con- 

 siderable fall during the winter was on the 4th of February, 

 when the snow was 4 or 5 in. deep on the level ; a gi-eater 

 fall than has occurred for eight or ten years, according to the 

 Florentines, whose eager curiosity at every door and window 

 to watch the descending flakes, showed that they do not wit- 

 ness this exhibition every year. The snow had disappeared 

 from the middle (or second) range of Apennines surrounding 

 Florence on February 25th, except drifted patches, a few of 

 which still remained on March 27th, at which time the third 

 or farthest range was still covered. 



Fogs. — Florence has the reputation, in some books of 

 travels, of being subject to fogs ; but it has scarcely deserved 

 this character the past winter; in which there were about 

 eight days in which the mornings w^ere foggy till ten o'clock, 

 and then succeeded by bright sunshine, but not more than two 

 days of continued fog. 



Wind. — What is noted in the table as to the direction of 

 the wind must be taken with some grains of allowance, as it is 

 not always easy to be accurate on this point when residing in 

 a city where, the fuel being mostly charcoal, you may look 

 long without seeing smoke issue from a single chimney, and 

 where, from its proximity to the Apennines, a superior current 

 of air is not unfrequently directly contrary to that which pre- 

 vails near the surface. This was the case for the whole of 

 two days (Jan. 28. and 29.); the lower current being south- 



