METEOROLOGICAL ABSTRACT. 219 



The roads were rendered impaffable, both from the depth of the fnow, and the 

 degree of thaw which now and then took place, by which they became flippery, 

 and uneven in the extreme. The whole fnow that fell, reduced to water, mta- 

 fured 6.607 inches, which, had it fallen at once, would have covered the ground 

 to the depth of about 7 feet. 



The feverity of this winter extended over all Europe ; and, on the Continent, 

 the freezing over of the Rhine and the Meufc was accompanied with circumftances 

 that will be long remembered. 



The barometer was above 30.3 at the beginning of the froft, and continued 

 high till the end of January, notwithftanding the heavy falls of fnow, which came 

 almoft all from eaft and N. E. On the 31ft of January it fell greatly, with fnow ; 

 and, during the firft 12 days of February, it was generally below 29 inches. It 

 ftood at 30.4 on the 17th, from which it fell gradually till the thaw, when it was un- 

 der 29.5. No connexion could be traced between the ofcillations of the barome- 

 ter, and the intenfions and remiflions of the cold. 



From the breaking up of the froft on the 3d, till about the 20th of March, the 

 fnow did not difappear entirely, even in the plains ; it ufually froze a little in the 

 night, and the medium temperature was under 38°. On the difappearance of the 

 fnow, the thermometer rofe fuddenly about 10°, which muft be afcribed to the cea- 

 fing, at that time, of the abforption of the latent heat, that had taken place during the 

 melting of the fnow. 



The fpring which fucceeded was tolerable ; and the temperature of the latter 

 part of March, the whole of April, and the beginning of May, rather above the 

 mean. About the loth of May the wind, whicli had for fome time been in the 

 S. W. came to the eaft and N. E.; the weather, of courfe, was cold, and continued fo, 

 with the wind generally N. E. all the month of June, and till the 24th of July. 

 June and July were alfo very rainy months. The wefterly winds prevailed in Au» 

 guft, and the weather was good, though a confiderable quantity of rain fell. Sep- 

 tember was uncommonly favourable ; and the crop, which was extremely late, 

 owed much of its maturity to this month. It proved, however, very fcanty, and 

 was got in but indifferently, Oftober being a very rainy month. 



November was cold, and very wet: On the i8th the rain was remarkably 

 heavy, and was followed by the greateft floods that had been known for feveral 

 years. In December the weather became much milder, and fomewhat lefs rainy ; 

 but, on the whole, the rain of this year very much exceeded the average, and amount- 

 ed to 35.729 inches. 



iV. B. In the two laft columns of the table for this year, it is marked whether the 

 wind blew from the weftern or eaftern femicircle. The fouth wind is 

 fuppofed to belong to the firfl of thefe ; the north wind to the fecond. 



METED- 



