` 
78 THE LONDON FOG. 
ilar one the same day in Dublin which was probably a part of the 
same meteorological phenomenon, as appears from the following 
paragraph quoted from a Dublin journal of Jan. 1, 1818 :— 
“The oldest person living has no recollection of a fog so thick 
as the one which enveloped this city last evening, between the 
hours of six and nine. It was more dense in some streets than 
in others, and where this was the case it was impossible to pass 
with convenience without the aid of opened lanterns.” 
The occurrence of these fogs in frosty weather, is often the occa- 
sion of rare and exquisite displays of wintry beauties on shrubs, 
trees and buildings. Howard writes : — 
“1814. January 4th. The mists, which have again prevailed 
for several days, and which have rendered travelling dangerous, 
are probably referable to stratus clouds. The air has been, in 
effect, loaded with particles of freezing water, such as in a high- 
er region would have produced snow. ‘These attached themselves 
to all objects, crystallizing in the most regular and beautiful man- 
ner. A blade of grass was thus converted into a pretty thick 
stalagmite ; some of the shrubs, covered with spreading tufts of 
crystals, looked as if they were in blossom; while others, more 
firmly incrusted, might have passed for gigantic specimens of 
white coral. The leaves of evergreens had a transparent varnish 
of ice with an elegant white fringe. Lofty trees, viewed against 
the blue sky in the sunshine, appeared in striking magnificence ; 
the whole face of nature, in short, was exquisitely dressed out in 
frost-work.” 
As an example of a similar beautiful phenomenon in a distant 
latitude and very different climate, I extract the following from 
Knox’s “ Overland through Asia,” just published : — 
and the head of every nail, bolt, and screw, buried itself beneath 
e. Ou 
horses were of the color, or no color, of rabbits in January; Ít 
was only by brushing away the frost that the natural tint of their 
hair could be discovered, and sometimes there was a great de of 
frost adhering to them. . 
ring my stay at Irkutsk I noticed the prevalence of this fog 
or frost cloud. It usually formed during the night, and was thick- 
Ta 
near the river. In the morning it enveloped the whole city; 
