478 



MR ROBERT COCKBURN MOSSMAN ON 



Phenomenon, 

 or Epidemic. 



1737 I Eclipse — contd. 



1740 



1740-41 

 1741 

 1743 

 1744 

 1744 



1747 

 1748 

 1748 



1753 



1758 



1758 



1759 

 1762 



1775 



Dearth 



Smallpox 



Whooping-cough 



Influenza 



Storm 



Thunderstorm 



Drought 

 Hot Summer 

 Eclipse 



Snowstorm 

 Influenza 



Meteor 



Smallpox 

 Smallpox 



Influenza 



REMARKS. 



siderable, but the places that were shaded from his light appeared 

 gloomy. Venus appeared plainly, and continued visible long after the 

 annulus had dissolved, and I am told that other stars were seen by some." 

 It was remarked by Lord Aberdour that a narrow streak of dusky red 

 light coloured the dark edge of the moon immediately before the ring 

 was completed and after it was dissolved. 



May 16. In consequence of the high price of provisions, due to a bad 

 harvest in 1739, a mob attack Leith and Bell's mills ; the military 

 having been called out, fire on the crowd, and wound three of them, one 

 of whom died. 



Severe outbreak, the mortality in 1740 being 274, and in 1741, 206, or 

 17 per cent, of the total deaths from all causes. 



The deaths from whooping-cough, which in 1740 numbered 26, rose in 

 1741 to 101, the population at the time being 30,000. 



Severe epidemic of infhienza in the spring, the weekly burials being 

 trebled in consequence. 



February 1 9. Hurricane, which untiled several houses and removed the 

 lead roof of the Tron Church. 



August 13. "We have had these three days past great rains in this 

 neighbourhood, and yesterday from half-an-hour after 1 1 till near 3 after- 

 noon one continued deluge, with hailstones of an extraordinary shape and 

 great size. The water rose in the Parliament Close to such a height that 

 it broke down the new stairs leading to the Cowgate in floods sufficient to 

 set any mill agoing. In the Cowgate all the low houses were filled with 

 water, so that a boat might have rowed in the streets. From 10 in the 

 forenoon till near 3 afternoon there were a great many and most terrible 

 peals of thunder with lightning which broke upon the Castle in several 

 places, damaged the roof of the great lodging over the Half-mOon, also the 

 carved stone thistle that stood above one of the large windows. Three 

 soldiers in one room were hurt and several others beat off their legs. 

 James Campbell, gunner, suffered most, and lies dangerously ill; the blow 

 he received has left a fair impression of a star on his shoulder bone. A 

 house or two in the Grassmarket was also damaged, the windows of a 

 house at Fountainbridge were quite demolished, the walls of the church 

 of Liberton rent, etc. Though the oldest people living do not remember 

 to have seen a storm so dreadful, yet we hear that it did not extend above 

 a very few miles from this city." — Caledonian Mercury, August 14, 1744. 



A waterspout burst on the west side of Arthur's Seat, dividing into two 

 portions, one of which tore up the channel under the Lion's Head known 

 as the " Guttit Haddie," while the other flowed down the west side and 

 inundated the village of Duddingston, carrying away the gable of the most 

 westerly cottage, and flooding the loch over the adjacent meadows. The 

 hailstones measured 5 inches round, and entirely threshed the standing corn. 



Autumn hot and dry, the rivers lower than ever known. 



Summer exceptionally warm and dry. 



July 14. Annular eclipse observed by Lord Morton and Short from 

 Aberdour Castle, just out of annularity. A brown light was seen to stretch 

 along the circumference of the moon from each of the cusps. Venus was 

 visible to the east of the sun. There was no great darkness, the sky 

 appearing of a "faint, languid colour." 



February 15. Edinburgh roads almost blocked with snow. 



First noticed with east winds from the 16th to 20th September. In 

 October it became general, not one in six or seven escaping. 



November 26. Equal to size of moon, travelled from south to north. 

 Of great brilliancy. Seen all over Great Britain. 



Out of 1136 deaths in the year, 232 were from smallpox. 



The deaths from smallpox numbered 274 out of a total mortality for the 

 year of 1305. 



Epidemic became prevalent towards end of the year. 



