36 



NATURAL HISTORY 



when the old coat of heath, &c. is con- 

 sumed, young will sprout up, and afford 

 much tender brouze for cattle; but, where 

 there is large old furze, the fire, following 

 the roots, consumes the very ground'; so 

 that for hundreds of acres nothing is to 

 be seen but smother and desolation, the 

 whole circuit round looking like the cin- 

 ders of a volcano ; and the soil being 

 quite exhausted, no traces of vegetation 

 are to be found for years. These confla- 

 grations, as they take place usually with a 

 north-east or east wind, much annoy this 

 village with their smoke, and often alarm 

 the country ; and once, in particular, I 

 remember that a gentleman, who lives 

 beyond Andover^ coming to my house, 

 when he got on the downs between that 

 town and Winchester y at twenty-five miles 

 distance, was surprised much with smoke 

 and a hot smell of fire ; and concluded 

 that Alresford was in flames ; but, when 

 he came to that town, he then had ap- 

 prehensions for the next village, and so 

 on to the end of his journey. 



