284 
THE NATURAL HISTORY 
[LETT. 
correspondents, at Lyndon, in the county of Eutland, the 
thermometer stood at 1 9 ; at Blackburn, in Lancashire, at 19 ; and 
at Manchester at 21, 20, and 18. Thus does some unknown 
circumstance strangely overbalance latitude, and render the cold 
sometimes much greater in the southern than the northern parts 
of this kingdom. 
The consequences of this severity were, that in Hampshire, 
at the melting of the snow, the wheat looked well, and the 
turnips came forth little injured. The laurels and laurustines 
were somewhat damaged, but only in hot aspects. No ever- 
greens were quite destroyed ; and not half tlie damage sustained 
that befell in January 1768. Those laurels that were a little 
scorched on the south sides were perfectly untouched on their 
north sides. The care taken to shake tlie snow day by day 
from the branches seemed greatly to avail the author's ever- 
greens. A neighbour's laurel-hedge, in a high situation, and 
facing to the north, was perfectly green and vigorous ; and the 
Portugal laurels remained unhurt. 
As to the birds ; the thruslies and blackbirds were mostly 
destroyed ; and the partridges were so thinned by the weather 
and poachers, that few remained to breed the following year. 
LETTEE CVIL 
TO THE HONOURABLE DAINES BAllFdNGTON. 
As the frost in December 1784 was very extraordinary, you, 
I trust, will not be displeased to hear the particulars ; and 
especially when I promise to say no more about the severities 
of winter after I have finished this letter. 
The first week in December was very wet, with the barometer 
very low. On the 7th, with the barometer at 28-five tenths, 
came on a vast snow, which continued all that day and the 
next, and most part of the following night; so that by the 
morning of the 9th the works of men were quite overwhelmed, 
the lanes filled so as to be impassable, and the ground covered 
twelve or fifteen inches without any drifting. In the evening 
