286 
THE NATURAL HISTORY 
[LETT. 
A circumstance tliat I must not omit, because it was new to 
us, is, that on Friday, December the 10th, being bright sunshine, 
the air was full of icy spiculae, floating in all directions, like 
atoms in a sunbeam let into a dark room. W e thought them, 
at first, particles of the rime falling from my tall hedges ; but 
were soon convinced to the contrary, by making our observa- 
tions in open places Avhere no rime could reach us. Were they 
watery particles of the air frozen as they floated ; or were they 
evaporations from the snow frozen as they mounted ? 
We were much obliged to the thermometers for the early 
information they gave us ; and hurried our apples, pears, 
onions, &c., into the cellar, and warm closets ; while those who 
had not such warnings, or neglected them, lost all their stores 
of roots and fruits, and had their very bread and cheese frozen. 
I must not omit to tell you, that, during those two Siberian 
days, my parlour- cat was so electric, that had a person stroked 
her, and been properly insulated, the shock might have been 
given to a whole circle of people. 
I forgot to mention before, that, during the two severe days, 
two men, who were tracking hares in the snow, had their feet 
frozen ; and two others, who were much better employed, had 
their fingers so atfected by the frost, while they were thrashing 
in a barn, that a mortification followed, from which they did 
not recover for many weeks. 
This frost killed all the furze and most of the ivy, and in 
many places stripped the hollies of all their leaves. It came 
at a very early time of the year, before old ISJovember ended; 
and yet may be allow^ed from its effects to have exceeded any 
since 1739-40. 
