OF SELBOBNiJ. 
313 
indicate that thunder was at hand. I was called in about 
two in the afternoon, and so missed seeing the gathering of 
the clouds in the north, which they who were abroad 
-assured me had something uncommon in its appearance. 
At about a quarter after two the storm began in the parish 
of Hartley, moving slowly from north to south ; and from 
thence it came over I^orton Farm, and so to Grange Farm, 
both in this parish. It began with vast drops of rain, 
which were soon succeeded by round hail, and then by 
convex pieces of ice, which measured three inches in girth. 
Had it been as extensive as it was violent, and of any con- 
tinuance (for it was very short) , it must have ravaged all 
the neighbourhood. In the parish of Hartley it did some 
damage to one farm ; but iN^orton, which lay in the centre 
of the storm, was greatly injured ; as was Grange, which 
lay next to it. It did but just reach to the middle of the 
village, where the hail broke my north windows, and all 
garden-lights and hand-glasses, and many of my neigh- 
bours^ windows. The extent of the storm was about two 
miles in length and one in breadth. We were just sitting 
d^wn to dinner ; but Were soon diverted from our repast 
by the clattering of tiles and the jingling of glass. There 
fell at the same time prodigious torrents of rain on the 
farms above mentioned, which occasioned a flood as violent 
as it was sudden ; doing great damage to the meadows and 
fallows, by deluging the one and washing away the soil of 
the other. The hollow lane towards Alton was so torn and 
disordered as not to be passable till mended, rocks being 
removed that weighed two hundred- weight. Those that 
saw the effect which the great hail had on ponds and pools 
mj that the dashing of the water made an extraordinary 
appearance, the froth and spray standing up in the air three 
feet above the surface. The rushing and roaring of the 
hail, as it approached, was truly tremendous. 
Though the clouds at South Lambeth, near London, 
were at that juncture thin and light, and no storm was in 
sight, nor within hearing, yet the air was strongly electric ; 
for the bells of an electric machine at that place rang 
repeatedly, and fierce sparks were discharged. 
