THUNDER-STORM. 
259 
ing 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 Hart- 
ley, moving slowly from north to south ; and from thence it 
came over Norton-farm, and so to Grange-farm, both in this 
parish. It began with vast drops of rain, which were soon suc- 
ceeded 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 continuance (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 Norton, which lay 
m 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 my 
garden-lights and hand-glasses, and many of my neighbours' 
windows. The extent of the storm was about two miles in length 
and one in breadth. We were just sitting down 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 200 weight. Those that saw the effect 
which the great hail had on ponds and pools say 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, ^s 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 w^ere discharged 
When I first took the present work m hand I proposed to 
have added an Annus Historico-naturalis, or the Natural History 
of the Twelve Months of the year ; which would have comprised 
many incidents and occurrences that have not fallen in my way 
to be mentioned in my series of letters; — but, as Mr. Aikin of 
Warrington has lately published somewhat of this sort, and as 
s 2 
