NATURAL HISTORY 
ftorms at all ; for on June 5th, 1 784, the thermometer in the morning 
being at 64, and at noon at 70, the barometer at 29 — fix tenths 
one-half, and the wind north, I obferved a blue mift, fmelling 
ftrongly of fulphur, lianging along our Hoping woods, and feem- 
ing to indicate that thunder was at hand. I was called in about two 
in the afternoon, and fo mifled feeing the gathering of the clouds in 
the north ; which they who were abroad affured me had fome- 
thing uncommon in it's appearance. At about a quarter after 
two the ftorm began in the pai ifli oi Hartley, moving flowly from 
nortJi to fouth ; and from thence it came over Norton-farm, and 
fo to Grange-farm, both in this parifli. It began with vaft drops 
of rain, which were foon fuccecded by round hail, and then by 
convex pieces of ice, which meafured three inches in girth. Had 
it been as extenfive as it was violent, and of any continuance (for 
it was very fhort), it muft have ravaged all the neighbourhood. 
In the parifh of Hartley it did fome damage to one farm ; but 
Norton, which lay in the center of the ftorm, was greatly injured ; 
as was Grange, which lay next to it. It did but jufl: reach to the 
middle of the village, where the hail broke my north windows, 
and all my garden-lights and hand-glaffes, and many of my neigh- 
bours' windows. The extent of the ftorm was about two miles in 
length and one in breadth. We were juft fitting down to dinner; 
but were foon diverted from our repaft by the clattering of tiles 
and the jingling of glafs. There fell at the fame time prodigious 
torrents of rain on the farms above-mentioned, which occafioned 
a flood as violent as it was fudden ; doing great damage to the 
meadows and fallows, by deluging the one and walhing away the 
foil of the other. The hollow lane towards Alton was fo torn and 
difordered as not to be pafTable till mended, rocks being removed 
that weighed 200 weight. Thofe that faw the effed v^hich the 
great 
