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any appearance of Furze, even in places w ch - were strong Fox- 
covers, except where they were burnt in the Spring after the Frost. 
“‘About the beginning of May, 1740, Wheat in Cambridgeshire 
sold for 8s. p. Bushel ; Rye in Norfolk for 5s. p. Bushel, just 
before Harvest; and in July stinking Norfolk Barley sold at Bear 
Key for 27s. Gd. p. Quarter. In the beginning of the Winter 
Wheat was worth 10s. Gd. p. Bush, in Bristol, and 12s. in Here- 
fordshire, Monmouthshire, Ac., where the Crop quite failed. And 
for the Honour of Norfolk, corn continued in that County much 
cheaper after Harvest than in any part of England, altho’ it was 
exported from all the Ports as fast as they could load it on Ship- 
board, for Holland and France, till an Embargo was laid on Foreign 
Exportation, about Christmas ; and then the Exportation continued 
near as brisk for the West and the North, but the prices abated, 
so that Norfolk that year was really the granery of England.’ 
“ So far Mr. Partridge : but he forgets to mention the Thames 
being quite froze, so that thousands of people walk'd cross it for 
Days. It seems the wind being so high during y® beginning of y® 
Frost, drove y° pieces of Ice (which were broke by y® flow of y* 
Tides for a day or two) up in heaps, so that y® River of Ice appeared 
like y® sea when rough. 
“Beside y® extreme backwardness of y® season, there were 
many bad consequences from y® last hard Winter. The Frost split 
vast numbers of Trees, both Timbers and Pollards. I put 6, 7, and 
8 Shillings together into y® clefts of Oaks and Chesnut Trees; and 
into one Chesnut (a thriving, line tree) I put ten Shillings, viz., 
very near half an Inch. The Furze were mostly destroy’d, and y® 
Broom almost entirely in open and exposed places; the sweet Bays, 
Laurels, Laurastinas, Ac., and also Artichokes, Sage, and many other 
Shrubs, wither’d ; but if cut down, many of them shot again from 
y® Root. The ivys growing against trees, Ac., were destroy’d on y* 
E. side, and living on y® S. and W. The Winter Corn on y® S. side 
of y® Ridges, where y® snow was melted, was mostly very thin and 
bad, and in some parts quite destroyed. I was told at Hereford 
that y® Farmers in that County had not so much wheat to reap as 
they sow’d, anti that y® poor were almost starv’d. Wheat was 30s. 
p. Comb y® next Spring in Norfolk, yet it was cheaper here than 
in any other parts of England. With y® high price of provision 
in general, the Weavers in Norwich, and some idle people in y* 
