90 
Mr. Barker’s Regijler of the 
MANY have thought, that a hard winter generally comes 
after a wet fummer, when the ground has been chilled with 
cold and rain ; fo the great froft in 1 740 came after a cold wet 
fummer 1739; but it was not fo in J788, which was in ge- 
neral a dry fummer, and in fome places very much fo, and 
not defective in hot weather. The whole year’s rain was 1 7 
inches, which is lefs than any year fince 1750. The autumn 
was dry and fine, and fo free from frofts, that leveral au- 
tumnal flowers were flowering in the garden when the froft 
began, which are often cut off a month or more earlier. 
The laft day I have mentioned as mild was Nov. 22. and 
the fffft day of the froft Nov. 26; it began in Hampfliire 
three days fooner. But for more than the firft fortnight it was 
very moderate, often freezing at night and thawing in the day ; 
and it began to be fevere Dec. 12.; was exceeding cold, and 
fome very fharp winds, and, as there was then no confiderable 
fnow, it entered deep into the ground. An imperfedt thaw, 
Dec. 24. and 25. was followed by a great fnow, and the froft 
returned as hard as ever. There came fnow again feveral 
times ; and it lay fo loofe and hard frozen on the ground, as 
to be often driving about into very great heaps; till January 1 3, 
1789, when, in one of the worft days of all for ftorm, fnow, 
and driving, it began to thaw at night ; yet the ground was fo 
hard frozen and cold, efpecially where paths had been fwept, 
that the moifture of the air continued freezing for fome days 
longer in cakes of ice on the bare ground and ftones. 
It was remarkable that this froft was feverer fouthward than 
northward, in France than England. It froze over our great 
rivers, yet not fo as to venture to build on them, as was done 
in 
