WINTERS.—SUMMERS. 
157 
The cold however which so usually sets in with 
bitterness in January, does at times commence in 
December, or even November, and it is far from 
uncommon to have intervals of great cold in these 
months. The cold which I say attacks us in 
January, is in the majority of years not extreme 
The January of 1837 however, was remarkable for 
intensity of cold, and the same month of 1838 was 
observable for the duration of extreme cold. It is 
thought however, that the intensity and duration of 
these frosts were induced through the occurrence 
of east winds at those periods, and that in short, 
this wind generally carries the cold of the season 
to that unusual pitch. No doubt also, the north 
and north-east have an equal, or but little less in¬ 
fluence. Yet at times there is an anomaly in this 
respect worthy of note, namely, that winds from that 
quarter are not invariably attended with cold in 
winter. December 7th and 8th of 1838 were at¬ 
tended with north-east wind, and the former day 
was remarkably genial and the latter very sharp. 
Although the summers are occasionally very wet 
and considerably below their average of temperature, 
they are in some years, remarkably hot and dry. 
The month of June moreover is itself often remark¬ 
ably changeable, and exhibits in itself a direct 
transit from the one condition to the other. Most 
persons can recall instances of hail-storms happen¬ 
ing in June, which prove of course great depressions 
of temperature. In the case of our wet summers, the 
heat of the earth being restrained, the autumns in 
such years have an unusually heated atmosphere, 
and the ground is observed to steam profusely. 
Changeableness however is by no means a cha¬ 
racteristic of the summer months though there may 
be occasional intervals of rain and thunder storms. 
Change from wet to drought, and from cold to heat 
in the weather from day to day, is the more particu- 
