180 
STORMS. 
one day were all the trees and shrubs not situated 
in the vallies of the south-western part of the county 
(where they lay secluded as it were from the currents) 
stripped as if by magic of their verdure. On ‘then- 
western sides, the leaves became quite brown, and 
the generality of those on the opposite sides, par¬ 
tially so, so that it required only a short continuance 
of the same power to remove them from their blight¬ 
ed attachment. This sudden and simultaneous 
check precluded the possibility of discerning the 
usual gradual process of casting off the leaves in 
the various species of trees. Winter was supposed 
to have set in very early, and such an occurrence 
was not within the memory of the oldest inhabitant 
of my neighbourhood. The proceedings of this day 
closed with a storm which prevailed through the 
whole succeeding night, and when we rose next 
morning, the country presented a woeful appearance. 
Notwithstanding this severe check, some trees 
made an imperfect effort at fresh foliation, but the 
storms which took place in the two succeeding 
months soon removed all these traces. 
Storms , apparently are designed to ameliorate 
the state of the atmosphere, and to set the balance 
of temperature correct, consistently with the period 
of the year. It is perhaps the principle of revulsion 
(if I might so express myself) to which we are in¬ 
debted for what are commonly termed “ thunder 
storms,” at least those occurring to us in summer, 
which the warm and damp, or rainy atmosphere of the sea is 
poured in, the sun during day often acts powerfully enough to 
keep up sufficient wind to carry off the clouds, and immediately on 
its descent, rain falls in abundance. Thus it is somewhat an axiom 
that the middle of the day will determine the weather. This alter¬ 
nation of fine shining days and rainy nights often continues for 
a week or more. The descent of the sun however, by suffering 
the accession of some opposite current of air to that prevailing 
in the day, does also occasionally cause fine nights to succeed to 
very rainy and tempestuous days. 
