dorms at all; for on June 5th, 1784, 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, hanging 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 miffed 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 parilh of Hartley, moving flowly from
north to fouth ; and from thence, it came over Norton-firm, and
fo to Grange-farm, both in this parifli. It began with vaft drops
of rain, which were foon fucceeded by round hail, and then by
canyex 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 lhort), it mull 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, juft 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 neighbours’
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 wafhing away the
foil of the other. The hollow lane towards Alton was fo torn and
difordered as not to be paffable till mended, rocks being removed
that weighed 200 weight. Thofe that faw the effedt which the
great
great hail had on ponds and pools fay that the dalhing of the water
made an extraordinary appearance, the froth and fpray ftanding
up in the air three feet above the furface. The ruihing and
roaring of the hail, as it approached, was truly tremendous.
Though the clouds at South Lambeth, near London, were at that
jundture thin and light, and no ftorm was in fight, nor within
hearing, yet the air was ftrongly ele&ric ; for the bells o f an
eleftric machine at that place rang repeatedly, and fierce fparks
were difcharged.
When I firft took the prefent work in hand I propofed to have
added an Annus Hiftorico-naturalis, or The Natural Hiftory o f the
Twelve Months of the Year; which would have comprifed many
incidents and occurrences that have not fallen in my way to
be mentioned in my feries o f letters but, as Mr. Aikin of
Warrington has lately publifhed fomewhat of this fort, and as the
length of my correfpondence has fufficiently put your patience to
the teft, I fhall here take a refpedtful leave of you and natural
hiftory together; And am>
With all due deference and regard,
Your mod obliged,
And moft humble ferVant,
Selb'6*nei G I L . W IT I T E.
-June 25, 1787;
R r