N A T U R A L H I S T O R Y
waiter, in foch counties, imparting to vegetation a vigorous foring,
unknown to the equable feafons of Cornwall. In fhort, ' the fba-
ions with us in Cornwall, are like the Neap-tides, they neither
ebb nor flow with any great energy : the heat of the atmofohere
neithÄ retires fo far from us in winter, nor advances to that height
in fommer, as it does in the more inland counties: confequently,
our lummers, though we lie fo far to the fouth, are not hot; for
there is always a fea breeze flowing towards the land, and the air
o f the lea is never fo hot, caeteris paribiis, as the air o f the land;
becaufe the ftrong refletftion of the .fon beams from the land
almoft doubles the heat; 'the fon beams are alfo detain’d in
the vales and hollows, in the midland parts, (ckcumftances not
common to the fca and foa, coafts). which have the dame effedfi
upon the air (thotigh in a lefs degree) as concave mirrors, always
heating, though not always burning: It is much hotter therefore
in the midland parts of England, during the fommer, than
in Cornwall; this may make their harvefts earlier, and their fruits
generally of a higher relifh than With us, (in equal drcnraftan-
ces, I mean, as to drought and moifture, fterility and fatnefs)
but the air is more temperate and Tefikfolttfy:with> ttsyn;the; Tear
air equally affwaging the heats of fommer, and moderating the
winter colds.
Eft ubi plus tepeant Hyemes? ubi gratior aura !
Leniat et rabiem Ganis, et momenta'Leoofle I #t|
Hb-A. Epift. lib. jS&Wj
As there are fo many mines in Cornwall, and moft of them
Tjghtrring. yield folphur, vitriol, mundic, and goftan x, . they cannot Hut
the air with their fteams in proportion to the quantity yielded by.
the mine, and the facility with which their parts feparate and
aicend into the Atmofohere. Tbefe mineral, vapours afeead fo
cqpioufly out of-fome of our Lodes pr veins of metal, and confift
ó f foch inflammable parts as to. take fire, and appear in flame
over the Lodes from which they rife, and it is a common opinion
among Tinners, efoecially thofe of more than ordinary fpeculation,
that where little flames of light are feen in the night time, there a
profoerous Lode lies underneath, but indeed the lights • which are
feen in the night are much oftner ignes fatui \ and have nothing to
inform us of, but that being deferted by the fon that rais’d them,
their own weight confines them to their low fituation, where they
yield their electrical fire, and will always do fo, whenever proper
motion and materials concur.
On
* An iron, ochreous, {tony clay. 7 Called by the'CornÜh, Jack with the Lanihprn’.
Qn..fop, - 2 , abou t .eight in the morning,
the iky was on a.hidden qyercaft ; with dark-red angry clouds ; the
wind very hoifterous : at intervals, a blue flçy,. then large clouds with
cold fhowers : about a quarter before twelve neither rain nor wind,
but fonfhine; home flying, thin clouds were obferved to join, and one
of the moft fliocking peals of Thunder enfoed. The Lightning fell
with greateft violence qpon.a hill called hjpelfra, fo tfie parifh of Madders,
where it pierced banks like a dart, furrowed the ground as if if
had ; keen, afplqpgh-flî^e^çut offiflat turves, byrft rocks, folk them
jntp.fhivers, foil Qnhomgq^rticufofs foots of the rocks, and fojintered
them as if msqfoet balls rôoté^?iàpt fonie ftongs, and m^de its way
dear under ffoers, ihewfog thq- trag^ .^ its -pjflûgÇ on both fides,
The whole workings of. the Lightning in. this hill (than which there
k p o ; higher land hptwfot the Norfft qnd flea) were fo. length
about a furlpng||fo3^ :Eafl; to) I^eft ^and thehe rps a fmoke foen fo
this part^f hadjbeen «pfoharggd.: at
the Thixn<for,|tJjpf£h^egodifoeried and rap tosaftd foo, asiif purified
by ,a p,ac.k; of .d°gs< A t ; Trythalj : & village wifliput tree spr hfll near
if, abpHt jtnifoarvd Wdt p f Moelfra. this clap of Thunder
sya^ fo,yiplent that iptfoing was remembered: : equal to k ; but the
p f what followed -in a few .minutes wereftill more dreadful,
and o f the jnoft deplorable kind- if Thomas Olivey% a farmer of
good fubfiance and repute, was returned from the field'about a
a quartot hpfoto inbon, :au4. hsd uU him in the kitr
ehen, ^eepkjfosr.^ugjkor, whp'jW^fofl^ hafts f^Dbipe was abrafs
panu^.riie;%e in .tfo^J^Ghen pflimu^ n ^ ly foftof boiling water;
the former, was fitting 'by the fire, fos wifo,;on a bench before It,
thekdP^^Wj phage, was ftanding at the wfodow; the
former finding the Thunder and Lightning, hefpre-^mentioned fo
viofont that,the back-door of his- kitchen, facing;- the North, quivered,
called tq his fony and d^fired him not to ftand fo pear the
window, leaft the Lightning foouldhiut his ;Eyes, upon which the
young man removed from ; the window backwards into the corner of
the room, and fat down, , as he thought, in a place of greater fecu-
rity ; for this, the apprentice bfiy laughing at. him, was chid by his
mafter, and) luckily fon him, font out of the room to take care of
fomething without doors. Immediately the Lightning came &om
the W. N. W. and falling upon the ftack of the kitchen chimney,
which was jabput four foot fquare, and as much in height, of
hewn ftone, carried it clear o ff from the houfe, and threw it into
a pool of water 20 feet diftant. In the chamber over 'the kitchen
there was a little clofet boarded in,, which flood juft under the top
1 ' * There circumfenccs were laid' bcföre the Society by the -author, and. »re ;pubiifhed in the
p^i$i}$i$i<?ns o f y e s a r .1753..
E