The natural history of Selborne / By the late Rev. Gilbert White. With additions by Sir William Jardine.

  • Gilbert White
Date:
1836
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The natural history of Selborne / By the late Rev. Gilbert White. With additions by Sir William Jardine. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    380/386 page 322
    Harteley it did some damage to one farm; but Norton, which lay in the centre of the storm, was greatly injured ; as was Grange, which lay next to it.. It did but just reach to the middle of the village, where the hail broke my north windows, and all my garden-lights and hand-glasses, and many of my neighbour’s windows. The extent of the storm was about two miles in length and one in breadth. We were just sitting down to dinner ; but were soon diverted from our repast by the clattering of tiles and the jingling of glass. There fell at the same time prodigious torrents of rain on the farms above-mentioned, which occasioned a flood as violent as it was sudden; doing great damage to the meadows and fallows, by deluging the one, and washing away the soil of the other. The hollow lane towards Alton was so torn and disordered, as not to be passable till mended, rocks being removed that weighed 200 weight. Those that saw the effect which the great hail had on ponds and pools, say that the dashing of the water made an extraordinary appearance, the froth and spray standing up in the air three feet above the surface. The rushing and roaring of the hail, as it approached, was truly tremendous. Though the clouds at South Lambeth, near London, were at that juncture thin and light, and no storm was in sight, nor within hearing, yet the air was strongly electric; for the bells of an electric machine at that place rang repeatedly, and fierce sparks were discharged. When I first took the present work in hand, I proposed to have added an Annus Historico-natu- ralis, or the Natural History of the Twelve Months of the Year; which would have comprised many incidents and occurrences that have not fallen into
    digitised image 1
    digitised image 2
    digitised image 3