Chapter VIII: Front Matter (8)

Some time in the afternoon, we continued our journey. We had hitherto followed the eastern shore of the river Hudson, and gone almost due North; but now we left it, and went E. N. E. or N. E. across the woods, in order to come to the upper end of the river Woodcreek, which flows to Fort St. Frederic, where we might go in a boat from the former place. The ground we passed over this afternoon was generally flat, and somewhat low. Now and then we met with rivulets, which were generally dried up during this season. Sometimes we saw a little hill, but neither mountains nor stones, and the country was every where covered with tall and thick forests. The trees stood close, and afforded a fine shade; but the pleasure which we enjoyed from it was lessened by the incredible quantity of gnats which fill the woods. We found several plants here, but they were far from each other, (as in our woods where the cattle have destroyed them,) though no cattle ever came here. The ground was every where thick covered with leaves of the last autumn. In some places we found the ground over-grown with great quantities of moss. The soil was generally very good, consisting of a deep mould, in which the plants thrive very well. Therefore it seems that it would answer very well if it were cultivated: however, flowing waters were very scarce hereabouts; and if the woods were cleared, how great would be the effects of the parching heat of the sun, which might then act with its full force!

We lodged this night near a brook, in order to be sufficiently supplied with water, which was not every where at hand during this season. The muskitoes, punchins or gnats, and the woodlice, were very troublesome. Our fear of snakes, and of the Indians rendered this night’s rest very precarious and unsecure.

Punchins, as the Dutch call them, are the little gnats (Culex pulicaris Linn.) which abound here. They are very minute, and their wings grey, with black spots. They are ten times worse than the larger ones, (Culex pipiens Linn.) or muskitoes; for their size renders them next to imperceptible; they are every where careless of their lives, suck their fill of blood, and cause a burning pain.

We heard several great trees fall of themselves in the night, though it was so calm, that not a leaf stirred. They made a dreadful cracking.

June the 27th. We continued our journey in the morning. We found the country like that which we passed over yesterday, except meeting with a few hills. Early this morning we plainly heard a fall in the river Hudson.

In every part of the forest we found trees thrown down either by storms, or age; but none were cut down, there being no inhabitants; and though the wood is very fine, yet nobody makes use of it. We found it very difficult to get over such trees, because they had stopped up almost all the passages, and close to them was the chief residence of rattle-snakes, during the intenseness of the heat.

About two o’clock this afternoon we arrived at Fort Anne. It lies upon the river Woodcreek, which is here at its origin no bigger than a little brook. We stayed here all this day, and next, in order to make a new boat of bark, because there was no possibility to go down the river to Fort St. Frederic, without it. We arrived in time, for one of our guides fell ill this morning, and could not have gone any further with his burthen. If he had been worse, we should have been obliged to stop on his account, which would have put us under great difficulties, as our provisions would soon have been exhausted, and from the desart place where we were, we could not have arrived at any inhabited place in less than three or four days. Happily we reached the wish’d-for place, and the sick man had time to rest and recover.

About Fort Anne we found a number of mice, of the common kind. They were probably the offspring of those which were brought to the fort in the soldier’s provisions, at the time when it was kept in a state of defence.

We met with some apple and plumb-trees, which were certainly planted when the fort was in a good condition,

June the 28th. The American Elm, (Ulmus Americana Linn.) grows in abundance, in the forests hereabouts. There are two kinds of it. One was called the White Elm, on account of the inside of the tree being white. It was more plentiful than the other species, which was called the Red Elm, because the colour of the wood was reddish. Of the bark of the former the boats made use of here are commonly made, it being tougher than the bark of any other tree. With the bark of hiccory, which is employed as bast, they sow the elm-bark together, and with the bark of the red elm they join the ends of the boat so close as to keep the water out. They beat the bark between two stones; or for want of them, between two pieces of wood.

The making of the boat took up half yesterday, and all this day. To make such a boat, they pick out a thick tall elm, with a smooth bark, and with as few branches as possible. This tree is cut down, and great care is taken to prevent the bark from being hurt by falling against other trees, or against the ground. With this view some people do not fell the trees, but climb to the top of them, split the bark, and strip it off, which was the method our carpenter took. The bark is split on one side, in a strait line along the tree, as long as the boat is intended to be; at the same time, the bark is carefully cut from the stem a little way on both sides of the slit, that it may more easily separate; the bark is then peeled off very carefully, and particular care is taken not to make any holes into it; this is easy when the sap is in the trees, and at other seasons the tree is heated by the fire, for that purpose. The bark thus stript off is spread on the ground, in a smooth place, turning the inside downwards, and the rough outside upwards, and to stretch it better, some logs of wood or stones are carefully put on it, which press it down. Then the sides of the bark are gently bent upwards, in order to form the sides of the boat; some sticks are then fixed into the ground, at the distance of three or four feet from each other, in the curve line, in which the sides of the boat are intended to be, supporting the bark intended for the sides; the sides of the bark are then bent in the form which the boat is to have, and according to that the sticks are either put nearer or further off. The ribs of the boat are made of thick branches of hiccory, they being tough and pliable. They are cut into several flat pieces, about an inch thick, and bent into the form which the ribs require, according to their places in the broader or narrower part of the boat. Being thus bent, they are put across the boat, upon the back, or its bottom, pretty close, about a span, or ten inches from each other. The upper edge on each side of the boat is made of two thin poles, of the length of the boat, which are put close together, on the side of the boat, being flat, where they are to be joined. The edge of the bark is put between these two poles, and sewed up with threads of bast, of the mouse-wood, or other tough bark, or with roots. But before it is thus sewed up, the ends of the ribs are likewise put between the two poles on each side, taking care to keep them at some distance from each other. After that is done, the poles are sewed together, and being bent properly, both their ends join at each end of the boat, where they are tied together with ropes. To prevent the widening of the boat at the top, three or four transverse bands are put across it, from one edge to the other, at the distance of thirty or forty inches from each other. These bands are commonly made of hiccory, on account of its toughness and flexibility, and have a good length. Their extremities are put through the bark on both sides, just below the poles, which make the edges; they are bent up above those poles, and twisted round the middle part of the bands, where they are carefully tied by ropes. As the bark at the two ends of the boat cannot be put so close together as to keep the water out, the crevices are stopped up with the crushed or pounded bark of the red elm, which in that state looks like oakum. Some pieces of bark are put upon the ribs in the boat, without which the foot would easily pierce the thin and weak bark below, which forms the bottom of the boat, for the better security of which, some thin boards are commonly laid at the bottom, which may be trod upon with more safety. The side of the bark which has been upon the wood, thus becomes the outside of the boat, because it is smooth and slippy, and cuts the water with less difficulty than the other. The building of these boats is not always quick; for sometimes it happens that after peeling the bark off an elm, and carefully examining it, it is found pierced with holes and splits, or it is too thin to venture one’s life in. In such a case another elm must be looked out; and it sometimes happens that several elms must be stripped of their bark, before one is found fit for a boat. That which we made was big enough to bear four persons, with our baggage, which weighed somewhat more than a man.

All possible precautions must be taken in rowing on the rivers and lakes of these parts with a boat of bark. For as the rivers, and even the lakes, contain numbers of broken trees, which are commonly hidden under the water, the boat may easily run against a sharp branch, which would tear half the boat away, if one rowed on very fast, exposing the people in it to great danger, where the water is very deep, especially if such a branch held the boat.

To get into such a dangerous vessel, must be done with great care, and for the greater safety, without shoes. For with the shoes on, and still more with a sudden leap into the boat, the heels may easily pierce through the bottom of the boat, which might sometimes be attended with very disagreeable circumstances, especially when the boat is so near a rock, and close to that a sudden depth of water; and such places are common in the lakes and rivers here.

I never saw the muskitoes (Culex pipiens) more plentiful in any part of America than they are here. They were so eager for our blood, that we could not rest all the night, though we had surrounded ourselves with fire.

Wood-lice (Acarus Americanus Linn.) abound here, and are more plentiful than on any part of the journey. Scarcely any one of us sat down but a whole army of them crept upon his clothes. They caused us as much inconvenience as the gnats, during the last night, and the short time we stayed here. Their bite is very disagreeable, and they would prove very dangerous, if any one of them should creep into a man’s ear, from whence it is difficult to extract them. There are examples of people whose ears were swelled to the size of the fist, on account of one of these insects creeping into them, and biting them. More is said about them in the description which I have given to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences [82].

The Whipperiwill or Whip-poor-Will cried all night on every side. The Fireflies flew in numbers through the woods at night.

Fort Anne derives its name from Queen Anne; for in her time it served as a fortification against the French. It lies on the Western side of the river Woodcreek, which is here as inconsiderable as a brook, of a fathom’s breadth, and may be waded through in any part, during this season. The fort is built in the same manner as the forts Saratoga and Nicholson, that is to say, of palisades, within which the soldiers were quartered, and at the corners of which were the lodgings of the officers. The whole consisted of wood, because it was erected only with a view to resist irregular troops. It is built on a little rising ground which runs obliquely to the river Woodcreek. The country round about it is partly flat, partly hilly, and partly marshy, but it consists merely of earth, and no stones are to be met with, though ever so carefully sought for. General Nicholson built this fort in the year 1709; but at the conclusion of the war, then carrying on against the French, it shared the same fate with Saratoga and Fort Nicholson, being burnt by the English in 1711. This happened with the following circumstance: In 1711 the English resolved to attack Canada, by land and by sea, at the same time. A powerful English fleet sailed up the river St. Lawrence to besiege Quebec, and General Nicholson, who was the greatest promoter of this expedition, headed a numerous army to this place by land, to attack Montreal, at the same time from hence; but a great part of the English fleet was shipwrecked in the river St. Lawrence, and obliged to return to New England. The news of this misfortune was immediately communicated to General Nicholson, who was advised to retreat. Captain Butler who commanded Fort Mohawk, during my stay in America, told me that he had been at Fort Anne in 1711, and that General Nicholson was about to leave it, and go down the river Woodcreek, in boats ready for that purpose, when he received the accounts of the disaster which befel the fleet. He was so enraged, that he endeavoured to tear his wig, but it being too strong for him, he flung it to the ground, and trampled on it, crying out Roguery, treachery. He then set fire to the fort, and returned. We saw the remains of the burnt palisades in the ground; and I asked my guides, Why the English had been at so great an expence in erecting the fort, and why they afterwards burnt it without any previous consideration? They replied, that it was done to get money from the government once more, for the rebuilding of the fort, which money coming into some people’s hands, they would appropriate a great part of it to themselves, and erect again a wretched, inconsiderable fort. They further told me, that some of the richest people in Albany had promoted their poor relations to the places for supplying the army with bread, &c. with a view to patch up their broken fortunes; and that they had acquired such fortunes as rendered them equal to the richest inhabitants of Albany.

The heat was excessive to-day, especially in the afternoon, when it was quite calm. We were on the very spot where Fort Anne formerly stood; it was a little place free from trees, but surrounded with them on every side, where the sun had full liberty to heat the air. After noon it grew as warm as in a hot bath [83], and I never felt a greater heat. I found a difficulty of breathing, and it seemed to me as if my lungs could not draw in a sufficient quantity of air. I was more eased when I went down into the vallies, and especially along the Woodcreek. I tried to fan the air to me with my hat, but it only encreased the difficulty of breathing, and I received the greatest relief when I went to the water, and in a shady place frequently sprinkled some water in the air. My companions were all very much weakened, but they did not find such difficulty in breathing, as I had done; however towards evening the air became somewhat cooler.

June the 29th. Having compleated our boat, after a great deal of trouble, we continued our journey this morning. Our provisions, which were much diminished, obliged us to make great haste; for by being obliged to carry every thing on our backs, through the woods to Fort Anne, we could not take a great quantity of provisions with us, having several other very necessary things with us; and we did always eat very heartily. As there was very little water in the river, and several trees were fallen across it, which frequently stopped the boat, I left the men in the boat, and went along the shore with Yungstroem. The ground on both sides of the river was so low, that it must be under water in spring and autumn. The shores were covered with several sorts of trees, which stood at moderate distances from each other, and a great deal of grass grew between them. The trees afforded a fine shade, very necessary and agreeable in this hot season; but the pleasure it gave was considerably lessened by the numbers of gnats which we met with. The soil was extremely rich.

As we came lower down the river, the dykes, which the beavers had made in it, produced new difficulties. These laborious animals had carried together all sorts of boughs and branches, and placed them across the river, putting mud and clay in betwixt them, to stop the water. They had bit off the ends of the branches as neatly as if they had been chopped off with a hatchet. The grass about these places was trod down by them, and in the neighbourhood of the dykes we sometimes met with paths in the grass, where the beavers probably carried trees along. We found a row of dykes before us, which stopped us a considerable while, as we could not get forwards with the boat, till we had cut through them.

As soon as the river was more open, we got into the boat again, and continued our journey in it. The breadth of the river, however, did not exceed eight or nine yards, and frequently it was not above three or four yards broad, and generally so shallow, that our boat got on with difficulty. Sometimes it acquired such a sudden depth, that we could not reach the ground with sticks of seven feet length. The stream was very rapid in some places, and very slow in others. The shores were low at first, but afterwards remarkably high and steep, and now and then a rock projected into the water, which always caused a great depth in such places. The rocks consisted here of a grey quartz, mixed with a grey limestone, lying in strata. The water in the river was very clear and transparent, and we saw several little paths leading to it from the woods, said to be made by beavers, and other animals, which resorted here to drink. After going a little more than three English miles, we came to a place, where a fire was yet burning, and then we little thought that we had narrowly escaped death last night, as we heard this evening. Now and then we met with several trees lying across the river, and some dykes of beavers, which were troublesome to us.

Towards night we met with a French serjeant, and six French soldiers, who were sent by the commander of Fort St. Frederic, to accompany three Englishmen to Saratoga, and to defend them in case of necessity, against six French Indians, who were gone to be revenged on the English, for killing the brother of one of them in the last war. The peace was already concluded at that time, but as it had not yet been proclaimed in Canada, the Indians thought they could take this step; therefore they silently got away, contrary to the order of the Governor of Montreal, and went towards the English plantations. We here had occasion to admire the care of Providence for us, in escaping these barbarians. We found the grass trod down all day along, but had no thoughts of danger, as we believed that every thing was quiet and peaceable. We were afterwards informed, that these Indians had trod the grass down, and passed the last night in the place where we found the burning brands in the morning. The usual road which they were to take, was by Fort Anne, but to shorten their journey they had gone an unfrequented road. If they had gone on towards Fort Anne, they would have met us without doubt, and looking upon us all as Englishmen, for whose blood they were gone out, they could easily have surprised and shot us all, and by that means have been rid of the trouble of going any further to satisfy their cruelty. We were greatly struck when the Frenchmen told us how near death we had been to-day. We passed the night here, and though the French repeatedly advised and desired me not to venture any further with my company, but to follow them to the first English settlement, and then back to Fort St. Frederic, yet I resolved, with the protection of the Almighty, to continue my journey the next day.

We saw immense numbers of those wild pigeons flying in the woods, which sometimes come in incredible flocks to the southern English colonies, most of the inhabitants not knowing where they come from. They have their nests in the trees here; and almost all the night make a great noise and cooing in the trees, where they roost. The Frenchmen shot a great number of them, and gave us some, in which we found a great quantity of the seeds of the elm, which evidently demonstrated the care of Providence in supplying them with food; for in May the seeds of the red maple, which abounds here, are ripe, and drop from the trees, and are eaten by the pigeons during that time: afterwards, the seeds of the elm ripen, which then become their food, till other seeds ripen for them. Their flesh is the most palatable of any bird’s flesh I ever tasted.

Almost every night, we heard some trees crack and fall, whilst we lay here in the wood, though the air was so calm that not a leaf stirred. The reason of this breaking I am totally unacquainted with. Perhaps the dew loosens the roots of trees at night; or, perhaps there are too many branches on one side of the tree. It may be, that the above-mentioned wild pigeons settle in such quantities on one tree as to weigh it down; or perhaps the tree begins to bend more and more to one side, from its center of gravity, making the weight always greater for the roots to support, till it comes to the point, when it can no longer be kept upright, which may as well happen in the midst of a calm night as at any other time. When the wind blows hard, it is reckoned very dangerous to sleep or walk in the woods, on account of the many trees which fall in them; and even when it is very calm, there is some danger in passing under very great and old trees. I was told, in several parts of America, that the storms or hurricanes sometimes only pass over a small part of the woods, and tear down the trees in it; and I have had opportunities of confirming the truth of this observation, by finding places in the forests, where almost all the trees were thrown down, and lay all in one direction.

Tea is differently esteemed by different people; and I think we would be as well, and our purses much better, if we were both without tea and coffee. However, I must be impartial, and mention in praise of tea, that if it be useful, it must certainly be so in summer, on such journeys as mine, through a desart country, where one cannot carry wine or other liquors, and where the water is generally unfit for use, as being full of insects. In such cases, it is very relishing when boiled, and tea is drunk with it; and I cannot sufficiently describe the fine taste it has in such circumstances. It relieves a weary traveller more than can be imagined, as I have myself experienced, together with a great many others who have travelled through the desart forests of America; on such journeys, tea is found to be almost as necessary as victuals [84].

June the 30th. This morning we left our boat to the Frenchmen, who made use of it to carry their provisions; for we could not make any further use of it, on account, of the number of trees which the French had thrown across the river during the last war, to prevent the attacks of the English upon Canada. The Frenchmen gave us leave to make use of one of their boats, which they had left behind them, about six miles from the place where we passed the last night. Thus we continued our journey on foot, along the river; and found the country flat, with some little vales here and there. It was every where covered with tall trees, of the deciduous kind; among which the beech, the elm, the American lime-tree, and the sugar-maple, were the most numerous. The trees stand at some distance from each other; and the soil in which they grow is extremely rich.

After we had walked about a Swedish mile, or six English miles, we came to the place where the six Frenchmen had left their bark boats, of which we took one, and rowed down the river, which was now between nineteen and twenty yards broad. The. ground on both sides was very smooth, and not very high. Sometimes we found a hill consisting of grey quartz, mixed with small fine grains of grey spar. We likewise observed black stripes in it; but they were small, that I could not determine whether they were of glimmer, or of another kind of stone. The hills were frequently divided into strata, lying one above another, of the thickness of five inches. The strata went from north to south; and were not quite horizontal, but dipping to the north. As we went further on, we saw high and steep hills on the river-side, partly covered with trees; but in other parts, the banks consist of a swampy turf ground, which gave way when it was walked upon, and had some similarity to the sides of our marshes, which my countrymen are now about to drain. In those parts where the ground was low and flat, we did not see any stones either on the ground, or on the softer shore; and both sides of the river when they were not hilly, were covered with tall elms, American lime-trees, sugar-maples, beeches, hiccory-trees, some water-beeches, and white walnut-trees.

On our left we saw an old fortification of stones laid above one another; but nobody could tell me whether the Indians or the Europeans had built it.

We had rowed very fast all the afternoon, in order to get forward; and we thought that we were upon the true road, but found ourselves greatly mistaken: for towards night we observed, that the reeds in the river bent towards us, which was a mark that the river likewise flowed towards us; whereas, if we had been on the true river, it should have gone with us. We likewise observed, from the trees which lay across the river, that nobody had lately passed that way, though we should have seen the steps of the Frenchmen in the grass along the shore, when they brought their boat over these trees. At last, we plainly saw that the river flowed against us, by several pieces of wood which floated slowly towards us; and we were convinced, that we had gone twelve English miles, and upwards, upon a wrong river, which obliged us to return, and to row till very late at night. We sometimes thought, through fear, that the Indians, who were gone to murder some English, would unavoidably meet with us. Though we rowed very fast, yet we were not able to-day to get half-way back to the place where we first left the true river.

The most odoriferous effluvia sometimes came from the banks of the river, towards night, but we could not determine what flowers diffused them. However, we supposed they chiefly arose from the Asclepias Syriaca, and the Apocynum androsæmifolium.

The Musk-Rats could likewise be smelled at night. They had many holes in the shores, even with the surface of the water.

We passed the night in an island, where we could not sleep on account of the gnats. We did not venture to make a fire, for fear the Indians should find us out, and kill us. We heard several of their dogs barking in the woods, at a great distance from us, which added to our uneasiness.

METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS.

ADVERTISEMENT.

In the first column of these tables, the Reader will find the days of the month; in the second, the time or hour of the day, when the observations were made; in the third, the rising and falling of the thermometer; in the fourth, the wind; and in the fifth, the weather in general, such as rainy, fair, cloudy, &c.

The thermometer which I have made use of is that of Mr. Celsius, or the Swedish thermometer so called, as I have already pointed out in the preface. To distinguish the degrees above freezing-point from those below it, I have expressed the freezing-point itself by 00, and prefixed 0 to every degree below it. The numbers therefore which have no 0 before them, signify the upper degrees. Some examples will make this still more intelligible. On the 17th of December it is remarked, that the thermometer, at eight o’clock in the morning, was at 02.5. It was therefore at 2 degrees and 5⁄10, or half a degree, below the freezing-point; but at two in the afternoon, it was at 00.0, or exactly upon the freezing-point. If it had been 00.3, it would have signified that the thermometer was fallen 3⁄10 of a degree below the freezing-point; but 0.3 would signify, that it was risen 3⁄10 of a degree above the freezing-point. Thus likewise 03.0. is three degrees below the freezing-point; and 4.0. four degrees above it.

The numbers in the columns of the winds signify as follows: 0, is a calm; 1, a gentle breeze; 2, a fresh gale; 3, a strong gale; and 4, a violent storm or hurricane. When, in some of the last tables, the winds are only marked once a day, it signifies that they have not changed that day. Thus, on the 21st of December, stands N. 0 fair. This shews that the weather-cocks have turned to the north all day; but that no wind has been felt, and the sky has been clear all the day long.

Before I went to Canada in summer 1749, I desired Mr. John Bartram to make some meteorological observations in Pensylvania, during my absence, in order to ascertain the summer-heat of that province. For that purpose, I left him a thermometer, and instructed him in the proper use of it; and he was so kind as to write down his observations at his farm, about four English miles to the south of Philadelphia. He is very excusable for not putting down the hour, the degree of wind, &c. for being employed in business of greater consequence, that of cultivating his grounds, he could not allow much time for this. What he has done, is however sufficient to give an idea of the Pensylvanian summer.

August 1748.

===================================================================
D. | H. | Ther. | Wind. | The Weather in general.
----+-------+-------+------------+---------------------------------
1 | 5 m | 20.0 | E S E 2 | Fair
| 2 a | 24.5 | E 2 |
2 | 5 m | 22.0 | E 2 |
| 2 a | 24.5 | E 2 |
3 | 5 m | 22.0 | E 1 |
| 2 a | 25.5 | S S W 1 | Cloudy with some rain.
4 | 5 m | 22.0 | S 1 | Alternately fair, cloudy and
| 1 a | 21.0 | S 1 | rainy all day.
5 | 5 m | 17.0 | S S W 1 | Chiefly rainy.
6 | 7 m | 17.0 | S 2 | Cloudy.
| 2 a | 19.0 | S 2 | Somewhat cloudy, but chiefly
| | | | fair.
7 | 5 m | 15.5 | S S W 2 | Alternately fair and cloudy.
8 | 5 m | 18.0 | S S W 0 | Fair all day.
| 3 a | 19.0 | S S W 0 |
9 | 6 m | 17.5 | W N W 0 |
| 4 a | 21.0 | W N W 1 |
10 | 6 m | 18.5 | E 1 | Fair.
| 3 a | 20.5 | E 1 |
11 | 6 m | 47.0 | E N E 1 | Somewhat cloudy.
| ½ a | 18.5 | S W 1 | Fair.
| 4 | 22.0 | S W 1 |
| 6 | 22.0 | W 3 |
12 | 6 m | 16.0 | N W 1 | Cloudy with some drizzl. rain at
| | | | ten.
| 4 a | 19.0 | N W 1 | Cloudy, fair, some drizzl. rain
| | | | altern.
13 | 6 m | 17.0 | W N W 2 | Cloudy with some rain; foggy,
| 2 a | 18.5 | W N W 2 | sometimes fair.
14 | 5 m | 18.0 | W S W 0 | Somewhat cloudy, fair from 11 m.
| | | | to 3 a.
| 4 a | 20.0 | W S W 0 | Cloudy
15 | 5 m | 18.0 | W S W 0 | Cloudy; sometimes fair; at ten
| 2 a | 19.5 | N E 2 | o’clock fell a thin fog.
16 | 6 m | 18.3 | N N E 2 | Somewhat cloudy; sometime fair.
| 2 a | 18.5 | | Dark; rainy at night.
17 | 6 m | 18.5 | E N E 2 | Dark, with some drizzling rain.
| 2 a | 19.5 | | Drizzling rain all the
| | | | afternoon.
18 | 6 m | 19.0 | E 2 | Drizzling rain all the day.
| 2 a | 20.5 | |
19 | 6 m | 19.5 | | Cloudy
| 2 a | 20.0 | | Scattered clouds.
20 | 6 m | 19.5 | | Fair.
| 2 a | 21.5 | | Scattered clouds: sometimes
| | | | rain.
21 | 6 m | 20.8 | E 1 | Somewhat cloudy, fair at nine
| 2 a | 21.3 | | Thin clouds.
22 | 5 m | 21.0 | | Fair; about twelve it became
| | | | cloudy.
| 1 a | 23.5 | E S E 1 | Cloudy.
23 | 5 m | 22.2 | | Scattered clouds.
| 7 | | S E 2 |
| 2 a | 24.2 | | Scattered clouds, dark towards
| | | | eve.
24 | 5 m | 23.5 | W S W 2 | Violent rain.
| 6 | | W 2 |
| 7 | | W N W 1 | About seven it cleared up.
| 9 | | N W 1 |
| 2 a | | | Scattered clouds.
25 | 6 m | 24.5 | W 1 | Scattered clouds.
| 10 | | W N W 3 |
| 2 a | 23.5 | |
26 | 6 m | 24.0 | W 2 | Fair. At night a great halo
| | | | appeared round the sun.
| 2 a | 24.5 | S W 2 | Dark. A strong redness at
| | | | sun-setting.
| | | W S W 1 | Cloudy. At ten it began to rain,
| | | | and it rained all day.
27 | 6 m | 24.5 | S E 2 |
| 11 | | E 3 |
| 1 a | | N E 4 | Rain.
| 4 | 21.5 | N 1 | Scattered clouds.
28 | 7 m | 23.0 | |
| 2 a | 23.5 | S W 1 |
29 | 6 m | | S W 3 | Towards evening drizzl. rain and
| | | | lightning.
| 2 a | 25.5 | N W 2 | Scattered clouds; air very cool.
30 | 6 m | 23.5 | | Fair: in the morning it began to
| 2 a | 21.5 | S W 1 | grow cloudy; at night lightning,
| | | | hard rain, and some thunder.
31 | 6 m | 22.2 | |
===================================================================

September 1748.

===================================================================
D. | H. | Ther. | Wind. | The Weather in general.
----+-------+-------+------------+---------------------------------
1 | 7 m | 20.0 | N W 2 | Scattered clouds.
| 2 a | 21.5 | | Clouds passing by. Rain and
| | | | strong winds all the afternoon.
2 | 6 m | 19.0 | N W 1 | Scattered clouds all day.
| 2 a | 20.5 | N W 0 | At night a great halo round the
| | | | moon.
3 | 6 m | 21.5 | W S W 0 | Scattered clouds.
| 2 a | 23.0 | S 1 | It became more cloudy. In the
| | | | evening appeared a great halo
| | | | round the sun.
4 | 6 m | 23.3 | E 1 | Scattered clouds.
| 12 n | 27.5 | E S E 1 |
| 2 a | 24.0 | |
5 | 6 m | 24.5 | S E 3 | Scattered clouds.
| 12 n | 26.5 | |
6 | 6 m | 27.0 | S E 2 | Scattered clouds,
| 1 a | 28.5 | | At night a great halo round the
| | | | moon, and the sky very red.
7 | 6 m | 27.5 | E 3 | Dark sometimes. The sun shone
| | | | through the clouds.
8 | 12 n | 28.5 | N E 2 | Scattered clouds.
8 | 6 m | 26.0 | N N E 2 | Scattered clouds all day.
| 1 a | 26.5 | |
9 | 6 m | 24.5 | N 1 | Scattered clouds all day.
| 1 a | 24.5 | |
10 | 5 m | 24.0 | N N W 1 | Fair.
| 1 a | 24.5 | |
11 | 6 m | 23.2 | W N W 1 | Fair.
| 2 a | 25.0 | | At night a halo round the moon.
12 | 6 m | 24.0 | A Calm. | Fair, and very hot.
| ½ a | 26.0 | |
13 | 5 m | 25.5 | S E 1 | Fair.
| 1 a | 26.5 | |
14 | 6 m | 25.5 | S E 1 | Fair; but a cool wind all the
| 1 a | 26.5 | | morning.
15 | 5 m | 23.0 | S E 1 | Scattered clouds.
| 1 a | 27.5 | | It grew more cloudy. In the
| | | | evening and ensuing night,
| | | | violent rain and winds.
16 | 5 m | 21.5 | N N E 1 | It rained hard all day.
| 2 a | 21.5 | |
17 | 5 m | 25.5 | N W 1 | Cloudy.
| 1 a | 21.0 | | Scattered clouds.
18 | 6 m | 13.0 | Calm. | Fair.
19 | 1 a | 24.5 | N N E 1 | Fair all day.
20 | 6 m | 14.0 | N E 1 | Scattered clouds.
21 | 6 m | 11.0 | N E 0 | Scattered clouds.
| 1 a | 23.0 | |
22 | 7 m | 10.5 | N E 1 | Fair.
| 1 a | 25.0 | |
23 | 6 m | 11.0 | N N E 1 | Fair.
| 2 a | 28.0 | |
24 | 6 m | 14.0 | N E 1 | Fair.
| 2 a | 28.0 | | It grew dark. At night came
| | | | rain, which continued late.
25 | 6 m | 18.0 | N W 1 | Dark. At 8, scattered clouds.
| 2 a | 28.0 | N E 1 | Scattered clouds.
26 | 6 m | 15.5 | N N E 1 | Fair.
| 2 a | 27.5 | |
27 | 6 m | 17.0 | N E 1 | Cloudy. Fair at 8, and all the
| | | | morning.
| 2 a | 27.0 | | Cloudy.
28 | 6 m | 14.0 | N E 1 | Fair and cloudy alternately.
| 2 a | 20.0 | |
29 | 7 m | 15.5 | N E 1 | Cloudy.
| 2 a | 20.5 | | Fine drizzling rain.
30 | 7 m | 16.0 | N E 0 | Alternately fair and cloudy.
===================================================================

October 1748.

===================================================================
D. | H. | Ther. | Wind. | The Weather in general.
----+-------+-------+------------+---------------------------------
1 | 6 m | 19.0 | S 1 | Fair. Scattered clouds at 8.
| 2 a | 18.5 | | Scattered clouds. Dark towards
| | | | night.
2 | 6 m | 18.5 | S W 0 | Cloudy.
3 | 6 m | 15.0 | N W 1 | Cloudy.
| 1 a | 18.0 | | Scattered clouds. Late at night
| | | | a great halo round the moon.
4 | 7 m | 6.0 | N W 1 | Fair.
| 1 a | 16.0 | |
5 | 7 m | 2.0 | N 1 | Fair.
6 | 7 m | 2.0 | N E 1 | Fair.
| 1 a | 18.0 | | At night a great halo round the
| | | | moon.
7 | 6 m | 7.0 | E N E 1 | Cloudy. Fair at 9, and all day.
8 | 6 m | 14.0 | E N E 1 | Cloudy. Scattered clouds at 8.
9 | 6 m | 18.0 | S S E 1 | Rain all the morning.
| 3 a | 23.0 | | Cloudy.
10 | 6 m | 20.0 | S W 0 | Fog, and a drizzling rain.
| 2 a | 23.0 | | Fair.
11 | 7 m | 20.0 | S W 1 | Fog, which fell down. Fair at 8.
| 2 a | 26.0 | | Fair.
12 | 6 m | 8.0 | W N W 1 | Fair all day.
| 8 | | W 1 |
| 2 a | 20.0 | W S W 1 |
13 | 6 m | 2.0 | W N W 1 | In the morning, hoary frost on
| | | | the plants.
| 2 a | 17.0 | W S W 0 | Fair all day.
14 | 6 m | 5.0 | S S W 0 | Fair.
| 2 a | 21.0 | |
15 | 6 m | 4.5 | S S E 0 | Fair.
| 2 a | 24.0 | |
16 | 6 m | 11.0 | E N E 0 | Cloudy.
17 | 6 m | 8.0 | N E 1 | Cloudy.
| 2 a | 18.0 | | Cloudy. Violent rain all night.
18 | 6 m | 12.0 | N W 0 | Cloudy.
| 5 a | 4.0 | S W 0 |
19 | 6 m | 00.0 | W S W 1 | Scattered clouds.
| 2 a | 9.0 | |
20 | 5 m | 01.0 | W N W 1 | Fair.
| 2 a | 9.0 | |
21 | 7 m | 00.0 | W 0 | In the morning ice on standing
| | | | water, white hoary frost on the
| 1 a | 15.0 | | ground; fair all day.
22 | 6 m | 00.0 | W 0 | Fair.
23 | 6 m | 4.5 | N N E 1 | Fair.
| 1 a | 16.0 | |
24 | 6 m | 4.5 | N 0 | Fair.
| 2 a | 18.0 | |
25 | 6 m | 4.5 | S W 1 | Fair. Air very much condensed in
| | | | the afternoon.
26 | 6 m | 4.0 | S W 0 | Fair.
| 3 a | 19.0 | |
27 | 6 m | 1.0 | S W 0 | Fair.
| 3 a | 17.0 | |
28 | 6 m | 9.0 | E 2 | Heavy rain all day.
29 | 6 m | 14.0 | W 1 | Fair.
| 1 a | 20.0 | | At night I saw a meteor,
| | | | commonly called the shooting of
| | | | a star, going far from N. W. to
| | | | S. E.
30 | 6 m | 3.0 | N W 1 | Fair.
31 | 7 m | 4.0 | W 1 | Fair.
| 1 a | 18.0 | |
===================================================================

November 1748.

===================================================================
D. | H. | Ther. | Wind. | The Weather in general.
----+-------+-------+------------+---------------------------------
1 | 7 m | 3.0 | S 1 | Fair.
2 | 6 m | 4.0 | N 0 | Fair.
| 3 a | 18.0 | |
3 | 7 m | 7.0 | N W 1 | Fair.
| 1 a | 14.0 | S E 0 |
4 | 7 m | 1.0 | S W 0 | In the morning the fields were
| | | | covered with white frost.
| 12 n | 19.0 | | A fair day.
5 | 7 m | 4.0 | S W 1 | Fair.
| 1 a | 17.0 | |
6 | 7 m | 4.5 | N E 1 | Fair.
| 1 a | 12.0 | | Towards evening somewhat cloudy.
7 | 7 m | 7.0 | E N E 1 | Cloudy.
| 4 a | 11.5 | |
8 | 7 m | 11.5 | E N E 2 | Drizzling rain.
| ½ a | 18.0 | E S E 3 | Heavy rain.
9 | 7 m | 17.0 | S E 1 | Drizzling rain.
| 9 m | 15.0 | S S W 1 | At eight it cleared up.
| 1 a | 17.0 | | Scattered clouds.
10 | 7 m | 6.0 | S S W 2 | Fair.
| ½ a | 13.0 | W N W 2 |
11 | 7 m | 4.0 | W S W 1 | Cloudy.
| ½ a | 12.0 | | Scattered clouds.
12 | 6 m | 03.0 | S W 1 | Fair.
| 2 a | 11.5 | N W 2 | Cloudy.
| 4 | 5.0 | |
13 | 7 m | 00.0 | N N E 1 | This morning ice on the water.
| 2 a | 5.5 | | Fair.
14 | 7 m | 0.5 | N 3 | Fair.
| 1 a | 8.0 | N 2 |
15 | 7 m | 3.0 | S 2 | A strong red aurora.
| 1 a | 8.0 | | Cloudy, and continual drizzling
| | | | rain.
16 | 7 m | 4.5 | W 1 | Fair.
17 | 7 m | 01.0 | W 1 | Fair and cloudy alternately.
| 1 a | 8.0 | | Sometimes drizzling rain.
18 | 7 m | 4.0 | S 1 | Fair.
| 3 a | 6.5 | N W 2 |
19 | 7 m | 03.0 | W 0 | Fair.
| 2 a | 11.5 | |
20 | 7 m | 01.0 | N N E 1 | Fair.
| 2 a | | S 1 |
21 | 7 m | 15.0 | S W 2 | Fair.
| 1 a | 19.0 | |
22 | 7 m | 20.0 | E 1 | Rain all day.
| 2 a | 10.0 | |
23 | 8 m | 16.0 | S 1 | Cloudy, foggy, and rain now and
| | | | then.
| 8 a | | S W 4 |
24 | 7 m | 00.0 | W N W 3 | Fair.
25 | 7 m | | N W 0 | It was very cold last night, and
| | | | fair to-day.
26 | | | N W 0 | Alternately fair and somewhat
| | | | cloudy, and always pretty cold.
27 | | | | Fair; scattered clouds: pretty
| | | | warm in the air.
28 | | | | Cloudy, foggy, and quite calm.
29 | | | | Somewhat cloudy.
30 | | | N 1 | Fair, and a little cold.
===================================================================

December 1748.