USA > New Hampshire > New Hampshire as it is. In three parts. Part I. A historical sketch of New hampshire. Part II. A gazetter of New Hampshire. Part III. A general view of New Hampshire. Together with the constitution of the State > Part 30
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The capital of the Winchester Bank is $100,000.
Within the last few years the village in the centre of the town, as well as that in the western part, called Ashuelot, has grown rapidly. The vast amount of water power in both villages, and the readiness and comparatively slight expense with which it may be applied to practical pur- poses, render it highly probable that at no distant period they will be manufacturing places of considerable impor- tance.
Winchester was first granted by Massachusetts, and was named Arlington. It was granted by New Hampshire, July 2, 1753, to Josiah Willard and others, who settled here in 1732. During the wars with the Indians which followed, the meeting house and all the private buildings of the settlement were burned by the enemy. In the summer of 1756 Josiah Foster and his family were taken captives by the Indians. Some efforts were made to locate Dartmouth College in this town, but, owing to the opposition of Josiah Willard, the principal landholder, they proved unavailing.
The Congregational church was organized November 12, 1736. There are also Methodist and Universalist societies.
Population, 3296. Number of legal voters in 1854, 600. Common schools, 21. Inventory, $716,536. Value of lands, $411,362. Stock in trade, $20,125. Value of mills and factories, $25,950. Money at interest, $13,423. Shares in banks, &c., $70,500. Number of sheep, 1037. Do. neat stock, 1583. Do. horses, 305.
WINDHAM, Rockingham county. Bounded north by
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NEW HAMPSHIRE AS IT IS.
Londonderry and Derry, east by Salem, south by Pelham, and west by Hudson and Londonderry. Area, 15,744 acres. Distance from Concord, 34 miles, south ; from Exeter, 30, south-west. Policy, Cabot's, Golden, and Mitchell's Ponds are the principal collections of water. Beaver River is the principal stream, upon which is con- siderable meadow land. The soil is generally good.
There are two stores ; one woollen factory, where frock- ing is made - capital, $5000 - number of hands, 8; one mattress manufactory - capital, $4500 - number of hands, 4 ; one hotel ; and seven common schools. School dis- trict number two has a fund of $1000. There is one re- ligious society, - the Presbyterian, - which is the only church ever organized in the town. It was formed in 1747.
On one of the most lofty eminences in town, seated upon the out-cropping surface of a ledge of mica slate, is an immense granite boulder, 20 feet in height, its sides measuring 16 or 18 feet. In appearance it is erratic, there being no rocks of a similar kind in the neighborhood. The rock upon which it rests seems to have been fractured or crushed by the contact or pressure of the incumbent mass. In its under side is a cavity, or basin, the sides of which are perfectly smooth, showing that it must have been worn by the grinding action of pebbles and rapidly flowing water, and also that the present position of the boulder is exactly the reverse of what it once was. Wind- ham was formerly a part of Londonderry, from which it was severed, and incorporated February 25, 1739.
Population, 818. Number of legal voters in 1854, 203. Inventory, $274,058. Value of lands, $199,828. Stock in trade, $2525. Value of mills, $3300. Money at interest, $3775. Number of sheep, 355. . Do. neat stock, 711. Do. horses, 142.
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GAZETTEER OF NEW HAMPSHIRE.
WINDSOR, Hillsborough county. Bounded north-east and east by Hillsborough, south by Antrim, west by Stod- dard, and north-west by Washington. Area, 5335 acres. Distance from Concord, 30 miles, south-west; from Am- herst, 27, north-west. Its surface is varied with hills and vales. The soil is strong, and well adapted to grazing. Black Pond is the principal collection of water. It was formerly called Campbell's Gore, and was incorporated under its present name in November, 1798.
Population, 172. Number of polls, 34. Inventory, $68,329. Value of lands, $45,293. Money at interest, $6480. Number of sheep, 283. Do. neat stock, 224. Do. horses, 46.
WOLFBOROUGH, Carroll county. Bounded north-east by Ossipee, south-east by Brookfield and New Durham, south- west by Alton and Lake Winnipiseogee, and north-west by Tuftonborough. Area, 28,600 acres. Distance from Con- cord, 45 miles, north-east ; from Ossipee, 8, south-west. The face of the country is generally level; the soil is somewhat rocky, but strong and productive. Smith's Pond, six miles in length, is situated in the east part of the town, and is the source of a river of the same name. There are also four other ponds of considerable size - Crooked, Rust's, Barton's, and Sargent's. At the foot of a hill near one of these ponds is a mineral spring, which is a place of considerable resort. Wolfborough is a good farming town. Its mechanical and manufacturing business is also considerable. The Lake Bank was incorporated July 15, 1854 ; capital, $50,000. Within a few years this town has become celebrated as a healthy and delightful summer residence. Situated on Lake Winnipiseogee, which touches its south-western border, while the lofty
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NEW HAMPSHIRE AS IT IS.
mountains of Ossipee and the rugged hills of Tufton- borough rise up in the rear like impregnable walls of a gigantic fortress, its whole scenery presents a view at once picturesque and sublime. The trip across the lake from Centre Harbor to Wolfborough Bridge, especially in a pleasant summer evening, is truly delightful. At sunset, when the evening shadows begin to fall upon the distant mountain tops, presenting their rugged outlines in bold relief, and the stars, gliding into the firmament, kindle up their brilliant fires in the depths of the clear blue waters, the excursion seems like a journey to the Elysian Fields. At this hour of the day the breezes on the lake are highly invigorating.
Wolfborough Bridge is a pleasant village, situated on two beautiful slopes of land rising from a bay in the lake. Since steamboats have plied these waters it has grown quite rapidly. Visitors to the White Mountains and Fran- conia now consider their tour incomplete unless they spend at least one night here. Accommodations of the best kind are provided for visitors. The Pavilion, a spacious, elegantly furnished, and well-conducted hotel, is fully entitled to the rank of a first class house. From its cupola and piazzas charming views of the lake and surrounding country are obtained. The situation of the Lake House commands extensive and delightful views of this romantic region. This house also furnishes excellent accommoda- tions. Horses, carriages, boats, and attendants are always at command at either hotel. Copple Crown Mountain, five miles from the village, is easily ascended, and commands a varied, extensive prospect. The view from its summit is thought by many to be fully equal to that from Red Hill. The mountain scenery is more distant, but not less distinct. The prospect embraces an excellent view of the lake, and
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GAZETTEER OF NEW HAMPSHIRE.
some thirty different sheets of water in New Hampshire and Maine can be counted. Mount Washington, the Isles of Shoals, and vessels on the ocean may also be discerned.
It was in this town that General John Wentworth erect- ed a splendid mansion, about five miles east of the bridge, for a summer residence. Wolfborough Academy has a fund of $5000, and is a respectable institution. Great attention is paid here to improvement in common school training and instruction. This town was granted, in 1770, to General John Wentworth, Mark H. Wentworth, and others. Among the first settlers were Benjamin Blake, James Lucas, Joseph Lary, and Ithamar Fullerton. A Congregational church was organized October 25, 1792; at the same time a Freewill Baptist society was formed. There are at present two Congregational, three Freewill Baptist, and one Methodist societies.
Population, 2038. Number of polls, 472. 'Inventory, $553,199. Value of lands, $319,566. Stock in trade, $12,800. Value of mills and factories, $14,813. Money at interest, $28,662. Number of sheep, 1247. Do. neat stock, 2287. Do. horses, 376.
WOODSTOCK, Grafton county. Bounded north by Lin- coln, east by Thornton, south by Thornton, Ellsworth, and Warren, and west by Warren, Benton, and Landaff. Dis- tance from Concord, 62 miles, north ; from Plymouth, 20, north. Area, 33,359 acres. Pemigewasset River passes through its eastern section. It is well watered by brooks and rivulets, which supply the town with numerous mill privileges. The principal ponds are Hubbard's, Elbow, Russell's, and Bog. The surface is uneven, diversified by hills, valleys, and mountains. In many parts the scenery is picturesque and sublime. The brooks swarm with trout,
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NEW HAMPSHIRE AS IT IS.
and afford rich amusement to the angler and tourist. On Moosehillock Brook is a beautiful cascade, where the water glides smoothly on a glassy surface of rocks, or tumbles in foaming cataract, a distance of 200 feet. Grafton Mineral Spring is situated in this town, near the road leading to Franconia. Its waters are strongly impregnated with sul- phur and other mineral substances, and are in great repute, on account of their medicinal qualities. Near the base of Summit Mountain is a cave, extending under ground several feet, and spacious enough to hold many hundred people. It communicates with various apartments. Its sides and the partition walls are of. solid granite ; and from the fact that ice, of the greatest purity, may be obtained here through the entire warm season, it is called the Ice House. A large portion of this town consists of extensive tracts of wood and timber, including pine, spruce, and ash. During the winter season 150 men are employed by the Merrimack River Lumbering Company in cutting and hauling timber to the Pemigewasset, whence it is trans- ported during the spring freshets to Lowell.
There are in this town nine saw, shingle, and clapboard mills, with an aggregate capital of about $15,000. There is also an extensive tannery here, where 20 hands are em- ployed ; capital, $15,000. There are two meeting houses, -one Baptist and one Freewill Baptist, -six common schools, and one store.
Woodstock was granted, September 23, 1763, to Eli Demeritt, under the name of Peeling. It was settled, in 1773, by John Riant and others. It received its present name in 1840.
Population, 418. Number of legal voters in 1854, 120. Inventory, $113,950. Value of lands, $54,006. Do. mills, $14,304. Stock in trade, $1150. Number of sheep, 271. Do. neat stock, 398. Do. horses, 84.
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GAZETTEER OF NEW HAMPSHIRE.
COUNTIES OF NEW HAMPSHIRE.
ROCKINGHAM COUNTY. Incorporated in March, 1791. Bounded north by Strafford county, east by the Atlantic from the mouth of the Piscataqua to the line of Massa- chusetts, south by Massachusetts, and west by Hillsborough and Merrimack counties. Its greatest length is 34 miles ; greatest breadth, 30 miles. There are 38 towns in this county, which were incorporated -two in the reign of Charles I., one in the reign of Charles II., two in the reign of William and Mary, two in the reign of Queen Anne, seven in the reign of George I., thirteen in the reign of George II., eight in the reign of George III., and three by the government of New Hampshire. Shire towns, Portsmouth and Exeter. Valuation, $19,685,157. Pop- ulation, 49,204. Number of farms, 3811. Do. manufac- tories, 984. This county was named by Governor Benning Wentworth, in honor of Charles Watson Wentworth, Mar- quis of Rockingham.
STRAFFORD COUNTY. Incorporated March 16, 1791. Bounded north by Carroll county, east by the State of Maine, south by Rockingham county, and west by Belknap county. Shire town, Dover. It contains 13 towns, one of which was incorporated in the reign of Charles I., two in the reign of George I., three in the reign of George II., and five under the state government. Although a large portion of the territory of this county was taken to form the counties of Belknap and Carroll, yet by its immense hydraulic power, it makes rapid progress in population and wealth, and loses none of its former importance or influ- ence. It was named in honor of William Wentworth,
·
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NEW HAMPSHIRE AS IT IS.
Earl of Strafford. Valuation, $10,237,058. Population, 29,364. Farms, 1844. Manufactories, 394.
BELKNAP COUNTY. Incorporated December 22, 1840. Bounded north by Carroll county and Lake Winnipiseogee, east by Strafford county, south-west by Merrimack county, and west by Grafton county. Shire town, Gilford. It contains eight towns, two of which were incorporated in the reign of George I., two in the reign of George III., and four under the state government. There are many beautiful lakes and ponds within its limits. Its surface is uneven, and in some parts mountainous. The soil is gen- erally productive. Its water power is considerable. The lakes, mountains, and valleys in this county present a great variety of sublime and picturesque scenery. It was named in honor of Dr. Belknap, the historian" of New Hamp- shire. Valuation, $5,372,199. Population, 17,709. Farms, 2438. Manufactories, 163.
CARROLL COUNTY. Incorporated December 22, 1840. Bounded north by Grafton and Coos counties, east by the State of Maine, south by Strafford county, and south-west by Lake Winnipiseogee. Shire town, Ossipee. It contains 17 towns, eight of which were incorporated during the reign of George III., and nine under the state government. The scenery afforded by the variety of lofty mountains, deep vales, lakes, and rapid streams, is beautiful. Much of the land is rocky and mountainous, and although somewhat cold, is yet excellent for grazing. Valuation, $4,344,743. Population, 21,565. Farms, 2805. Manufactories, 135.
MERRIMACK COUNTY. Incorporated July 3, 1823. Bounded north by Grafton and Belknap counties, east by
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GAZETTEER OF NEW HAMPSHIRE.
Rockingham county, south by Hillsborough county, and west by Sullivan county. Shire town, Concord, the capital of New Hampshire. It contains 24 towns, four of which were incorporated in the reign of George I., two in the reign of George II., seven in the reign of George III., and eleven under the state government. Greatest length, 36 miles ; greatest breadth, 26. Surface uneven ; soil generally very fertile. Kearsarge is the highest eleva- tion, being 2400 feet above the sea level. Merrimack River, the principal stream, winds through nearly the middle of the county, and affords a large amount of water power. It was taken from Hillsborough and Rockingham counties. Val- uation, $14,780,293. Population, 40,339. Farms, 3220. Manufactories, 215.
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. Incorporated March 19, 1771. Bounded north by Merrimack county, east by Rockingham county, south by Massachusetts, and west by Cheshire county. Shire towns, Amherst and Manchester. It con- tains 31 towns, ten of which were incorporated in the reign of George II., twelve in the reign of George III., and nine by the government of New Hampshire. This is not a mountainous region. It is well watered, and pos- sesses an immense water power. Its facilities for manufac- turing are excellent, and are largely improved. It received its name from the Earl of Hillsborough, one of the privy council of George III. Valuation, $25,406,014. Popu- lation, 57,477. Farms, 3675. Manufactories, 399.
CHESHIRE COUNTY. Incorporated March 19, 1771. Bounded north by Sullivan county, east by Hillsborough county, south by Massachusetts, and west by Vermont. Shire town, Keene. Greatest length, 31 miles ; greatest 37 *
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NEW HAMPSHIRE AS IT IS.
breadth, 26 miles. It contains 22 towns, eight of which were incorporated in the reign of George II., ten in the reign of George III., and four under the government of New Hampshire. The surface is diversified with mountains and plains. Connecticut River waters its western border, and the Ashuelot passes through it in a south-westerly di- rection. Along the latter river are extensive plains, pos- sessing various degrees of fertility. The Grand Monad- nock is the highest elevation, being 3450 feet above the sea level. It received its name from one of the counties in England. Valuation, $11,245,179. Population, 30,143. Farms, 2805. Manufactories, 377.
SULLIVAN COUNTY. Incorporated July 5, 1827. Bounded north by Grafton county, east by Merrimack county, south by Cheshire county, and west by Vermont. Shire town, Newport. It contains 15 towns, one of which was incorporated in the reign of George II., nine in the reign of George III., and five under the state government. Croydon Mountain is the highest elevation. Along the streams, particularly the Connecticut, the soil is very fer- tile, and the uplands are generally productive. Sugar Riv- er affords abundant water power. It is well watered by numerous small streams, many of which afford good mill privileges. Sunapee Lake, a beautiful sheet of water, is the source of Sugar River, and is the largest collection of water in the county. It was named in honor of Hon. John Sullivan, one of the presidents under the new con- stitution. Valuation, $7,492,942. Population, 19,375. Farms, 2129. Manufactories, 141.
GRAFTON COUNTY. Incorporated March 19, 1771. Bounded north by Coos county, east by Coos, Carroll, and
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GAZETTEER OF NEW HAMPSHIRE.
Belknap counties, south by Merrimack and Sullivan coun- ties, and west by Vermont. Shire towns, Haverhill and Plymouth. It contains 38 towns, 23 of which were incorporated under the reign of George III., and 15 un- der the state government. Its greatest length is 58 miles ; greatest breadth, 30. It is watered on its west and north- western borders by Connecticut River. Lower Ammonoo- suc, Pemigewassett, and Mascomy Rivers are considerable streams, and afford good water power. Squam, Newfound, and Mascomy Lakes are the principal collections of water. The surface of this county, as well as the soil, is greatly diversified. A large portion is hilly and mountainous, though comparatively but little is unfit for cultivation. In the north-eastern part is a large tract of ungranted lands, which probably will never be thickly inhabited. It is most- ly a sterile, rocky, and mountainous region. The hilly por- tions afford excellent pasturage, while its extensive and fer- tile meadows and intervals produce abundant crops of grass, grain, and all the fruits common to this climate. The first settlement was made in Lebanon. Grafton county received its name in honor of Augustus Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Grafton. Valuation, $12,318,351. Population, 42,343. Farms, 5063. Manufactories, 424.
Coos COUNTY. Incorporated December 24, 1803. Bounded north by the highlands which separate the waters which flow into the St. Lawrence from those flowing into the Connecticut, east by Maine, south by Carroll and Graf- ton counties, and west by Vermont. Shire town, Lancas- ter. It contains 26 towns, five of which were incorpo- rated in the reign of George III., and 21 by the state government. This is the largest county in the state, being 76 miles in length, and on an average 20 miles in width.
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NEW HAMPSHIRE AS IT IS.
Its area is estimated at 1,000,000 acres. À great portion is mountainous, and unfit for cultivation. The White Mountain region occupies the southern portion, and in- cludes little else than " rocky vales and lofty piles." The mountains extend about 20 miles from south-west to north- east, being the more elevated parts of a range reaching many miles in that direction. Their base is about 10 miles in extent, covering an area of about 200 square miles, or 128,000 acres. Mount Washington, the highest peak, is 6226 feet above high water mark in Portsmouth. Besides these gigantic piles, there are other considerable elevations in different parts of the county. Most of the ungranted lands, the grants to Dartmouth College, and Gilmanton and Atkinson Academies, Wentworth's Location, Crawford's Grant, and the tract called Odell, are within its limits. Three of the principal rivers of New England - the Con- necticut, Androscoggin, and the Saco - take their rise here. There are extensive tracts of fine interval and upland in various parts of this county ; and, although the husband- man may not, in every location, feast his eyes on fertile plains and cultivated hills, yet the lover of Nature may admire the majestic splendor and the impregnable founda- tions of her strongholds. Coos is the Indian name of the Connecticut, and signifies crooked. The first settlement was made at Lancaster in 1763. Valuation, $2,782,946. Population, 10,445. Farms, 1439. Manufactories, 69.
CITIES IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
THE CITY OF MANCHESTER. Incorporated in June, 1846. Mayor, Frederic Smyth. Valuation, $6,795,682. Value of factories, $2,544,100. Stock in trade, $510,990.
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GAZETTEER OF NEW HAMPSHIRE.
Population' in 1820, 761; 1840, 3235 ; 1850, 13,933; 1854, 19,877.
THE CITY OF PORTSMOUTH. Incorporated July 6, 1849. Horton D. Walker mayor. Valuation, $5,206,972. Val- ue of factories, $244,100. Stock in trade, $941,510. Population in 1820, 7327; 1840, 7887; 1850, 9739; 1854, 9942.
THE CITY OF CONCORD. Incorporated July 6, 1849. City charter adopted in 1853. Mayor, Joseph Low. Valuation, $3,168,065. Value of factories and mills, $74,100. Stock in trade, $182,150. Population in 1820, 2838 ; 1840, 4903 ; 1850, 8584 ; 1854, 10,000.
THE CITY OF NASHUA. Incorporated June 27, 1853. Mayor, Josephus Baldwin. Valuation, $3,809,416. Val- ue of factories, $834,000. Stock in trade, $546,634. Population in 1820, 1142; 1840, 3600; 1850, 8972; 1854, 10,462.
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NEW HAMPSHIRE AS IT IS.
PART III.
A GENERAL VIEW
OF THE
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE ;
COMPRISING
NATURAL FEATURES,
EDUCATION AND RELIGION, -
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES,
ACCOUNT OF VARIOUS SOCIETIES AND ASSOCIATIONS ;
LIST OF BANKS, RAILROADS, AND NEWSPAPERS;
TOGETHER WITH
THE CONSTITUTION OF NEW HAMPSHIRE.
(443)
A
GENERAL VIEW OF NEW HAMPSHIRE,
INCLUDING
SURFACE, CLIMATE, GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY, SOIL AND PRODUCTIONS, WITH A DESCRIPTION OF ALL THE PRINCIPAL LAKES, RIVERS, AND MOUNTAINS.
SURFACE.
THE situation, boundaries, and area of New Hampshire have already been given .* The surface of the state is greatly diversified, having every degree of elevation, from the gently undulating plain to the lofty cloud-capped mountain. Its extent of sea coast is about eighteen miles. For twenty or thirty miles back from the sea the country is tolerably level. The first mountain range is called the Blue Hills. Beyond this are numerous elevations, some of which are of considerable height. Still farther to the west is a lofty ridge, which separates the waters of the Connecticut from those of the Merrimack, commonly called the Height of Land. The highest elevation in this part of the state is the Monadnock Mountain. The same ridge extends north, separating the tributaries of the Connecticut from those that flow eastwardly, until it terminates in the lofty summits of the White Mountains. The country north
· See page 85.
38 (445)
.
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NEW HAMPSHIRE AS IT IS.
of these mountains is generally hilly and mountainous, and for the most part but thinly inhabited.
CLIMATE.
The climate of New Hampshire is very various and fickle. Although one of the coldest states in the Union - its mean yearly temperature being not far from 44º _ there are yet few in which the thermometer ever rises higher than here during some of our hot summer days, and very few in which the mercury ever falls so low. The whole range of the temperature of the state, from the extreme heat, when the thermometer stands at near 100°, to the extreme cold, when the mercury is frozen at a tem- perature of more than 40 degrees below zero, is something over 140 degrees, a yearly range almost unparalleled in any district of similar dimensions .. And the daily varia- tions are hardly less remarkable, sometimes amounting to 40 degrees, or even more, within twenty-four hours ; the mean daily range, however, is about 17 degrees.
The range of the barometer also, though not quite so excessive, still deserves notice. It amounts in all, at any one place, to about 2.5 inches ; and more than one inch of this variation sometimes occurs in twenty-four hours, dur- ing the progress of one of the great storms. It should be observed that this range is greater near the level of the sea.
The amount of precipitation (that is of rain, and snow,*
1
* The tables published by the Smithsonian Institution reckon the snow as one tenth water, so that ten inches of snow are reckoned equal to one inch of rain. Of course, ten inches of very heavy snow are more than equal to one inch of rain, and ten of very light snow are less; but the ratio given is a fair average.
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CLIMATE.
reduced to water, added together) for the whole year is from 35 to 55 inches, varying, of course, in different years, and different places. The amount of snow is much less constant, varying from less than a foot during the whole winter, as sometimes happens near the sea, to 10 or 12 feet, as sometimes among the mountains. Usually there is more, both of rain and snow, inland than on the coast, although the number of cloudy and unpleasant days is less. The proportion of pleasant days to the whole number of days in the year is about one third, and there are not quite as many in which some snow or rain falls; the rest are variable days, not actually stormy, but only more or less dark and cloudy. New Hampshire storms are not generally of great violence, or long duration, unless near the sea, but, as every one knows, differ much in these respects. The larger storms almost invariably move from the south- west to the north-east. They are usually preceded by a calm atmosphere, and a high elevation of the barometer. They commence with easterly winds, and a depression of the mercurial column, often very rapid, which reaches its limit at the crisis of the storm. Sometimes, especially in exposed situations, they are followed by strong westerly gales ; but these are seldom violent enough to do any damage. These storms, especially in the winter, not unfre- quently recur at periods of a week or eight days, whence the old saying, 'that if the first Sunday of a month be stormy the rest will be like it.'
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