American watchman and Delaware advertiser. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1822-1828, 1826-02-07
QUEBEC. Jan IL, 1926.

| E.rtraordinnru Weather.-The present winter
has been remarkable for sudden and great variations
of temperature a few very cold days, the thermo
meter down to between 10 TO ~ below zero OF I ar
enheit, and then rising TO between 10 TO 70 above
lreexinr.-There have been only two Of the very
cold Dc RODS since the commencement OF the winter,
lasting each only day or two the last cold was
on The 9Th inst when the thermometer was down
to 10 below zero On Monday the 9th inst. during
the nigh. ard Tuesday morning, 1t rained heavily,
wind at NE. The thermometer was generally
above freezing, varying from 80 to s.. The cold
ness however of every thing the RAIN touched froze
as it FELL the same process taking place as when
frozen vegetable is immersed IN water, the water,
becoming CONCEALED OH the surface oil the vegetable
and the ice forming new ice. TUESDAY morning
every twig of the trees, were covered with ice up
wards Of an inch in diameter, and the whole sur
face Of the snow on the ground, coated with ice
above an inch thick, resembling 10 appearance an
immense plate of pure unburaished silyer.-Every
substance exposed the rain was also coated with
pure transparent undulated Ice
| Such phenomena OF frequent occurrence IN
this climate, in lesser degree; but so thick coat
OF ice formed on every substance exposed to the
wind and rain has seldom occurred, certainly not
during the last twenty years. 1t produced effects
hich could hardly be imagined. The roaring OF
single sleigh on the road, where the snow had not
Of coach going lull speed on pavement. II was
Impossible for any animal to travel, whose feet was
not armed enough with points 10 break it, in which
case, lis legs were wounded and in constant danger
Of being broken.
No perssn could have gone half mile into The
forests, without meeting certain death, from the tat
ling OF branches loaded With ice. The surface under
he trees was strewed with their wrecks; the sharp
sound of the breaking branches was frequent, and
the noise OF the falling ice on the frozen surface
was like an ncessant roar oil musketry a, distance
Young trees being supple rested their heads on the
ground, fol ming beautiful arches Of ice The stout
est and most branchy trees suffered the most, ex
cepting the frs and spruce, whose branches rested
on the ground, or collapsed against the trunk, form
ing lofty pyramids and obelisks OF coloured ice.
When the pergins was heaviest the wind had allen,
but every gust that arose, the creaking of the
ice, occasoned by the slow and heavy motion OF the
trees, was as loud as the sound OF storm in ships
rigging during gale
Before the conclusion Of the rain it no longer
froxe as it fell on the surface, and then it formed
streams and pools in the hoows Of the plate Of ice
which encrusted the snow. These pools gave the
color Of water in new situation; it was nearly sea
green.
The injury 10 the fruit, and forest trees must be
great. Many wild animals must have been killed
IN the woods the timidlty Of the hare may have
caused its destruction, and the poor partridge who
neslles every night in the snow and feeds on butts
must have suffered severely. All the smaller win
ter birds must have also suffered, although the de
fences Of nature and instinct which preserves many
Of them so small and so apparently helpless
throughout our long, and most winters, ha
ways incomprehensible to the proud intellect o
man.
The Lombardy poplars, which have been chiefly
introduced here within the last twenty years. will
for a long lime shew that what may be very fine il
other countries will no, do in Canada and it per
haps may not be amss for projectors OCCASIONAL,
to look to, and study the Lombardy poplars.