Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1854-07-10
For the Grant County Herald.

| IL.
]. Mr.. Editor: The unevorable state O
the weather to-day confirming me to the
house thought | would employ an hon,
in addressing the Herald.
In a communication week or two aoc
sent you a substitute for Barometer 7,
the action Of a leach. l now offer anoth-
er, and in my opinion quite as good, il
that small insect the house Spider. For a
long period | kept box Of these insects
when | found the following prognosticato.
~ results to be pretty accurate:
On the approach of fine weather it peeps
out Its head and stretches It's legs out Of
Its hole, and this the farther the longer the
flne weather will continue. Against bad
weather 1t retires farther back; and against
very tempestuous weather it turns quite
round, showing nothing but its hinder parts
to the observer. At the commencement
OF line weather, the web with which it sur,
rounds its corner is but of moderate ex-
tent; If the fine weather will be LASTING. It
enlarges it two or three inches; and if it
do this several times repeated, we may be
certain that the weather will continue fine
for sonic time. In winter they are certain
prognostlcators Of approaching cold. If
frost and snow be coming on, they either
seize on webs already made, in which case
obstinate battles often ensue, or thew make
new ones, and labor diligently at them.
The greatest and most striking instance
of the Importance of these observations,
and the dependence that may be placed
upon them, is the conquest of Holland, by
the French, in the winter of l7945,
Quatremere Disjouval, an adiutant-acn-
eral In the Dutch service, who had taken
part against the stakeholder, was thrown
INTO prison. His keeper was inclined to
the patriotic party, and in consequence
treated his prisoner with less strictness.-
During the seven years of his confinement,
ne had nothing to amuse him but the spi-
ders IN bis prison, which he had tanned.
and watching their motions on every change
OF weather. Through this means Disiouval
gave notice to the patriots, that herd
winter would ensue, which would render
all the rivers and canals passable on the
ice. The taking of the town by the
French affording him the only hope of be-
ing emancipated from his long fmprison-
ment, it may be supposed, therefore, that
he observed his spiders with the utmost
care and attention. In the beginning of
December he heard, to his great alarm.
that the people talked Of capitulation,
which would have annihilated his hopes at
once lie used every means in his power
TO make known, that, from the operations
of his spiders, a very severe frost would in
evltably come on, and this within fort
nlghe at od 9th Of December the frost was SO
lls,rtif fnat the Frorch were able to pass
the Waal. The aristocratic party hatter-
ed themselves, Notwithstanding, that the
frost would soon break up, al; on the 18th
of January the water rose and was turbid,
which was considered certain indication
Of thaw. Disiouval in the meantime
wrote from his prison to the editor of the
Utrecht Gazette, saying that before three
days had elapsed, more severe cold than
the former would take place. On this oc-
casion the spiders proved incomparably
DCtloI prospects, tIldll Tie UuTDlu WdtST.--
On the 18th Of January the wind rose, on
the 18th it froze,and on the 10th the
French entered Utrecht, and the prisoner
regained his liberty.
He continued carefully to observe the
spiders, in order to give the French gene
raj fresh information, which was of great
Importance to him in this daring enterprise.
On January goth a sudden thaw came on.
The General was alarmed for the fate of
an army Of a hundred thousand men, with
a train of artillery, and began to think Of
a speedy retreat. But Disjouval had re-
course to his spiders, and they foretold
frost. He sent a couple Of these little pro-
phets TO the French General; they were
credited and their prophecies were fulfilled,
and the French conquered Holland.
THos. s. SHAW.
Shaw Hill, near Prairie Gu Chen,
June 28th, 1854.