St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1875-03-26
Letter from Southern France.
NICE. FRANCE. March ;. 1875.


counts of the severe winter in America
are indeed appalling, and such as would
seem almost incredible to Il native of
Europe. p to 81 and 40 degrees below
greatest wonder. and it is doubtful if even
Siberia itself. which has hitherto been
quoted here as the coolest country in the
world. has ever recorded such il success
sion of cold days as you have given in a
late number of the Cdie1Onidn.
| But you are by no means having IL
monopoly of cold weather. Europe has
Just passed through one of the Severest
winters on record. From one end of it
Ia the other there have come complaints
of excessive frostS, and deep SHOWS, and
storms of unusual severity, which have
proved very disastrous to life and health
and property. These reports are con-
gion>. for none have been exempt from
the rigors of this exceptional winter.
Letters from all parts of Italy, from
Greece and European Turkey. and also
Spain, are as loud in their complaints
of the severe cold and SNOW stormS. as
are those from the northern part of the
continent and from Great Britain.
Only last week the route betw cen
Florence and Bologna was visited with
II fall of snow nearly three feet deep;
the railway trains were blocked; and
twelve hundred men were called ont
under military orders to clear the way.
\ Vienna correspondent writes: The
winter here is hard beyond description.
An English sportsman visiting the
moutain towns SAW one day fifty starved
deer picked up in il forest. Big stays
run into the midst of villages and are
caught 10y hand. yet soon afterwards die
from exhaustion. If Il sudden thaw
sets i'll. the inundations will he serious
indeed"
A letter from Rome. February Goth.
SAYS: "Thr weather has been lately
counts arrive daily of fearful tempests
at Venice. Leghorn. &c. While SNOW
has fallen heavily at Naples. Florence.
and several cities of southern Italy.
The Apprentices are we'll covered with
it. and the aspect of the country is very
wintry. For the last fortnight the
weather here has been changeabt and
ungenial; and in fact. the season i> in
all respects Il Very exceptional one"
The foreign colony wintering here
have felt the difference between the
severity of this winter and the mildueSS
of last one. and some Of lis may have
been tempted to grumhle occasionally
with that of universal Europe. we have
little cause to complain. We have had
hard trnst> when ice has formed To the
thickness of half an inch. but not Il
flake OF SNOW has fallen here during the
whole winter. although we have had IN
unusual amount of cold rain fall. which
i'll other places proved t" he snow
storms. Even at Cannes. only - miles
west of here, several inches of snow
fell on "Wednesday last and the same
WAS tn" ease 1T san Reno, forty miles
to the east.
1t is one of the anomalies of this
strange climate. that the severe trostS
of which | have spoken do So little
damage t" tender vegetation and insect
life. For example, notwithstanding
series of cold nights. when ice was
made. and every green thing ont of
doors ought to lie cut down to the
ground 10y the keen cold. some of the
most delicate flowers in the garden
under our windows only held up their
heads and smiled IA smile of triumph
This Yer, day our landladv has brought
us up Il bouquet of flowers from her
garden. representing roses, ancmoneS.
of which have survived this hard win
ter without projections. As To the
winged insects, we We're obliged To sleep
until the last OF january under lace
nets, to protect ourselves from those
funny night marlnders mosguifOes.
1t is true they were not in great num-
beers 10y no means 81 numerous as Cur
rams firas. which, if they had been unan-
imous. might have turned him out of
bed-but for all that they were very
lively skilmishers, whose song of com
ing triumph showed how little they
We're discouraged 10y frosty nights
They are all gone at last. but those |
tougher insects, known us honsefiies, do |
not yet give up the contest. but seize
upon every occasion when window is |
opened to swarm into our rooms. On
the whole, Nice is a wonder in point of
climate, over which many an invalid
has occasion to rejoice with exceeding
joy. Yours truly, CT.
Meeting of Superintendent.
The annual meeting of town super
intendcnts within and for the county of !
Caledonia, was holden at the court !
house in 81 Jnhnshury March If+I |