Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1876-02-28
cuRiosuTuEs or ouImArE.

the beginning Of December. is not pecu-
liar to cur corner of the world, but is Oe-
easionally known in more favored climes.
Even Italy. which is always sunny It
ally" in poetry and romance. is not ex.
empt from these frigid visitatiOns. AZ
the very time when we were shivering
under the sudden depression Of temper
ature to which We have just referred. the
dwellers in Naples and its neighbOrhoOd
were bewailing a similar dispensatiOn Of
unseasOnably cold weather. The follow
ing is part Of letter from resident
there which appears IN the London
Times of December 9Th: "A more
wintry scene than that which lies before
US you could scarcely have in England,
As far as the eye can see. the several
ranges Of mountains are covered with
snow, while here in the foreground, au-
dible as well as visible. rises up Vesuvi-
US, as white as a sugar-loaf. Here in
the low grounds. however, snow does
not fall, but something quite as cold and
trying, for rain aud hail are continued.
and have scarcely ceased for the last fif-
teen days, The prospect before US is
far from encouraging, according to
prOverb much trusted in by the people.
who say that when it rains on December
I'd 1t viii continue for upwards of forty
days. The damage which has been in
ficted on the country. from north to
south. by the deluge which has poured
down upon it. is most serious. Every
railroad in the kingdom has been more
or less injured. and if communication
has not been entirely impeded. it has
been limited. as the journals have Of
fcially announced almost every day.
Fewer trains have left, and at certain
points where bridges have fallen. or por-
tions Of the road have been washed
away, passengers and goods have been
transferred across the gap from one train
to another. Further north, from Rome
TO Florence by Leghorn. and on the
whole of Marsmma line. the state of
things is as bad. or even worse. am
writing by lamplight at haIf-past eight
o'clock; there has been thunder and
lightning all night, and it is still pealing
and flashing awfully while the ground
as if in correction Of the statement at
commencement of this article, is white
with mingled snow and hail OF course
all agricultural pursuits are suspended.
Where the grain has been sown. it has
been all washed out No foreigners are
coming in. and the prospect for those in
the country and the town who depend on
the season is as bad as it can be-"
In Arctic regions. according to the
testimoney of all the exploring expedi-
tons. there are often sudden and extra
ordinary changes of temperature. the
mercury going down many degrees in o
few hours-or the alcohol. rather, for
the decline is not unfreq uently below
the freezing point Of mercury. Lieut.
Payer. one Of the leaders Of the recent
Austrian expedition, in a paper read
before the Geographical Society Of vi.
emma. gives some striking illustrations
Of the influence Of Arctic cold. He
started, March Il, 1874. on sledge. L
make fresh observations on hitherto un
trodden iee-felds. The cold on that day
was 42o Reaumur. or about 81 . Fa
hrenheit, below zero. After time the
spirit ration became as thick as oil. and
had lost its stimulating properties. Il
was impossible to smoke cigars and 10
baeco were turned into ice. Pieces o.
metal had the same effect when touched
as red hot iron. treat cerebral disturb
anees took place.accompauied by extrem
thirst, difficult to assuage. Every noiS
was transmitted great distance. Tn
senses Of taste and smell were almos
IN obeyaDce. Mercury could be mad
into balls. The secretions were aug
mented while perspiratiOn entirely ceas
ed.
A description like this makes our re
70 weather" seem quite mild and ebdur
able: while 70 the Italian. who rarel
sees the mercury fall 70 the freezin
point. genuine New England 'col
wave" would doubtless seem a. terribl
a. one from tie North Pole does 70 ".