From the middle of September, the mornings and evenings begin to be so chill, that a small fire becomes a defirable comIn October, the weather requires one to be kept more fteadily; from the time that the autumnal rains come on in November, it is invariably neceffary to the end of March; in April it is intermitted at noon; a form is always expect – ed in May, and, till that is past, the chimney is not closed ; they therefore reckon eight months of cold weather in the year. It has often been observed, that thunder clouds, when near the earth, feem to be attracted by large collections of water. In the neighbourhood of lakes and ponds, the thunder is reverberated from the furrounding mountains in a grand and folemn echo of long continuance, A fouth-west breeze in fummer is accompanied with a ferene fky, and this is the warmest of their winds. The N. W. wind does not blow in fummer, but after a thunder fhower, when its clafticity and coolnefs are as refreshing as the preceding heat is tedious, In the neighbourhood of fresh rivers and ponds, a whitish fog in the morning, lying over the water, is a fure indication of fair weather for that day, and when no fog is feen, rain is expected before night. In the mountainous parts of the country, the afcent of vapours, and their formation into clouds, is a curious and entertaining object. The vapours are feen rifing in fmall columns, like fmoke from chimneys; when rifen to a certain height, they fpread, meet, condenfe, and are attracted by the mountains, where they either diftil in gentle dews, and replenish the fprings, or defcend in fhowers, accompanied with thunder. After fhort intermiffions, the process is repeated many times in the courie of a fummer day, affording to travellers a lively illustration of what is obferved in the book of Job, "they are wet with the fhowers of the mountain." The aurora borealis was first noticed in New-Hampshire, in the year 1719. The elder people fay it is much more frequent Job. xxiv. 8. + The following account of this appearance is taken from the Boston News Letter of March 14, 1720. "The late extraordinary appearance in the heavens, of December 11, is the firft of the kind that is known to have been feen in New-England, and was at the fame time obferved throughout the country. Some fay it was feen at three foetal times, viz. at eight, twelve, and again towards morning. The account ποιν an formerly. It. fometimes appears in the form of a lu minous arch, extending from eaft to weft, but more commonly riles from a dark convexity in the north, and flashes upward toward the zenith. In a calm night, and in the intervals between gentle flaws of wind, an attentive ear, in a retired fituation, may perceive it to be accompanied with a found. This luminous appearance has been oblerved in all feafons of the year, in the extremes of heat and cold, and in all the intermediate degrees. The colour of the ftreams is fometimes variegated, white, blue, yellow and red, the luftre of which, reflected from the fnow, is an appearance highly picturefque and entertaining. FACE OF THE COUNTRY, SEA COAST, The whole extent of the fea coaft, from the fouthern boundary, to the mouth of the Palcataqua harbour, is about eighteen. miles. The fhore is moftly a fandy beech, within which are falt marshes, interfected by creeks. There are feveral coves for fifhing veffels, but the only harbour for fhips, and the only fea port in New-Hampshire, is Pafcataqua, where the fhore is rocky; its latitude is 43° 5' N. and its longitude 70° 41' W. from the royal obfervatory at Greenwich. In the middle of the harbour's mouth, lies Great-Ifland, on which the town of Newcastle is built. On the N. E. point of ths ifland a light house was erected in 1771, at the expence of the province, but it is now ceded to the United States. The directions for entering the harbour are thefe: "Ships coming from the Eaft, fhould keep in twelve fathom, till the light bears N. half a point E. or W. diftant three miles, to avoid a ledge of rocks which lies off the mouth of the harbour, then bear away for the light, keeping the western fhore on board, and ume is, of a cloud lying lengthway, toward the north-west and north-caft; om the ends of which arofe two clouds, afcending toward the middle of the heavens, of a deep red colour, and almoft meeting each other, then descending Beard the place whence they arofe. The air was light in the time of it, as a Tak after fun fet, or before fun rife; and fome faw lights, fomething like ing ftars, ftreaming upwards from the clouds. It was feen in our towns all part proceed from this, that g; and the great variety of accounts may in law only one, others another of its appearances. If a faay perfon would have a precife idea of the found, caufed by the flashf the era borealis, let him hold a filk handkerchief by the corner, in one ad, and with the thumb and finger of the other hand, make a quick froke ped coming no nearer that fore than the depth of nine fathome, giving the light a proper birth, and standing over to the northern fhore of the river, where they may anchor in nine fathoms, abreast of Sparhawk's point. Ships coming from the fouthward fhould obferve the fame directions refpecting the light, and keep in nine fathoms on the western shore." Between the north fide of Great-Ifland and Kittery fhore, is the main entrance, about a mile wide, nine and ten fathoms deep. The anchorage is good; the fhore is lined with rocks; the harbour is land-locked on ali fides, and perfectly fafe. The tides rife from ten to fourteen feet. The other entrance on the fouth fide of Great-Ifland is called Little Harbour; the water here is fhol, and the bottom fandy. There are feveral islands in the river, between which and the fhores are channels for finall veffels and boats. Between the upper end of Great-Ifland, and the town of Portsmouth, on the fouthern fide of the river, is a broad, deep, ftill water, called the Pool, where the largest fhips may lye very conveniently and fecurely. This was the ufual ftation for the maft fhips, of which seven have been loading at one time. The main channel lies between Pierce's ifland and Seavey's, on each of which, batteries of cannon were planted, and en. trenchments formed in 1775. Here the ftream is contracted to a very narrow paffage, and the tide is extremely rapid, but the water is deep, with a bold rocky fhore on each fide. The rapidity of the current prevents the river from freezing in the fevereft winters. Three leagues from the mouth of the harbour lie the ifles of Shoals, which are feven in number. On Star-Ifland, the town of Gofport is built, which belongs to New-Hampshire, The dividing line runs between that and the next island to the northward, which belongs to Maffachufetts; here is a good road with moorings, and an artificial dock has been constructed, with great labour and expence, by Mr, Haley, for fifhing veffels. Ships fometimes take fhelter here in bad weather, but it is not then fafe for thofe of large bulk. These islands being of folid rock, with but little carth, are incapable of any improvement by tillage, though they afford fome pafturage and gardens. The inhabitants have formerly carried on the cod hery to great advantage, but is has been for fome years declining. Salt-works have been erected on one of the islands, which bave yielded falt of a fuperior quality, excellently adopted to the curing of hill. The remarkable mountain, Agamenticus, lies about four leagues north of the entrance of Pafcataqua, and there are three inferior fummits, known by the name of Froft's Hills, at a lefs diftance on the N. W. These are fituate within the county of York, formerly called the province of Maine; but from the fea, no remarkable high lands appear, which are within the limits of New-Hampshire, nearer than twenty or thirty miles. The firft ridge is continued through the towns of Rochester, Barrington, and Nottingham, and the feveral fummits are diftinguifhed by different names. as Teneriffe, Saddleback. Tuckaway, &c. but the general name is the Blue Hills. Beyond these are several higher ones, as Mount Major, Moose Mountain, &c. these are not in a continued range, but detached; between them are many fmaller elevations, fome of which are, and others are not, diftinctly named. Farther back the mountains rife higher, and among the third range Chocorua, Offapy, and Kyarfarge, claim the pre-eminence. Beyond thefe, is the lofty ridge, which is commonly called the height of land, because it separates the branches of the river Connecticut from thofe of Merrimack. In this ridge is the grand Monadnock, twenty-two miles caft of the river Connecticut, and ten miles north of the fouthern boundary line Thirty miles north of this, lies Sunnapee Mountain, and forty. eight miles farther in the fame direction is Moofhelock. The ridge then is continued north-cafterly, dividing the waters of the river Connecticut from thofe of Saco and Amarifcoggin. Here the mountains rife much higher, and the most elevated, fummits in this range are the White Mountains. Mountains appear of different colours, according to the nature of their exterior surface, the season of the year, and the distance of the observer. They are covered with wood, the fmaller ones wholly, the larger have bald fummits, which appear white, as long as the fnow remains; but at other times vary their colour according to the diftance of the obferver. If he is very nigh, they appear of the grey colour of the rock, and the farther he recedes, their appearance is a paler blac, till it becomes nearly the colour of the fky. The woody parts of mountains, when viewed at a small distance, are green, at a greater diftance, blue. From fome favourable fituations, all thefe varieties may be feen at once; mountains of different fhades, textures, and elevations, are prefented to the eye of the curious obferver. The wood on these mountains is of various kinds, but they have all more or lefs of the evergreens, as pine, fpruce, hemlock, and fir, intermixed with fhrubs and vines. It is univerfally obferved, that trees of every kind diminish in their fize toward the fummit; many of them, though fhort, appear to be very aged. On fome mountains we find a fhrubbery of hemlock and fpruce, whofe branches are knit together fo to be impenetrable; the fnow lodges on their tops, and a cavity is formed underneath; these are called by the Indians, Hakmantaks. as On the tops of feveral of the highest mountains, are fmall collections of water, and on others, marfhy fpots, which are frequented by aquatic birds. The roads over those mountains which are paffable, are frequently wet and miry, while the valleys below are dry. About two or three feet under the furface of the mountain, is a firm earth, called the pan, which is impenetrable by water; the rains and dews are therefore retained in the fofter foil, or formed into fprings and brooks, This foil is made by the rotting of fallen leaves and wood, the growth of paft ages. Mountainous countries are observed to be most subject to earthquakes, and the nearer any lands are to mountains, it may be expected that thele commotions will be more frequent. New-England has never been visited with deftructive earthquakes, but more fhocks have been obferved in its northern than in its fouthern parts. After the great fhocks in 1737 and 1755, which were perceived through a great part of the continent, fmeller fhocks were more frequent in New. Hampfire than at Bolton. From 1755 to 1774, fcarcely a year pafied without fome repetition; from that time to 1783, none were observed, and there have been but two or three fince. Several phenomena refpe&ting the larger mountains, afford matter of amulement, and fome are of real ufe. People who live near them, humourously ftile the mountains their almanack, because by the afcent and attraction of vapours, they can form a judgment of the weather. If a cloud is attracted by a mountain, and hovers on its top, they predict rain; and if, after rain, the mountain continues capped, they expect a repetition. of fhowers. A ftorm is preceded for feveral hours by a roar. ing of the mountain, which may be heard ten or twelve miles. This is frequently oblerved by people who live near the grand Monadnock. It is alfo faid, that when there is a |