9. Cloudy and dull; indications of snow; wind N. W. Thermometer 21 O 10. Cloudy; wind E.; thermometer 19°. Ice in basins gradually increasing. II. Soft snow falling all day; very disagreeable; wind S. S. E.; thermometer 30 O 12. Morning cloudy; noon fair; evening cloudy: wind W.; thermometer 33 13. Soft snow falling all day; wind from S. to W.; thermometer 34 14. Clear and cold; afternoon cloudy and growing milder; wind W. Thermometer 14 15. 16. O Mild and dull; wind S. W.; thermometer 38°. Mild and very fine; wind variable; thermometer 40°. 17. Mild and cloudy; wind W.; thermometer 36°. Sleighs have altogether disappeared from the streets. 18. Fair and clear; wind N. E.; thermometer 15; Longueuil ferry still running. No ice on river. 19. Rain and sleet falling throughout day; wind S.; thermometer 31°. Streets very slippery, making walking a difficult task. 20. Light rain last night; to-day the weather is mild and cloudy; wind N. E.; thermometer 36°. Water in river slowly rising. 21. Cloudy, indications of snow; wind N. E.; thermometer 180. 22. Cloudy, with occasional flurries of snow; wind N.; thermometer 24°. 23. Until 9 a. m. a cold wet fog hung over the city; wind variable; thermometer 21°. 24. Foggy, damp and cold day; thermometer 25°. 25. Morning foggy; afternoon cloudy and dull; indications of snow; wind N.; thermometer 24. Longueuil steamer still running; aquatic sports on river. 26. Morning foggy; afternoon mild and pleasant; light airs from N. and E.; thermometer 26°. 27. Morning foggy; afternoon fair; wind N. E.; thermometer 270. 28. Morning foggy; afternoon pleasant; wind N. E. to N. W.; thermometer 23°. 29. Morning foggy; afternoon falr; wind N. E.; thermometer 24°. 30. Cloudy and dull; indications of snow; wind N. E.; thermometer 20°. 31. Cloudy; small quantities of ice gathering on shore; the river still free and Longueuil ferry running.; thermometer 16°. THE HEATED AND STORM PERIODS OF 1878. The great hail and rain storm period of the month of August, 1878, was preceded by a protracted heated term. This hot wave seems to have settled in all its severity upon the heads of the inhabitants of St. Louis, Mo., U. S. In that city the heat was intensely oppresive, and not a breath of air was stirring. Only the most important business was attended to, and the people who were thus forced upon the streets thoroughly appreciated the shelter which the oven-like houses afforded them. Street watering carts were put into the service as early as two a. m., and it was only with the greatest exertions that the streets were kept at all damp. The water seemed to evaporate almost instantly, so intense were the rays of the sun. The only pedestrians on many of the streets were the sweltering policemen, who hugged the narrow strip of shade which the houses afforded and walked in the slowest of their well-known slow paces. As the night drew near, the sun settled behind the Western hills with a sullen and prolonged glow, as if it were determined to keep the St. Louis people in misery as long as possible. The evening which followed was most beautiful. The moon rode majestically in a cloudless sky. To sleep, however, was impossible, -the bedrooms were like so many cremation furnaces; therefore, the unhappy residents turned out en masse and made themselves as comfortable as possible on the verandas and door-steps, and tried, most times in vain, to obtain even the proverbial "forty winks" of sleep, and to forget, if only for oment, that there was such a thing as "hot" weather. From cago, Detroit, New York, California, Toronto, Quebec, and various other places we received the reports of hot, hot weather. In Quebec, on the 17th July, the thermometer registered 110° in the shade. This heated term, as we have already intimated, was followed by very extensive storms; they, in most parts, ushered in by a terrific hurricane. Trees, and in many cases, houses, were bodily carried for some distance through the air. Fields that before the approach of the storm were covered with maturing fields of grain---the pride and delight of many an honest farmer,-wi.hin a few minutes presented a complete ruin, and were so prostrated with the combined efforts of the wind, rain and hail, that they looked as if an immense steam-roller had passed over them. The storm of the 4th August, 1878, was most variable in its movements. The first squall of the terrific storm at Toronto, came from a north-westerely direction, but the heaviest squall, which lasted for a few minutes only, came from the south-east with the velocity of about forty miles per hour. This storm, which will long be remembered by the inhabitants of the "Queen City of the West," as the severest that they had ever experienced, raged with unabating fury from 2:20 p. m. until about 6:10 p. m. The hail which fell in such quantities, was of unusually large size, the majority of the stones being about as large as marbles, and many were picked up which were as large as an ordinary sized hen's egg, measuring fully five inches in circumference. The damage done by the hail was very great; not many panes of glass were left entire in any building that was at all exposed. Some idea may be formed of the havoc played by the hail among the buildings when it is known that one hundred and seventeen panes of glass were broken in the De la Salle Institute, and other buildings had equally as large a number smashed. Lightning entered the belfry of St. Mary's Church, and, passing downwards forcing its way through the front of the building, and partially destroying the main entrance doors. The north dial of St. James Cathedral clock was also struck by lightning, and shattered to pieces. THE AMERICAN NEWS COMPANY, The rain continued to pour down in torrents, without ceasing, for the length of four hours. Sewers speedily became filled up, and the water overflowing, soon found an entrance into the cellars and basements of adjoining houses. The rainfall is stated to be the largest known in Canada, in the same space of time. Over 3.450 inches of water fell on the 4th. This great downfall during a day, was only surpassed by that of the 14th of September, 1843, when, during a storm which lasted 22 hours, 3.455 inches of water fell. The gale, from reports received, seems to have extended over a wide region, it having visited with more or less severity, the following places: Columbus, London, Newcastle, Davenport, Auston, New Hamburgh, Bowmanville, Milton and many other points in Ontario, while it also extended eastward to Montreal, and the country surrounding Quebec. 66 This unprecedented storm was quickly followed by another heavy storm, but nothing in violence like the preceding one. This storm extended down to the Middle States, damaging everything in its course. In Newark alone, over $10,000 worth damage was done to the buildings, sewers, &c. In West Orange,, damage was done to the extent of $9,000 or $10,000. Providence, R. I., U. S., also suffered. In Newburyport, Mass., U. S., great havoc was played among the shipping. The steamer Fredericton," with over 1,000 passengers on board, was swept over a mile down the river before she could stop herself and reach the shore. A schooner had her foremast struck by lightning, and a large hole cut clean through the deck. Much consternation was caused by steamers being blown from their moorings, and colliding with other craft. Coming into our own country, we find that Toronto was again visited on the 6th of August, by a severe rain and hail storm, and many feared that it would be a repetition of the storm of the 4th, but fortunately such was not the case. The streets were again flooded, and householders who had been busy baling the water out of their cellars, were rewarded for their trouble by having a fresh supply rush in upon them. Smithville, Wroxeter, Ridgeway, Clifford, Beamsville, Napanee, Wallacetown, and other places, suffered more or less damage by wind and rain. Hardly a town but what some dwelling or outhouse was shattered during the passage of the Storm King. This storm was followed by another "hot wave,' which was in its turn followed by the third severe rain and hail storm. From Boston, Mass., under date of August 9th, we received the reports of damage done by a severe rain storm, accompanied by thunder and lightning. At Rye Beach, N. H., the storm was reported as terrific, many gnarled oaks and sturdy elms that for over fifty years had braved the blast, having at last to succumb, and come crashing to the ground, destroying in their fall many dwelling places, and in some cases severely injuring the occupants. At Wallingford, Conn., U. S., the storm lasted but for a few minutes, but in that short space of time over forty dwellings and fifty barns were completely destroyed. Over twenty persons were killed, and almost twice that number were wounded. In order to form an idea of the strength of the tornado, we will cite one or two incidents. A horse, buggy and occupant were blown over a precipice thirty feet in depth. A youth while standing on the railroad track, was struck by the full force of the hurricane, and hurled to the distance of fifty feet, at which place he was afterwards picked up, almost beheaded. Mender and New Haven, Conn., were situated within the limit of the storm's track, and therefore received their share of the general destruction. At New Haven, a large church, several dwelling houses, and a $30,000 school house were entirely demolished. From Watertown, N. Y., reports were received that trains were blockaded, bridges destroyed and telegraph poles_prostrated, and irreparable damage done to the standing crops. The same storm advanced into Canada, passing through the heart of Western Canada, leaving clear and broad traces of its footsteps. On every hand the same cry was heard,-crops destroyed, buildings demolished, and in many instances people killed by the flying timbers. Nottawa, Mill Point, Norwood, Napanee, Belleville, Orillia, Frankfort, Picton, Westminster, Kingston, Barrie, Drayton, Linwood and other places were all visited, and much damage done. MOTHER SHIPTON'S PROPHECY. The appended "Mother Shipton's Prophecy" has been copied by a correspondent of the Globe from a work published A. D. 1448, and now in the British Museum : Carriages without horses shall go, And accidents fill the world with woe. Water shall yet more wonders do; The world upside down shall be, And gold shall be found at the root of a tree. Through hills man shall ride, And no horse nor ass be at his side. Under water men shall walk, Shall ride, shall sleep, shall talk. THE AMERICAN NEWS COMPANY, VENNOR'S PREDICTIONS FOR 1879. Since last writing a similar chapter for the Almanac of 1878, six long months have again been spent in the "forest" and "by the stream, and numerous pairs of stout boots have been worn out on the "rugged rocks" composing the Laurentian Mountains. And long will this past summer be remembered by all who have, like us, wandered beyond the pale of civilization, and dwelt-not in houses, but in tents. Never can we efface from our memories those scalding, burning, thirsty days of "intense heat," nor those storms of wind and rain, and thunder and lightning, which, this year, more than all others, have hurried hundreds of human beings into the "jaws of death," and carried with them destruction everywhere. My book of newspaper clippings of such events for the past year presents a terrible record indeed, which, were I to fully or even fairly chronicle in the pages of the Almanac, would swell the book to prodigious and unsuitable proportions. The records, then, given in the foregoing pages, will show my readers the leading features of the weather of the year 1878. How often have I of late years wished that some zealous "weather prophet" had years ago arisen in the field, and collected for my benefit just such data, and prepared just such monthly records, as those herewith published; for, as the London Times in a recent able editoria lon "weather forecasts" remarks, “A careful preservation of accurate records of the weather of the world for a few years, will enable us to arrive at approximately accurate forcasts of the weather the coming season. It is nearly certain that weather, of whatever kind, must be the natural and necessary consequence of weather which has preceded it; and extended observations could scarcely fail to tell us what to anticipate as the result of certain antecedent changes. It is not to be expected, of course, that such observations can be completely made in any short period of time. In all probability, we should first have to learn what were the facts it was most important to observe, and should find that agencies at present overlooked, or regarded as secondary, might require to be brought into the foremost place. It might doubtless happen that antecedents apparently the same would be followed by different consequences; and the investigation of the causes of such differences would ultimately become the most fruitful branch of meteorological research." This, the happiest exposition I have yet seen of the subject, I fully endorse. The writer of it evidently |