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COXE’S TRAVELS IN RUSSTAs 669
Gulf of Finland was covered with ice, and fledges began to pafs from Peterfburgh to
Cronftadt, the road being marked over the furface by rows of trees. ;
Even during the months of December and January, the weather was extremely
_ changeable; is fhifted ina fudden manner from a fevere froft to a thaw ; the mercury
in the thermometer often rofe within the courfe cf twenty hours from 20 to 34, and
funk again as rapidly in the fame fpace of time *.
When the froft was not fevere, namely, when the mercury in Fahrenheit’s thermo-
meter was not below ro, I] frequently walked out in a common great coat. When
the cold was more intenfe, I was dreffed in the manner of the natives; and wore, in
my daily excurfions, a pe/if/é, or large fur cloak, fur boots or fhoes, a black velvet or
fur bonnet, that prevented the froft from nipping my ears, the part which I found the
moft liable to be affeéted. During the gth, 1oth, and 11th of January, the froft was
nearly as intenfe t as it was ever felt at Peterfburgh ; the mercury in the thermometer
falling at one time to 63 below freezing point, or — 31. ‘This cold, however, did
not detain me at home; but I walked out, as ufual, with my pe/ife, boots, and found
it by no means unpleafant, the fun fhining with great brightnefs. As I traverfed the
city on the morning of the 12th, I obferved feveral perfons whofe faces had been
bitten by the froft: their cheeks had large fcars, and appeared as if finged with a hot
iron. As I was walking with an Englifh gentleman, who, inftead of a fur cap, had on
a common hat, his ears were fuddenly frozen: he felt no pain, and would not have
perceived it for fome time, had not a Ruffian informed him {, and aflifted him in rub-
bing the part affected with fnow, by which means it was inftantly recovered. ‘This,
or friétion with flannel, is the ufual remedy; but fhould the perfon in that ftate approach
the fire, or dip the part. in warm water, it immediately mortifies and drops off.
The common people continued at work as ufual, and the drivers of fledges plied in
the ftreets, feemingly unaffected by the froft; their beards were incrufted with clotted
ice, and the horfes covered with ificles. Even during this extreme cold, the-people
* Although I examined the thermometer every day ;_yet I did not attempt to form a feries of re-
gular obfervations, which 1 now much regret. I occafionally, indeed, made a few remarks, which I
_fhall infert, as I find them fcattered in my journal: they will tend to confirm the truth of what I have
advanced in relation to the change of weather obfervable at Peterfburgh, and will ferve to contradi&t
thofe authors, who affert that, as foon as the hard froft commences, the cold continues with uniform
feverity, ‘and with little variation, during the whole feafon, Nov. 16. ‘To day a thaw; the thermometer
mounted to 40: in the evening fharp froft again; the mercury falling to 20.—Nov. 23. The ther-
mometer at 4, 5, and 6.—Dec. 3. It has been thefe few days moilly a thaw and changeable weather. —
Dec. 6. The thermometer fell almoft fuddenly from 33 to 10.—Dec. 11. ‘Thermometer at -10.—Dec. 14.
A fudden thaw, which continued the 15th and 16th.—Dec. 17. Thermometer -7—Dec. 15. Ther-
mometer at -5, and a fog at the fume time —Dec. 19. Windy, thaw, thermometer above freezing point.
—Dec. z1. Changeable weather all this week, from fharp froft to fudden thaw.—Jan. 1. 1779. Wea-
ther very changeable, the thermometer one morning at -8, the next above freezing point; this winter it
has not as yet been lower than -13.—Jan. 6. Thermometer at -14.—Jan. 9, Thermometer at -73; the
barometer mounted fuddenly very high fince laft night.—Jan 10. Early this morning the thermometer
at -2:, and at 11 at 202. Barometer at 30,%. The fmoke of the chimnies was preffed down to the
ground.—Jan. :x. Thermometer at -28, according to my own obfervation, at ten in the morning: but
earlier the mercury had funk to -314 or 633 below freezing point. Jan. 15. ‘i hermometer, fince the
rith, rofe gradually: on the 32th in the morning it flood to -13 ; from thence it fell too, tor; ; and
to-day it is above freezing point.
I made the fame obfervations during the fecond winter whichI pafled at Peterfburgh, and found the
weather equally uncertain.
+ The winter in which profeffor Braun congealed quickfilver, the cold was fo intenfe, that De Lifle’s
thermometer funk to 204=in Fahrenheit’s to—33, or 65 below freezing point.
+ The part frozen always turns quite white, a lymptom well known, and immediately perceived by the
hatives,
6 - did
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