Tho' in the beginning of February some few Trees and smaller Plants decorate the Woods with their Blossoms, yet the Spring makes but slow Progress till the Beginning of April, when it advances suddenly with frequent Rains.

In May, June and July, it rains not often but vehemently, with much Lighting, and very loud Thunder, which produces numerous Effects of its Vehemence on Trees split from Top to Bottom; but as the Country is not populous the terrible Effects of these destructive Phaenomena happen not very often on the Inhabitants.

At the latter End of July or August it rains in great Quantities usually a Fortnight or three Weeks, overflowing all the Savannah and lower Ground, at which time there appears wild Fowls of various Sorts, particularly of the wading Kinds, which retire at the Fall of the Water.

Usually once in about Seven Years these Rains are attended with violent Storms and inundations, which commonly happen about the time of the Hurricanes that rage so fatally amongst the Sugar Islands, between the Tropicks, and seem to be agitated by them or from the same Cause, but are much mitigated in their Force by the time they reach Carolina; and tho' they affect all the Coast of Florida, yet the further North they proceed, so much the more they decrease in their Fury, Virginia not having often much of it, and North of that still less. Tho' these Hurricanes are seldom so violent as in the more Southern Parts, yet in September 1713, the Winds raged so furiously that it drove the Sea into Charles-town, damaging much the Fortfications, whose Resistance it was thought preserved the Town. Some low scituated Houses not far from the Sea were undermined and carried away with the Inhabitants; Ships were drove from their Anchors far within Land, particularly a Sloop in North Carolina was drove three Miles over Marshes into the Woods. Another in like Manner was drove on Land, and wedged in between two Trees, the Hull of which in that Scituation I saw some Years after, and to the best of my Memory the Keel was ten or twelve Feet above the Ground: This last was in Ilathera, one of the Bahama Islands.

In Woods of Pine-Trees are frequently seen Glades or Openings, occasioned by the Fall of Trees, which lie prostrate one Way, by which is formed a straight and regular Avenue an hundred Feet wide, more or less and some Miles long: These are likewise the Effects of violent Gusts of Wind.

Those Parts of Carolina near the Sea are not always exempt from Fogs, but the upper Parts of the Country are seldom otherwise than serene.

In February and March the Inhabitants have a Custom of burning the Woods, which causes such a continual Smoke, that not knowing the Cause it might be imagined to proceed from Fog, or a natural Thickness in the Air: Likewise the Smoke of the Tar-Kilns contribute not a little to deceive Strangers, and possesses them with an ill Opinion of the Air of Carolina: Add to these, an annual Custom of the Indians in their Huntings, of setting the Woods on Fire many Miles in Extent.

The Northern Continent of America is much colder than those Parts of Europe which are parallel to it in Latitude; this is evident from the mortal Effects the Frosts have on many Plants in Virginia, that grow and stand the Winters in England, tho' 15 Degrees more North; and what more confirms this is the violent and sudden freezing of large Rivers, as before-mentioned.

Admitting from these Circumstances, that in the northernmost Part of our Island the Frosts are not more intense than in Virginia, it will then appear that the Winters in Virginia, tho' in the Latitude of 37 Degrees North, and parallel with the South Part of Spain, are as cold as in the North Part of Scotland, which is in the Latitude of 57, that is, 20 Degrees more North.

This great Disparity of Climate holds throughout our Northern Colonies: Newfoundland, and the South of Hudson's Bay being not habitable for Cold, tho' in the Latitude of the South Parts of England.

The Frosts of Carolina and Virginia continue not long without Intervals of warmer Weather, yet by their ill Effects cause a Deficiency of many useful Productions which Countries in the same Latitude in Europe are blessed with, such as Wine, Oil, Dates, Oranges, and. many things impatient of hard Frost.

There has indeed of late been some Efforts towards the making of Wine both in Virginia and Carolina, the Success of which, time will discover.

Some Oranges there are in Carolina, but in the Maritime Parts only. I never saw nor heard of one produced ten Miles from Salt Water. Such is the great Difference of Temperature between the Maritime Parts, and those lying distant from the Sea, as the following Instance may serve to illustrate.

Accomack is a narrow Slip of Land in Virginia, having the Sea on one Side, and the Bay of Chesapeck on the other here I saw Fig-trees, with Trunks of a large Size, and of many Years standing, without any Injury.

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