The Natural History of Selborne

Battle of Cape St. Vincent, Francis Holman

• 1793: January 16, 1793 – Dark, & sharp frost.
• 1791: January 16, 1791 – A disorder prevails among the horses: but has not reached this village yet.
• 1790: January 16, 1790 – Turnip-greens come in.
• 1789: January 16, 1789 – Now the rope is lengthened my well furnishes me with water.
• 1788: January 16, 1788 – Some thaws.  Load of straw brought in.
• 1780: January 16, 1780 – On this day Sr George Rodney defeated the Spanish fleet off Cadiz.  A precipitate thaw.  The rain last night tore-up the N. field lane very badly.
• 1779: January 16, 1779 – Sowed the great mead in part, & all Berriman’s field (laid down last year with grass-seeds) with good peat-ashes.
• 1777: January 16, 1777 – Grey sun, sweet day.  Bees, & flies moving: air full of insects: spiders shoot their webs: butter-fly out.
• 1776: January 16, 1776 – The brambling appears in farm-yards among the chaffinches.  It is rare in these parts.
• 1774: January 16, 1774 – Jupiter, the moon ,& Venus being this evening nearly in a line, & almost at equal distances, make a beautiful appearance.  Bat appears: they are out at times every month in the winter: but not in frost.
• 1772: January 16, 1772 – Severe air.  Icicles.  Cutting wind & frost.

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