Hence it appears, that in England, the season of spring can scarcely be said to exist; certainly, not to go for ward, increasing in beauty and interest, till it expands into the season of summer. But though an English spring is thus uncertain, interrupted, and short, it has charms of its own, to which, in a great degree, the same season on the continent is a stranger; for there are almost every year, and nearly over the whole of England, days, and sometimes weeks, during which vegetation proceeds regularly, and without check, and when the air possesses all the balminess and mildness of summer, without its oppressive heat. Indeed, with respect both to the spring and summer of England, it may justly be observed, that, amidst all their uncertainty and interruption, they favour us with weather, such as, (it may be, perhaps, from the re lish and contrast which that uncertainty and interruption create,) even at the period of their highest perfection, they do not exhibit on the continent.
The summer of England scarcely ever makes its ap pearance before the middle or end of June. The first part of this month, though occasionally mild, too often partakes of the cold easterly winds of May ; so that, strictly speaking, May and the beginning of June fall under no division of the year. The weather, during the prevalence of the easterly winds, is as cold as that of winter ; but it is not winter; and assuredly there are no signs of spring, while these winds continue. Generally, therefore, vegetation makes little advance towards the luxuriance of summer, till the middle or end of June. At this period, in the south of England, the country is uncommonly beautiful ; but in the northern counties, the weather is still very often cold and ungenial. July, August, and September, may be said to be real summer months over the whole kingdom ; but slight frosts some times occur during the nights of September, even in the south ; while, on the other hand, the month of October, in this part of England, is often mild, dry, and settled. In the northern counties, this mouth may be said to the beginning of winter ; or, more properly speaking, of that raw, unsettled, wet weather, which always precedes winter in this island. November seldom advances far, before it brings the same kind of weather to the south ern counties, attended in London and its vicinity, with thick fogs and mists.
Such is the climate of England, generally speaking ; but it will be necessary to be more particular, and to de scribe the difference of climate in the different parts of the kingdom. It is sufficiently obvious, that in the north of England, the spring, summer, and autumn will be more backward, less certain, and of shorter duration, than in the southern parts of the kingdom. The tem
perature there is not only colder, but it is also moister. The winters are likewise more severe, and of longer duration ; so that, to the north of the Mersey and the Humber, the seasons of spring and summer may be reckoned to be nearly a fortnight later in their commence ment, than they are in the south and south-western coun ties, while the autumn is shorter, and more frequently interrupted with frosts during the night. It may be doubted, however, whether the winter in the north of England is more severe, when compared with the win ter in the south of England, in the same proportion as the spring and summer are longer and warmer ; at least, in the southern counties, particularly in those which lie in the vicinity of London, the winters are nearly equal in severity, though perhaps not in length, to the winters of the counties to the north of the Mersey and the H u mho..
Besides the difference between the climate of the north and south of England, there is also a difference between the climate of the eastern and western coun ties. The climate of the latter is much more moist, and at the same time milder than the climate of the eastern counties. This circumstance arises from three causes : the vicinity of the western counties to the great Atlantic ocean, the extreme prevalence of westerly winds, and the ridge of hills, already described, which runs along the western side of the kingdom. The At lantic Ocean saturates the westerly winds with im mense quantities of vapours, which being intercepted in their passage by the range of hills, fall in rain. The eastern side of the kingdom, not receiving these winds till they have given out their vapours, is much less sub ject to rain ; but, on the other hand, from being more exposed to the cold and piercing cast winds, its tempe rature is less pleasant, especially during the summer months. It is well known that the temperature of the ocean is more equable than that of the land; and, of course, at least in our latitudes, milder during winter, and not so warm during the summer : hence, the wes tern counties, being exposed to the winds from the At lantic Ocean, generally experience a winter rather moist than severe. Snow seldom lies in this part of the kingdom for any length of time. This remark applies with peculiar force to the south-western counties of England, particularly Cornwall and Devonshire, which being exposed to the winds both from the Bristol and English Channel, is favoured with uncommonly mild winters.