In regard to the distribution of the stations, Newburyport, Boston, (or Cambridge,) Plymouth, Provincetown, and Nantucket, for the sea coast-Worcester, Amherst, Princeton, Northampton and Williamstown, in the interior, seem to me to be favorably situated for watching the progress of storms.

These are the principal points which occur to me at this moment, as needful to be attended to.

Respectfully and truly yours,

To LEMUEL SHATTUCK, Esq.

W. C. BOND.

XIV. EXTRACTS FROM THE REPORT OF THE REGISTRAR GENERAL.

[See page 149.]

The publication to which Mr. Bond refers contains weekly, monthly, and quarterly abstracts of the atmospheric observations made at the Royal Observatory, or compiled from those made at other places in England. The tables contain admirable formula for such observations, and should be carefully studied before adopting a plan for Massachusetts. They are, however, here omitted. We subjoin extracts from the "Remarks on the weather during the quarter ending September 30, 1848," and for the week ending July 28, 1849, which accompany the tables, as an illustration of the manner in which this part of these reports is prepared :

With the exception of a few days in July, and the period between the 9th and 23d of September, the weather during the quarter ending September 30, 1848, was wet, with very little sunshine. The month of August was extremely wet, and in many places the falls of rain, both in July and September, were unusually great. So much rain falling in a period immediately following the previous bad weather, renders the season and the year very remarkable. On July 1, the mean temperature of the air was 8°4 below the average value of the same day in the seven preceding years, and on the 6th it was 12°2 in excess above the average; on the former day the mean temperature was 46°7, and on the latter day it was 74°0. On the 9th, it was 3° below the average, and on the 14th it was 9°4 above the average; and on the 15th it was again below the average. These changes were great and abrupt. From July 11 to September 19th the temperature of the air was almost always below the average value, and particularly so between the 11th and 15th of September; on the 12th, the departure from the average was 12°6. From the 20th of September to the end of the quarter the temperature of the air ranged somewhat above the average value. The hottest day in this year was July 6, and this day was the hottest all over the country. On an average of seven

years the hottest day is July 5.

In pursuance of the arrangement hitherto followed, I will speak of each subject of investigation separately.

The Mean Temperature of the Air at Greenwich For the month of July was 61°5, which is 3°7, 1°3, 0°6, 0°1, and 1°7 above those of the years 1841 to 1845 respectively, 3°0 and 3°9

below those of the years 1846 and 1847; or it is 0°1 above the average of these seven years.

For the month of August was 58°5, which is 2o0, 6°9, 3°6, 4°7%, and 3°6 below those of the years 1841, 1842, 1843, 1846 and 1847, respectively, 0°8 and 1°2 above those of the years 1844 and 1845, respectively, or it is 207 below the average of these seven years.

For the month of September was 55°8, which is 2o3, 0°6, 3o7, 1°1, and 4°3 below those of the years 1841, 1842, 1843, 1844 and 1847, respectively, 1°2 and 1°5 above those of the years 1845 and 1846 respectively, or it is 1°2 below the average of these seven years.

The mean value for the quarter was 58°6; that for 1841 was 58°8; for 1842 was 60°7; for 1843 was 60°8; for 1844 was 58°7; for 1845 was 56°9; for 1846 was 62°6; and for 1847 was 60°3; so that the defect for this quarter below the corresponding quarter in the years 1841, 1842, 1843, 1844, 1846 and 1847, was 0°2, 2°1, 2°2, 0°1, 4°0 and 107 respectively; the only year between 1841 and 1847, whose mean temperature for this period was less than that for the present year, was 1845; and the difference is 1°7. The average value for this quarter from the seven preceding years was 59°8, so that the mean temperature of the air for the quarter ending September 30, 1848, was below that of the corresponding quarter in the preceding seven years by 1°2.

The Mean Temperature of Evaporation at Greenwich

For the month of July was 57°6, which is 0°1 above that for the preceding seven years.

For the month of August was 55°2, which is 2o9 below that for the preceding seven years.

For the month of September was 53°2, which is 1°5 below that for the preceding seven years.

The mean value for the quarter was 55°3, which is 1°4 below the average for the seven preceding years.

The Mean Temperature of the Dew Point at Greenwich For the month of April was 54°6, which is 3°0, 1°4, 0°2, 1o9, and 1°8 below those for the years 1841, 1842, 1845, 1846 and 1847, respectively; 107 and 0°1 above those for the years 1843 and 1844 respectively, or it is 0°9 above the average of these seven years.

For the month of August was 52°8, which is 2°2, 6°1, 5°0, 4°7, and 3°3 below those for the years 1841, 1842, 1843, 1846 and 1847, respectively, 0°5 and 0°2 above those for the years 1844 and 1845, or it is 2°9 below the average for these seven years.

For the month of September was 50°9, which is 2°8, 2°6, 4°0, 2°3, and 4°0 below those for the years 1841, 1842, 1843, 1844 and 1846, respectively, 1°2 above those of the years 1845 and 1847, or it is 1°9 below the average of these seven years.

The mean value for the quarter was 52°8, which is 1°3 below the average for the corresponding period of the preceding seven years. The mean weight of water in a cubic foot of air for the quarter was 4.5 grains, which is 0.2 less than the average for the seven preceding years.

The additional weight of water required to saturate a cubic foot of air was 1.1 grain. The average value for the seven preceding years was 1.0 grain.

The mean degree of humidity of the atmosphere for July was 0.762, for August was 0.797, and for September was 0.795. The averages for the seven preceding years were 0.780, 0.804, and 0.842 respectively. The value for the quarter was 0.785, which is 0.024 less than the average for these years.

The mean elastic force of vapor for the quarter was 0.411 inch, which is 0.026 less than the average for these years.

The mean reading of the barometer at Greenwich for July was 29.836 inches, for August was 29.732 inches, and for September was 29.832 inches; these values are 0.041 inch above, 0.065 inch below, and 0.021 inch above, respectively, the averages for the seven preceding years. The mean value for the quarter was 29.797 inches, which is of the same value as the average for the seven preceding years.

The average weight of a cubic foot of air under the average temperature, humidity and pressure, was 527 grains; the average for the seven preceding years was 526 grains.

The rain fallen at Greenwich in July was 2.1 inches, in August was 4.6 inches, and in September was 2.4 inches. The average amount for the seven preceding years was 2.3 inches in July, 2.7 inches in August, and 2.2 inches in September. The amount fallen in the quarter was 9.1 inches, which is 1.9 inches greater than the average for the seven preceding years. The average fall of rain during this quarter, as derived from the observations since the year 1815, is seven inches. In the year 1824 the fall of rain in the quarter ending September 30 was 9 inches; in 1828 it was 12.5 inches; in 1829 it was 11 inches; and in 1839 it was 10.5 inches. The total amount of rain fallen this year till September 30 was 24.3 inches; in 1841 it was 21.2 inches; in 1842 it was 14.2 inches; in 1843 it was 17.5 inches; in 1844 it was 16.2 inches; in 1845 it was 16.6 inches; in 1846 it was 17.5 inches; and in 1847 it was 11.6 inches; so that the fall of rain this year exceeds that in 1841 by 2.7 inches, in 1842 by 9.7 inches, in 1843 by 6.4 inches, in 1844 by 7.7 inches, in 1845 by 7.3 inches, in 1846 by 6.4 inches, and in 1847 by 12.3 inches. The excess of the fall of rain this year over the average for the seven preceding years is 7.5 inches.

In the years 1824 and 1828 the depth of rain fallen to the end of September exceeded 23 inches; and in the years 1829 and 1839, the amount collected exceeded 20 inches. So large a fall as 24.3 inches within the first nine months of the year has probably not been exceeded within this century.

The temperature of the water of the Thames was 63°0 by day, and 62° by night. The water, on an average was 3°9 warmer than the air. The horizontal movement of the air was about 130 miles daily; during the period of time between July 19 and July 27, it amounted to 233 miles per day; from July 31 to August 6, its average daily value was 240 miles, and on August 21 it exceeded 300 miles.

The highest and lowest readings of the thermometer in air, at the height of four feet above the ground, and protected as much as possible from the effects of radiation and rain, were 85°3 and 32°8.

The average daily ranges of the readings of the thermometer in air, at the height of four feet, were 22°5 in July, 18°5 in August, and 20°9 in September. The average ranges for these months, from the obser

vations of the seven preceding years, were 17°2, 17°1, and 16°2 respectively.

In July, the readings of the thermometer on grass were 29°5 on one night, between 32° and 40° on 9 nights, between 40° and 50° on 12 nights, and above 50° on 9 nights. In August the lowest reading was 36°; and the readings were below 40° on 4 nights, between 40° and 50° on 18 nights, and above 50° on 9 nights. In September, the readings were below 32° on 9 nights, and the lowest was 23°; they were between 32° and 40° on 7 nights, between 40° and 50° on 9 nights, and above 50° on 4 nights.

The observer, at Uckfield, says,- "That there was a severe white frost on the morning of August 10, with ice on the brooks and low grounds."

The mean amount of cloud for July was 6.6, for August was 7.6, and for September was 5.6. The average values for the seven preceding years were 6.7, 6,3, and 6.0 respectively.

There were five exhibitions of the Aurora Borealis during the Quarter, which occurred on July 11, August 28, September 4, 8, and 18.

Thunder Storms at different parts of the country occurred on July 14, 26, August 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 22, 23, 31, and September 5; and lightning, unaccompanied by thunder, was seen on July 24, August 23, 24, 25, September 22 and 25. The storms of July 14 were observed at Greenwich, Latimer Rectory, Cardington, Saffron Walden, and Leicester. At Greenwich, thunder clouds were observed first in the W. and N. W., at 8h. 30m. P. M., and from this time till near midnight the thunder followed the lightning at intervals varying from 5. to 40"., and lightning was visible during the whole of the night. At Latimer the storm is described as awful, and of five hours' duration. On July 24 lightning was seen at Saffron Walden; on July 26 there was a thunder storm at Leicester; on August 1, thunder was heard at Greenwich during the afternoon; on August 3 and 4, at Saffron Walden; on August 5, there were thunder storms at Greenwich, Stone, Saffron Walden, Leicester, and Empingham-near the last-mentioned place a tree was struck by the lightning. On August 6 and 7 there were thunder storms at Leicester; on August 8, at Leicester and at Exeter; on August 9, at Greenwich, but no lightning was seen; on August 10 at Stone; on August 11 at Greenwich, between the hours of 6 P. M. and 8 P. M., the storm began in the E., and many of the flashes of lightning were vivid and preceded the thunder by two or three seconds only; on August 22 there were storms at Exeter, Hastings, Stone, Saffron Walden, Cardington, and at Leicester. At Greenwich, on August 23 and 24, between the hours of 8 P. M. and midnight, on both days, many flashes of lightning were seen. On August 31, at Greenwich and at Stone, there were thunder storms; at the former place the thunder followed the lightning at intervals varying from 1. to 12. On September 5, there were storms at Greenwich, Stone, and Leicester. On September 22 lightning was seen at Greenwich and at Stone, and again at Stone on the 25th.

Hail fell at Stone and Cardington on August 22, and at Empingham on August 5; the hailstones at Cardington were of very large dimen

sions.

Gales of Wind took place all over the country on August 20, 21,

and 22, but more particularly on the 21st; at many places trees were blown down and a great deal of injury was done; coasting vessels and fishing boats generally suffered very much.

Large and continuous falls of Rain.-In July, at Greenwich, rain fell to the depth of 0.3 inch on the 15th, 23d, and 31st. On the 14th, at Latimer Rectory, rain to the depth of half an inch fell in half an hour. In August, rain was falling more or less at every part of the country on every day. At Greenwich, the amount collected exceeded 0.3 inch on the 1st, 3d, 8th, 10th, and 21st; and the falls exceeded 0.7 inch on the 14th and 31st. On the 14th a large fall occurred at all places. In September, on the 24th at Thwaite, between 4. A. M. and 9h. A. M., rain fell to the depth of 2.12 inches, a greater fall within the same interval of time than has occurred at Thwaite within the preceding 40 years; and on this day at Leeds, the fall within nine hours was 2 inches. On the 28th, 29th, and 30th days, rain was falling almost continuously over all parts of the country. At Cardington the fall within 60 hours was 2.6 inches. At Leicester, the amount within 72 hours was 2.25 inches, and this was the amount which fell on these days at most places. This fall, extending over so large a portion of the country, is most unusual.

The approximate mean monthly values of the several subjects of research are shown in the subjoined tables; but, as they have not been corrected for diurnal variation corresponding to the time or times at which the observations have been made, the values generally are not in a state for comparison with each other. This remark does not apply to the approximate mean monthly temperatures of the air, because the same correction is applicable at all places.

The mean monthly temperatures of the places in Cornwall and Devonshire, in these three months, are about the same values as those of other places, but the extremes of daily and monthly temperatures are much less than elsewhere.

The reading of the barometer was low at the beginning of July, being 29.403 inches at 6. A. M. on the 1st; this reading increased to 29.740 by 6h. P. M. on the 2nd, decreased to 29.611 on the 3d, and increased quickly on the 4th, and reached 30 inches before midnight on this day. The reading ranged above 30 inches on the 5th, and decreased to 29.635 by midnight on the 9th. During the 10th, the value increased 0.539 inch, having passed the point 30 inches, at about 1h P. M. on this day. The reading continued above 30 inches till the 17th, the highest value was 30.344 on the 12th. From the 17th there was a gradual decrease to 29.146 on the 20th, at 3h. P. M.; at midnight on this day the reading was 29.467, and increased to 29.781 on the 24th; during the 25th the decrease was 0.3 inch; the reading at midnight was 29.480; it then gradually increased to 30 inches by the 29th. On the 30th the change was considerable, amounting to nearly half an inch during the day, and at the end of the month the reading was 29.313 inches and still decreasing. On August 1, at 6. A. M. the reading was 29.244 inches; after this time it turned to increase, and was 29.581 at midnight, and reached 29.817 on the 2nd day. On the 3d it decreased, and was 29.582 at midnight; during the 4th the changes were small; on the 5th the decrease was 0.190 inch, and the reading at midnight was 29.335 inches. During the 6th and 7th there