c.'ature, 



510 ON METEOROLOGICAL NOMENCLATURE* 



XI. 



On Meteorological Nomenclature , in answer to LuKS 

 Howard, Esq* By J. Bostock, M. D. 



To Mr. NICHOLSON. 



SIR, Liverpool, July 11, 1810. 



On meteorob- A R ea( * with some concern, in your last number, the critique 

 pical nomen- of Mr. Luke Howard on my meteorological observations. 

 I was concerned to find, that my attempts to illustrate a 

 pare of science, upon which he has bestowed so much at- 

 tention, should not have met with a more favourable re- 

 ception from him; and I was still more concerned to per* 

 ceive, that he was offended at me, for rejecting the nomen- 

 clature which he proposed, to express the different modifica- 

 tions of the clouds. I briefly explained my motives for so 

 doing, and surely not in a way to have called for any harsh 

 censure; but I shall now state more fully what I have done 

 on the subject, in order that Mr. Howard may judge whe- 

 ther I was influenced by the desire of advancing my repu- 

 tation at the expense of his, or even by the affectation of 

 singularity. 



1 had long been in the habit of making accurate observa- 

 tions on meteorological phenomena, when Mr. Howard pub- 

 lished his essay; and the first impression which it made up- 

 on me was a very favourable one, many of the terms ap- 

 pearing to be both characteristic and judicious. I regretted 

 indeed, that they appeared to be connected with a peculiar 

 hypothesis, to which I could not altogether assent; yet I 

 determined to employ them in my own diary, and I made 

 the experiment with both the desire, and the expectation of 

 finding them materially useful to me. After giving them, 

 however, a fair trial, I found them quite inadequate to ex- 

 press the different atmospherical appearances, which I 

 thought of sufficient importance to^be recorded, and, after 

 some time, discontinued their use. Whether the defect in 

 this case was imputable to the nomenclature itself, or to my 



unskilfulne**, 



