Meteorological Observations for January 1828. 239 



midnight vivid lightning appeared in the W.S.W. horizon, preceded by 

 two winds crossing each other, the upper one from that point, and the 

 lower one from the South-east. Several black thunder-clouds also ap- 

 peared at the same time at a great distance to the westward, which, with 

 a rapid fall of the quicksilver in the barometer, indicated an approaching 

 storm. The thunder-storm and hurricane are said to have come on at 

 Plymouth soon after midnight, and to have lasted three hours with in- 

 creasing violence, so that not only the ships and vessels at that port re- 

 ceived considerable damage, but those in the Atlantic Ocean, over which 

 the hurricane came, as since ascertained. At 4 o'clock the following 

 morning a very heavy gale from the S.W. was felt here, accompanied with 

 heavy rain, vivid lightning, and long peals of thunder, from half-past five 

 till half-past six : and in three hours afterward the storm was very awful 

 at Dover, and severely felt in the Straits ; so that it was more or less vio- 

 lent along the whole southern coast. It is remarkable that the morning 

 tide here, and at Plymouth, on this occasion, was very nearly as high as 

 any of the following spring tides, notwithstanding it was a neap tide. 



The mean temperature of the external air this month is unprecedentedly 

 high; indeed the mean of March in several preceding years was much 

 lower, and it certainly felt more like a spring than a winter month, which 

 has been verified in some measure by the unusual appearance of spring 

 flowers. This may be justly attributed to three co-operating circumstances, 

 viz. the prevalence of warm winds, as may be seen by the above scale ; the 

 wet state of the ground, and the consequent humidity of the contiguous 

 air; and the uncommonly high temperature of the ground, from there 

 having been but little frost this winter to diminish its heat. The maximum 

 temperature of the air has occurred four times by night instead of in the 

 day. 



The atmospheric and meteoric phenomena that have come within our 

 observations this month, are two parhelia, one lunar halo, two 'meteors, 

 and eleven gales of wind, or davs on which they have prevailed ; namely, 

 one from the North, five from the North-east, two from the South-east, 

 and three from South-west. 



REMARKS. 



London.— Jan. 1. Fair. 2. Foggy. 3. Fair. 4. Rain. 5. Snow. 

 6— 9. Cloudy. lO.Fine. 11. Snow. 12. Fog. 13— 15. Cloudy. 16. Snow. 



17, l8.Rain. 19— 21. Fine. 22. Cloudy. 23.Fine. 24. Cloudy. 25.Rain. 

 27. Fine. 28. Foggy, 29. Rain. 30, ,31. Fine. 



Penzance. — Jan. 1. Heavy rain : fair. 2. Fair. 3. Rain : hail-showers. 

 4. Hail-showers. 5. Fair : rain. 6. Clear. 7. Rain : blowing strong. 8. Fair. 

 9. Fair: rain. 10. Rain. 11. Clear. 12. Cloudy: rain: stormy at night. 

 13. Rain. 14. Cloudy : rain. 15. Rain. 16. Clear: rain. 17. Rain. 



18. Rain : clear. 19. Fair. 20, 21, Clear. 22. Cloudy : clear. 23. Clear : 

 misty. 24. Rain. 25. Rain : clear. 26. Clear : 27,28. Fair. 29, 30. Clear. 

 31. Rain. — Rain-gauge ground level. 



Boston. — Jan. 1. Rain. 2. Fine: rain p.m. 3. Fine. 4. Fine: rain p.Ar. 

 5 — 8. Cloudy. 9. Cloudy: snow p.m. 10. Fine. 11. Snow. 12. Fine: 

 rain early a.m. 13. Rain. 14. Cloudy: rain p.m. 15, 16. Cloudy. 

 17. Rain and stormy. 18. Rain. 19 — 23. Fine. 24. Cloudy : rain a.m. 

 25— 28. Fine. 29. Cloudy. 30. Fine. 31. Cloudy. 



Owing to the Discontinuance of Mr. Howard's Observations, our Meteoro- 

 logical Table has some deficiencies, which we hope to supply in our next. 



Meteor o- 



