Meteorological Observations for August 1828. 319 



General Observations. — To the 14th of this month the atmosphere con- 

 stantly wore a humid aspect, and more or less rain fell daily (accompanied 

 with high winds), which from its frequently interrupting the operations of 

 the harvest, excited much alarm among the agriculturists in this and the 

 adjoining counties for the fate of the outstanding part of their corn crops. 

 The remainder of the period being fine and dry, has certainly proved a 

 blessing to the country in general, and enabled the farmers to get in their 

 wheat and barley in tolerable condition ; and it is said from undoubted 

 authority that the crops will yield at least an average quantity, and in many 

 places much more. 



In several of the northern districts, it would appear, from their reports, 

 that the thunder-storms had been more frequent, and the rain more copious 

 than with us, which beat down and spoiled much of the corn ; but the 

 weather having changed favourably, they say that all will be well with 

 them, and that they shall have no necessity to advance the prices of their 

 corn. On the morning of the 5th instant, thunder-storms with heavy rain 

 were experienced both on Portsdown Hill and at Southampton : the storm 

 at Portsdown was seen from this place, and the thunder repeatedly heard, 

 yet only a few drops of rain fell here. On the 9th, 10th, and 11th, four 

 strata of clouds one above another frequently prevailed, with a hard gale 

 of wind from the S.W., which literally rooted up several trees in this town 

 and neighbourhood, and was much felt at Plymouth. It was succeeded on 

 the 13th and 14th by a gale equally as strong from the opposite quarter, 

 N.E., which blew back the dense black clouds that had been carried thither 

 by the S.W. gale. The latter day was remarkably cold, the mean tempe- 

 rature of the external air being only equal to that in the middle of May. 



The atmospheric and meteoric phenomena that have come within our 

 observations this month, are three parhelia, two solar halos, forty-four 

 meteors ; thunder on three different days ; lightning in the evening of the 

 10th; and twelve gales of wind, or days on which they have prevailed ; 

 namely, four from the North-east, seven from the South-west, and one from 

 the North-west. 



REMARKS. 



London. — August 1. Very fine. 2. Slight rain in morning; showery. 

 3. Rainy. 4, 5. Very fine. 6. Heavy rain with thunder in evening. 

 7. Cloudy with showers. 8. Very fine. 9. Stormy with showers. 10. Fine. 

 1 1. Cloudy, with rain at night. 1 2. Showery. 1 3. Heavy rain. 1 4. Rainy. 

 15. Fine. 16. Foggy morning: very fine. 17. Cloudy. 18 — 20. Very 

 fine. 21, 22. Showery. 23,24. Very fine. 25. Sultry and warm. 26. Foggy 

 morning : very fine. 27— 30. Very fine. 31. Cloudy. 



Boston. — August 1. Cloudy. 2. Rain. 3. Fine : rain, p.m. 4. Fine: 

 rain p.m., distant thunder p.m. 5. Fine : heavy rain p.m. 6. Cloudy: rain p.m. 

 7. Cloudy. 8. Fine: storm of wind: rain, thunder, and lightning, 5 p.m. 



9. Fine : stormy day, rain p.m. 10. Stormy. 11. Cloudy : storm of wind, 

 rain, hail, thunder and lightning, 4 p.m. 1 2. Stormy. 1 3. Fine. 14. Rain. 

 15. Cloudy. 16. Fine. 17. Cloudy: rain early in the morning and p.m. 

 18 — 20. Fine. 21. Fine: rain a.m. 22. Cloudy: rain a.m. and p.m. 23. Fine. 

 24, 25. Cloudy. 26. Misty. 27. Fine : 3 p.m. Therm. 74°. 28. Misty. 

 29. Fine. 30, 31. Cloudy. 



Penzance. — August 1. Rain. 2, 3. Showers. 4, 5. Fair. 6. Rain : fair. 

 7. Rain: clear. S.Clear: rain at night, stormy. 9. Cloudy: showers. 



10. Clear: showers. 11. Clear: heavy showers. 12, 13. Fair: showers. 

 14. Heavy rain: fair. 15. Showers. 16. Rain: misty. 17. Rain: fair. 

 18, 19. Clear. 20— 22. Fair. 23. Clear. 24. Fair. 25— 31. Clear. 



Meteor -o- 



