294 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



Meteorological Office at 6 p.m., on the 3rd December: — "The 

 weather over the United Kingdom to-day may be divided into two 

 distinct portions — namely, fine, quiet, and very cold weather pre- 

 vailing over all the northern, eastern, and central districts, with 

 light variable breezes and local fogs ; and, on the other hand, the 

 less cold weather of our south-west coasts, where the wind has 

 been strong from the eastward, blowing even a gale at the mouth 

 of the Channel, and the weather less foggy, though more cloudy, than 

 in the east. The conditions first named have prevailed in the area 

 of relatively high pressure lying between some slight depression — 

 systems which were found over the North Sea this morning — and a 

 much larger depression which has been advancing in an easterly 

 direction over the Bay of Biscay. To-day it is this latter depression 

 which is likely to produce the most decided effects on our weather, 

 for as it moves eastwards the easterly wind seems likely to increase 

 in force over our southern and eastern districts, accompanied by 

 showers of snow and soft hail ; while in Scotland the weather will 

 be fair and very cold. There are at present no signs of any per- 

 manent change from the cold weather." 



By the 6th December, 15 inches of snow had fallen in the 

 Jedburgh district, and Dr. F. Douglas, of Woodside, Kelso, 

 registered 11° below zero, and 13° below zero, with two different 

 thermometers by Adie and Lennie, Edinburgh. Somewhat nearer 

 the river, - 14° was registered, and at Springwood Park, close to the 

 river, - 16° was registered, while at Ormiston, four miles from Kelso 

 and close to the river, no less than - 18° was registered. The 

 following record was kept carefully by Mr. Boyd of Ormiston's 

 gardener, who was up all night attending to a valuable orchid 

 house : — 



3rd December, at 7 p m., minus 10°. 



„ „ 10 p.m., „ 12°. 



„ Midnight, „ 14°. 



4th December, at 3 a.m., ,, 16 c . 



, , , , o a. m . , , , io . 



Weather very calm and clear: wind, if any, S.W. ; baroni. 29° '80. 

 T am indebted to Dr. F. Douglas for the above data. 



The Tay and Tweed and tributaries are frozen over to a con- 

 siderable thickness. Gartmorn Dam and other ponds near Alloa 

 are frozen over. Frost and snow general over Scotland. The 



