xl GENERAL SUMMARY OF SCIENTIFIC AND 



The relative direction of the movement of the upper and 

 lower strata of the atmosphere has been carefully studied in 

 Northern Europe by Hildebrandsson, who concludes that the 

 higher currents of air are always directed toward points to 

 the right hand of the lower currents, an expression which is 

 much more general than that adopted by Hildebrandsson 

 himself, but which will be found to be fully warranted if we 

 compare the works of Redfield (1837), Ferrel (1859), Abbe 

 (1871), and Ley (1872). 



Storms. Mr. W. C. Ley, well known by his valuable work 

 on the barometer and the winds, states that, having worked 

 for a considerable time at a comparison of the weather charts 

 of the United States and Europe, he is convinced that only 

 a small portion of the storms experienced on the American 

 side of the Atlantic can subsequently be distinctly traced in 

 Europe ; and of these the majority are felt severely, not in 

 Great Britain or France or Denmark, but in the extreme 

 north of Europe. Many of the most destructive European 

 storms occurred when the barometric pressure on the eastern 

 coast of America was tolerably high and steady. They ap- 

 peared to be developed on the Atlantic Ocean near the east- 

 ern limit of the area of high pressure. He does not believe 

 in the utility to Europe of a system of storm predictions sent 

 from North America, though it does not appear but what 

 others may be in possession of the knowledge which Mr. Ley 

 has not, and which would make such predictions invaluable 

 to France and England. 



The storms of the United States have continued to be es- 

 pecially studied by Professor Loomis, of Yale College, who 

 lias based his studies, as heretofore, on the daily maps of the 

 Army Signal-office. He finds that centres of low baromet- 

 ric pressure tend to move toward centres of high pressure 

 when the latter lie to the southward, but move from them 

 when they lie to the northeastward. He concludes that about 

 one tenth of our storms reach the European coasts. 



In reference to the display of storm signals, we note that 

 these are now shown from every important point along the 

 whole German coast. The French system of storm warnings 

 has experienced a new organization, dating from the 1st of 

 March. The British system reports a percentage of eighty- 

 four per cent, of verified storm warnings. 



