B. TERRESTRIAL PHYSICS AND METEOROLOGY. 109 



ill its way, and is a model of thoroughness and discrimina- 

 tion. 



The data at his command consisted of twenty-five years' 

 careful meteorolosrical observations from one hundred and 

 seventy-eight stations. In reference to the agricultural prod- 

 ucts, the distinguished author makes use of exact statistics 

 derived from the custom-house records, which give minute 

 details, especially with regard to the sugar crop, of which 98 

 per cent, is exported from Barbadoes. With reference to the 

 table.of yearly rain-fall, Governor Rawson shows that the only 

 inference appears to be that there is no connection between 

 the periods of two or more successive wet and dry years ; that 

 wet and dry years do, however, alternate with much apparent 

 regularity in sets of three or four wet years and one or two 

 dry years; that, again, there has been no great difference 

 between the average rain-fall in the early and in the latter 

 portions of the period from 1843 to 1872. With reference 

 to the monthly rain-fall, he shows that the six months com- 

 mencing with December are the driest of the year, and the 

 other six months the wettest ; the average rain-fall during 

 the wet months being six and seven-tenths inches, the aver- 

 age of the dry months two and nine-tenths inches. The av- 

 erage rain-fall of any month varies but little from year to 

 year. The heaviest rain-fall that has occurred at any season 

 of the year bears a certain ratio to the average lightest rain- 

 fall of the same season of the yeai', which ratio varies but 

 little from seventy-five per cent. 



One of the objects of the report of Governor Rawson is to 

 assist those who are interested in calculating the probable 

 character of coming seasons. He gives tables and formula? 

 for predicting the probable amount of rain that will fall dur- 

 ing any month of any year, basing the calculation upon the 

 average results of the past twenty-five years, the study of 

 which latter shows him that these predicted rain-falls may be 

 expected to be correct in about six cases out of seven. He 

 again shows, with reference to the influence of the moon upon 

 the weather, that the largest number of heavy rains have 

 fallen on the fourth, seventeenth, and twenty-seventh days 

 of the moon's age ; but the average rain-fall was small on 

 these days, so that in general the influence of the moon is 

 very slightly, if at all, perceptible. One of his most interest- 



