CONTRIBUTIONS TO METEOROLOGY. 21 



A.U exauiination of these curves shows that at all of these stations the fluctuations of the 

 barometer were very small, particularly for the stations nearest to the equator. At Paramaribo, 

 latitude 5° 45' N., the entire range of the barometer for tiiese twelve months was only 0.20 inch, and 

 there was no oscilliation which can be identified witii an oscillation at either of the other stations. 

 At Bridgetown, latitude 13° i' N., the entire range of the barometer for these twelve months was 

 0.23 inch. Two or three of the barometric oscillations at this station can probably be identified 

 with oscillations at some of the other stations. The track of storm No. 9 can apparently be traced 

 back to Bridgetown on the 10th of August, 1878. At Fort de France, latitude 14° 40' N., the entire 

 range of the barometer for these twelve months was 0.42 inch, and six or seven of the barometric 

 oscillations at this station can probably be identified with oscillations at some of the other stations. 



Besides the areas of low barometer enumerated in Table IV there are but few others during 

 this period which can be traced with confidence from one station to another. In 1876 the number 

 of stations of observation in the tropical regions was small, and the storm of Septendier 15-18 is 

 the only one which can be satisfactorily traced from these observations. 



In 1877 the center of storm No. 8 passed at a considerable distance from all of the reporting 

 stations, and is only obscurely indicated by the i)ublished observations. On the 26th of August a 

 small but well-marked barometric depression occurred almost simultaneously at all of the stations 

 from Fort de France to Havana. On the 17th and 18th of October there was a noticeable fall of 

 the barometer, which apparently advanced from San Juan de Porto Rico to Havana. 



- In 1878, from September 15 to 16, a small barometric depression traveled from Bridgetown 

 to Santiago de Cuba. From the 2d to the 3d of October a small barometric depression traveled 

 from Fort de France to Nassau. On the 21st of October there was a decided barometric depression 

 at Vera Cruz and Havana, which advanced northerly along the coast of the United States, and was 

 marked by great violence. 



In 1879, from the Itith to the 18th of August, a small barometric depression traveled from 

 Bridgetown to San Juan de Porto Rico. This was, perhaps, a continuation of No. 18 of Table IV, . 

 &nd, if so, it shows that this storm veered a little to the north of west, like most of the storms of 

 this region. On the 28th of August a small barometric depression appeared almost simultaneously 

 at all the stations from Navassa to Tlacotalpam, on the coast of Mexico. This depression appar- 

 ently advanced northward, but tlie published observations are not suificient to enable us to trace 

 its cour.se satisfactorily. 



This examination has disclosed a few barometric depressions, in addition to those enumerated 

 in Table IV, but their courses wei-e generally towards the north of west. We therefore seem 

 authorized to conclude that nearly all the areas of low barometer which occur within the tropics, 

 and advance westward in the neighborhood of the West India Islands, instead of following the 

 ordinary (;ourse of the trade-winds advance in a direction somewhat north of west. 



33. 1 have endeavored to ascertain what was the prevalent direction of the wind which pre- 

 ceded each of these tropical storms, and also the prevalent wind which succeeded the low center, 

 and how these two winds generally com])ared in respect of force. It is impossible to make a 

 satisfactory com])arison from the obser\ations in the International Bulletin, on account of the small 

 number of stations, and because the observations arc reported only once a day. The following 

 tables show the height of the barometer, together with the direction and force of the wind, in the 

 case of four of the low areas enumerated in Table IV, for the stations nearest the center of low 

 pressure. The velocity of the wind in miles per hour is shown by the numbers without parentheses; 

 the numbers in parentheses show the force of the wind estimated on a scale from 1 to 10: 



No. 9.— 1878, Aiigust 10-15. 



August 10. Angust 11. August 12. August 13. August 14. August 15. 



San Jnan ' 30.04 SE. 2.. 29. 98 E. 12...! 30.03SE. 4. J 30.02SE. 8. ...I 30.03 SE.O .... 30.0oSE.2. 



Na\'as!'a 29.98SE. 12. 29. 99 NE. 10 . 29. 89 N. 19 . . 29. 92 SE. 29.. . 29. 91 E. 17 .. .. 29. 97 E. 17. 



Kingston 30.1ncalm.. 30. 17 calm . . . 30.06calm.. 30. 09 SE. 10.. . 30. 09 SE. 20 . . . 30. 12 calm. 



Nassau , 30.04SE.(1). 30.02 NE.(2). 30.03 NE. (2). 29.96 SE. (1) .. 25). 97 SE. (2) . . 30. 05 SE. (2). 



Havana 30.00 E.2... 30.02 ESE.4. 29.99 ESE 3. 29. 90 ENE. 4.. 29. 81 E.9 29. 90 SE. 16. 



