The Fossil Skeleton found at Maidstone. 99 



wind constantly shifting between the s.w. and n.w., with frost 

 during the nights, and rain during the days. On Dec. 17., 

 when the above meteor appeared, the wind veered completely 

 round the compass in twenty hours, from s.w., by the n., to 

 s.w. again. On the 18th, the wind was due n., with frost at 

 night, and an aurora borealis. From this period the wind 

 shifted to s.w., and the weather was mild, till Dec. 23., when 

 a hard frost set in : wind n.w., till Dec. 29. The wind 

 again veered to s.w., with rain, which continued on the 30th 

 and 31st. The year closed with a very mild night. 



I have been thus particular in a detailed account of the 

 weather during the latter part of December, 1830, because I 

 have generally found variable and stormy weather to succeed 

 aurora?, particularly if they were accompanied with many 

 meteoric appearances. During the period of my observations 

 on atmospheric and meteoric phenomena, I have invariably 

 found that a gale of wind, generally from the s. or s.w., has 

 followed aurora within thirty hours, or, at most, thirty-six 

 hours ; but differing in degree according to the splendour and 

 magnitude of the aurora and meteoric appearances ; and 

 therefore I think the following observations will hold good ; 

 viz., the more splendid and active an aurora is, the more 

 violent, and, consequently, in the shorter period, is the gale 

 that succeeds, and the shorter its duration ; and, on the con- 

 trary, the more languid and dull the aurora appears, the 

 longer the gale is in approaching, the less its violence, and 

 also the longer its continuance. I should feel obliged by the 

 observations of other gentlemen on this interesting subject; 

 because, if the fact be universally true, particularly in higher 

 latitudes, of what importance would it be to our navigators, 

 especially in the Northern Ocean, to pay particular attention to 

 these interesting phenomena, as they might be enabled to 

 prepare against the storm which these appearances may be 

 said to predict. 



Old Kent Road, Dec. 10. 1834. 



Art. XI. On the Maidstone Fossil Skeleton, in the Museum of 

 Gideon Mantell, LL.D. F.R.S., Brighton. By R. B. 



Many of your readers may recollect seeing an account in 

 the Kent and other newspapers, of a part of an immense 

 skeleton having been found in a stone quarry near Maidstone, 

 in the month of May last. This skeleton has, by the libe- 

 rality of several scientific gentlemen in Brighton, been pur- 

 chased, and placed in the museum of Dr. Mantell, now 



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