during the years 1826 and 1827- 137 



as well as in our country, seems to decide almost universally 

 the fate of the day,) when it commenced raining heavily ; and 

 the sky was so closely clouded that hopes of fine weather were 

 generally given up. However, from some traces of cirro-cu- 

 muli in the S.W., to which point I hoped the wind might turn 

 from the south (for all here depends upon the wind,) I ventur- 

 ed to predict a very fine afternoon, though it was at the time 

 pouring in torrents. In about a quarter of an hour the rain 

 stopped, and the sun broke out with greater brilliancy than I 

 have seen for several days, which gave, I hoped, a promise of 

 future steady weather ; but though the sky appeared almost 

 completely cleared, yet in less than an hour it was again rain- 

 ing, and then three or four times alternately raining and fair, 

 but dull. In the evening it rained in torrents, till suddenly 

 about eight, I think, the stars thought fit to shine out, and all 

 was clear and serene. This is strange weather for the end of 

 February in. Italy, and yet it is what we have been accustom- 

 ed to for weeks past. 



March 2d. — This day's observations proved very remark- 

 ably the sensibility of the barometer to a change of wind in this 

 country. At 8 and 9 in the morning the wind rather from 

 the north but wavering ; barometer 30.274, stationary. At 1 J 

 M. the barometer down to 30.260 ; wind between W. and S., 

 with strong sirocco and fog coming on. At 11 m. wind the 

 same, and barometer farther down to 30.242. At 12, on look- 

 ing at the barometer, I was surprised to find it up to 30.284, 

 and suspected an error in the observation, but finding none, I 

 examined the wind vane, and discovered that it had shifted to 

 the north with a clearing sky. During the afternoon the wind 

 wavered, and the evening proved cloudy and mild ; barometer 

 sinking rapidly ; at midnight 30.174. 



March 27th. — After sunset, I observed in the neighbour, 

 hood of Naples a very brilliant example of zodiacal light, 

 stretching in the form of an inclined cone with curvilinear sides, 

 exactly to Aldebaran, about half or three-quarters of an hour 

 after the sun had sunk. About the beginning of the month I 

 observed a similar phenomenon at Home, when the apex 

 stretched to the Pleiades. 



June 23d. — Not far from Milan, a tremendous thunder 

 storm occurred at midnight, accompanied with the most bril- 



