476 British Association for the Advancement of Science. 



his anemometer and rain-gauge, before they proceeded to make obser- 

 vations on the communication of Mr. Whewell: accordingly,— 



Mr. Osier, of Birmingham, read an account of a new Registering 

 Anemometer and Rain Gauge, now in use at the Philosophical Insti- 

 tution, at Birmingham, illustrated by diagrams, giving a condensed 

 view of the observations recorded during the first eight months of the 

 year 1837. 



He observed that although the results obtained by this instrument 

 are essentially different from those produced by the anemometer ex- 

 hibited last year at Bristol, by Professor Whewell, he should have 

 hesitated to introduce the one now submitted to the Section, had he 

 not been kindly encouraged so to do by that gentleman himself. In 

 this instrument the direction of the wind is obtained by means of the 

 vane attached to the rod, or rather tube that carries it, and conse- 

 quently causes the latter to move with itself. At the lower extremity 

 of this tube is a small pinion working in a rack, which slides back- 

 wards and forwards as the wind moves the vane, and to this rack a 

 pencil is attached, which marks the direction of the wind on a paper 

 ruled with the cardinal points, and so adjusted as to progress at the 

 rate of one inch per hour by means of a clock. The force is at the 

 same time ascertained by a plate one foot square, placed at right 

 angles to the vane, supported by two light bars running on friction 

 rollers, and communicating with a spiral spring in such a way that 

 the plate cannot be affected by the wind's pressure, without constantly 

 acting on this spring, and communicating the quantum of its action 

 by a light wire, passing down the centre of the tube to another pencil 

 below which thus registers its degree of force. The rain is registered 

 at the same time by its weight acting on a balance, which moves in 

 proportion to the quantity falling, and has also a pencil attached to 

 it recording the result. The receiver is so arranged as to discharge 

 every quater of an inch that falls, when the pencil again stands at 

 zero. 



Mr. Whewell spoke highly of the construction of this anemometer, 

 and he had no doubt but that a very slight modification of the mode 

 of registering its indications would cause it to answer every purpose 

 which he had lately described as desirable. In its present form, 

 however, it was the force of the aerial current which it indicated, not 

 the integral effect. He also highly commended the rain-gauge, and 

 the method of showing to the eye in one diagram so many important 

 ^meteorological phaenomena. — Professor Lloyd stated, that there was 

 a very simple method of causing the anemometer of Mr. Osier to 

 give the integral effect of the wind, and that was to cut out the paper 

 covered by the tracings of the pencil indicating the force of the wind, 

 and to weigh it ; for it was easy to perceive, that since the ordinates 

 of the curved spaces covered by those tracings were proportional to 

 the force, and, therefore, the velocity of the wind, and the abscissae 

 to the time, the areas represented the integrals, or the total amount 

 of the aerial current.. — Mr. Ettrick asked, whether some other method 

 of supporting the cylinder which moved back and forward as the 

 force of the wind varied, rather than friction rollers, would not be 



