Meteorological Observations, 79 



the most oxidizing acids are the most electro-positive; in combination 

 with bases they appear to retain the same property, so that in the reac- 

 tion or mixture of saturated solutions of two neutral salts, the nitrate is 

 positive in relation to the sulphate, the sulphate to the phosphate, &c. 



9. When several acid, neutral, or alkaline solutions are placed 

 side by side so as to mix slowly, the electrical effects produced are 

 the sum of the individual effects which take place at each surface 

 of contact. 



10. Contrary toVolta's opinion, an electric circuit, or rather a closed 

 circuit, may be formed entirely with liquids in which a current of elec- 

 tricity circulates, and from which phsenomena of decomposition and 

 recomposition are produced, if there exist in this circuit corpuscles 

 which are conductors of electricity. Living organized bodies present 

 numerous examples of circuits of this kind, capable of giving rise to 

 electro- chemical effects which have not yet been studied. — Comptes 

 Rendus, April 24, 1854, p. 757. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS FOR MAY 1854. 



Chiswick. — May 1. Rain. 2. Rain: low white clouds. 3. Cloudy. 4. Very 

 fine. 5. Foggy : very fine. 6. Cloudy : uniformly overcast : slight frost at night. 

 7. Fine : rain. 8. Heavy rain. 9. Showery : thunder, with heavy showers. 10, 

 11. Cloudy. 12» Foggy : very fine : boisterous at night. 13. Fine. 14, 15. Very 

 fine. 16. White clouds : partially overcast : very clear : frosty. 17. Uniform 

 haze : clear, with very dry air : overcast. 18. Uniformly overcast : clear at night : 

 frosty. 19. Clear and fine. 20. Cloudless: very fine : clear. 21. Cloudy and 

 fine : rain. 22. Densely clouded : rain. 23. Rain : fine : very clear. 24. Heavy 

 showers : clear at night : frosty. 25. Fine : showers, partly hail : clear. 26. 

 Heavy clouds : very fine : heavy rain at night. 27. Heavy rain : hail-storm, with 

 thunder and lightning quarter to five p.m. : clear at night. 28. Fine : cloudy : 

 showery: heavy rain. 29. Rain. 30. Overcast: rain: cloudy. 31. Very fine 

 throughout. 



Mean temperature of the month 50°-07 



Mean temperature of May 1853 51 '27 



Mean temperature of May for the last twenty-eight years . 53 '85 



Average amount of rain in May 1*77 inch. 



Boston. — May 1. Cloudy : rain a.m. 2. Cloudy : rain a.m. and p.m. 3. Cloudy : 

 rain P.M. 4. Fine. 5. Cloudy: rain p.m. 6. Fine. 7. Cloudy: rain, with 

 thunder and lightning a.m. and p.m. 8. Cloudy. 9. Cloudy : rain, with thunder 

 and lightning a.m. and p.m. 10. Cloudy. 11. Cloudy: rain a.m. 12. Fine, 

 13. Cloudy. 14, 15. Fine. 16. Cloudy. 17. Fine. 18. Cloudy : rain a.m. 19, 

 20. Fine. 21. Cloudy. 22. Cloudy: rain a.m. 23. Rain a.m. and p.m. 24. 

 Cloudy : rain a.m. 25. Fine. 26. Cloudy : rain a.m. 27. Cloudy : rain a.m. 

 and P.M. 28. Fine. 29. Cloudy : rain a.m. 30. Cloudy : rain a.m. and p.m. 

 31. Cloudy. 



Sandwick Manse, Orkney. — May 1. Clear a.m. : drops p.m. 2. Clear, fine a.m. : 

 clear p.m. 3 — 5. Clear and fine a.m. and p.m. 6. Clear a.m. : rain p.m. 7. Clear 

 and fine a.m. and p.m. 8. Clear, fine a.m. : cloudy p.m. 9, 10. Bright a.m. : 

 showers P.M. 11. Bright a.m. : cloudy p.m. 12. Cloudy a.m. and p.m. 13. 

 Bright a.m. : showers p.m. 14. Cloudy a.m. : drizzle, showers p.m. 15. Clear 

 A.M. and P.M. 16. Drops a.m. : damp p.m. 17. Showers a.m. and p.m. 18. 

 Clear a.m. and p.m. 19. Cloudy a.m. and p.m. 20, 21. Showers a.m. : cloudy 

 p.m. 22. Cloudy a.m. : drops p.m. 23. Clear a.m. and p.m. 24. Bright a.m. : 

 clear p.m. 25. Cloudy a.m. : rain p.m. 26 — 30. Cloudy a.m. and p.m. 31. 

 Damp a.m. : drizzle p.m. 



Mean temperature of May for twenty-seven previous years . 47°*98 



Mean temperature of this month 48*39 



Mean temperature of May 1853 49 '07 



Average quantity of rain in May for thirteen previous years . 1 68 inch. 



