Meteorological Observations. 487 



made to act with as much certainty as any other, and at far less ex- 

 pense. This battery should be constructed with sand of such quality 

 as is used by the manufacturers of glass, that is, free from dirt of any 

 kind. The battery cup may be that of the ordinary kind, as used in 

 Grove's battery ; or if larger glass or porcelain jars can be obtained, 

 they would doubtless be better, affording an opportunity for the use 

 of larger plates of zinc and copper ; these should be placed about an 

 inch apart, and the sand packed tightly around them. The zinc 

 should be amalgamated, and the copper rubbed with a piece of emery- 

 paper before placing in the cup ; the sand should then be well moist- 

 ened with sulphuric acid, diluted in the usual proportion for battery 

 purposes. Intensity may of course be increased by increase of acid. 

 A battery of this kind would stand for some weeks, only requiring 

 the addition of a little acid each day, according as the strength of 

 that first put in became exhausted. A series of cups of this kind 

 could be carried on a train without the difficulties which would 

 arise from that of almost any other battery. — Journal of the Frank' 

 lin Institute, October 1856, p. 217. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS FOR OCT. 1856. 

 Chiswick. — October 1. Exceedingly fine. 2. Cloudy. 3. Cloudy and fine : rain. 

 4. Rain : cloudy : rain. 5. Rain : cloudy : fine : lightning at night. 6. Foggy : 

 rain : cloudy. 7. Hazy and drizzly : rain at night. 8. Heavy rain : densely over- 

 cast. 9. Overcast. 10. Hazy : fine. 11. Heavy rain : uniform haze : slight rain 

 at night. 12. Foggy : uniform haze. 13. Dense fog : very fine : cloudy. 14. 

 Foggy : overcast : fine. 15. Rain. 16. Overcast : showery. 17. Fine : overcast : 

 hazy. 18. Very fine. 19. Dense fog : very fine. 20. Foggy : very fine. 21. 

 Foggy : exceedingly fine. 22. Very dense fog : exceedingly fine. 23. Foggy : 

 very fine. 24. Fine. 25. Foggy : heavy clouds : fine. 26. Hoar-frost : hazy : 

 very fine. 27. Frosty : haze: fine. 28, 29. Very dense fog. 30. Hazy clouds : 

 overcast : fine. 31. Uniform haze : rain: cloudy. 



Mean temperature of the month 51°'28 



Mean temperature of Oct. 1855 50 '28 



Mean temperature of Oct. for the last thirty years 50 -00 



Average amount of rain in Oct 2-802 inclies. 



Boston.—Oct. 1, 2. Fine. 3. Fine : rain p.m. 4. Rain a.m. and p.m. 5. Cloudy. 

 6. Fine. 7,8. Rain a.m. and p.m. 9 — 12. Cloudy: rain a.m. and p.m. 13. 

 Cloudy. 14. Fine. 15. Fine: rain a.m. and p.m. 16. Cloudy: rain p.m. 17. 

 Fine. 18. Cloudy. 19. Fine. 20, 21. Cloudy. 22, 23. Foggy. 24. Fine. 

 25—28. Cloudy. 29. Foggy. 30,31. Cloudy: rain a.m. 



Sandwich Manse, Orkney. — Oct. 1. Bright, fine a.m.: cloudy, fine p.m. 2» 

 Bright, fine a.m. : drops p.m. 3. Hazy a.m. : drops p.m. 4. Hazy a.m. : drops, 

 show^ers p.m. 5. Showers a.m. : clear, aurora p.m. 6. Clear, fine, hoar-frost a.m. : 

 clear, aurora p.m. 7. Clear, fine, hoar-frost a.m. : cloudy p.m. 8. Bright a.m. : 

 cloudy p.m. 9. Cloudy, fine a.m. : clear p.m. 10. Cloudy, fine a.m. and p.m. 

 11. Bright, hazy a.m. : cloudy p.m. 12. Clear, fine a.m. and p.m. 13. Bright, 

 fine a.m. : cloudy p.m. 14. Damp a.m. : clear p.m. 15, Damp a.m. : cloudy p.m. 

 16. Showers a.m. : drizzle p.m. 17. Cloudy a.m. : rain, clear p.m. 18. Bright a.m. : 

 drizzle p.m. 19. Bright, fine a.m. : drizzle p.m. 20. Bright, fine a.m. : clear, 

 aurora P.M. 21. Fog a.m. : cloudy p.m. 22. Cloudy, fine a.m. : showers p.m. 

 23. Clear, fine a.m. : clear, aurora p.m. 24. Clear, frost, fine a.m. : clear, aurora 

 P.M. 25. Damp A.M. : rain P.M. 26. Drizzle a.m. : damp p.m. 27. Drizzle a.m. 

 and P.M. 28. Damp a.m. : cloudy p.m. 29. Hazy, fine a.m. : clear p.m. 30. 

 Cloudy, fine a.m. : cloudy p.m. 31. Cloudy, fine a.m. : clear, fine p.m. 

 Mean temperature of Oct. for previous twenty-nine years ... 47°"57 



Mean temperature of this month 48 -84 



Mean temperature of Oct. 1855 45*72 



Average quantity of rain in Oct, for previous sixteen years ... 5*09 inches. 



