The Meteorology of Whitehaven. 



rose above the line of the curve. The phenomenon, at this stage, pre- 

 sented a very beautiful aspect, and a form of the aurora, which, I should 

 think, is rarely witnessed. The cyma like beams ren)ained visible more 

 than half an hour. 



A field of barley was cut on the 23d in this neighbourhood, and new 

 wheat was sold in Cockermouth market on the 2bth. We believe the 

 wheat and other crops amounted to a full average. 



^ejitcmber. — The temperature is 1°.305 under the mean, and 2°.506 un- 

 der the mean of the corresponding month in 1842. The first 14 days, 

 with one exception, were fair, and 12 of the last 15 days were wet. 



Between five and six o'clock on the evening of the 14th, no less than 

 six water-spouts were observed over the sea between west and north, 

 travelling northwards. The sea was violently agitated immediately 

 underneath, and appeared as if ascending these pipes or columns. The 

 whole of the water-spouts were seen within three-quarters of an hour. 



On the 5th, at noon, the temperature of the air on the summit of the 

 Skiddaw, was 41°, sky overcast, the sun shining out at intervals. The 

 temperature of a strong spring about two miles from the summit, was 

 also 41°. Air at foot of mountain at 3.30 p.m., 58°. 



October. — A very mild, but wet and stormy month. The temperature 

 is .766 above the mean, and 2°.959 above the corresponding month of 

 1842. 



On the 5th, snow from 2 to 6 in. deep on Sea Fell. 



Swallows remained till about the 12th. 



Noxhmher. — A mild but somewhat wet and stormy month. Tempera*- 

 ture, 1°.769 above the mean, and 2°.645 above the corresponding month in 

 1842. 



At Seathwaite in Borrowdale, the fall of rain amounted to 20.84 in., 

 of which 3.00 fell on the 25th, and 6.62 on the 26th, making 9.62 in. in 

 48 hours, being the greatest quantity of rain which has ever been mea- 

 sured in the same period in Great Britain. We had no frost from the 

 12th of April till the 23d of November. 



Early in this month several swallows were seen on the margin of Ram- 

 sey Bay, in pursuit of flies, and, according to the Liverpool Mercury, there 

 were two seen at Dartmouth as late as the 29th. 



December. — One of the stormiest and wettest Decembers on record. 

 No less than 21 storms or gales of wind occurred during this month. 

 The temperature is 1°.201 under the mean, and 6°.210 under the corres- 

 ponding month of 1842 ; yet the thermometer was below the freezing 

 point on six nights only. The unusual prevalence of high winds in- 

 creased the evaporation to a most unusual extent for the season. The 

 evaporation, which in Dec. 1843 and 1844; only amounted to .800, is 

 this year more than twice the quantity, or 1.875, and .115 more than in 

 the month of November. The force of the wind on the 1st and 5th, 

 amounted to upwards of 20 lbs. in the square foot, equal to a velocity of 

 67 miles per hour. 



At Seathwaite, the fall of rain amounted to 24.94 in., and at Langdale 

 Head to 2402 in. Such was the violence of the storm on the night of 

 the 28th in the Lake district, that a number of fish were found next day 

 on the margin of Bassenthwaite Lake, which had been thrown up by the 

 waves in the course of the night, by the violence of the storm, — a cir- 

 cumstance wholly without a parallel, except during the storm on the 

 night of the memorable 6th of January 1839. 



On the evening of the 3d, a beautiful auroral arch was observed at 

 Nottingham, Derby, Norwich, and many other places. On the same 

 afternoon, there was a violent storm of thunder and lightning in the 

 Lake districts, accompanied by torrents of hail. 



