40 Dr Heineken on the Mean Temperature of Funchal. 



Art. V. — Observations on the Mean Annual Temperature 

 of Funchal in Madeira. By C. Heineken, M. D. Com- 

 municated by the Author. 



A HE following are all the annual means of the temperature of 

 Funchal vfhich I have been able to meet with. 



Kirwan, 68.9 

 Cavendish, (as quoted by Humboldt in the Persmial 



Narrative^) 68.9 

 Brewster's Formula, 68.7 

 Humboldt ( Treatise on Isothermal Lines,) 68.5 

 Heberden, corrected by Schouw, (as quoted by Hum- 

 boldt in Risso's Histori/ of Nice, &c. in 1826,) 67-3 

 Gourlay, (as quoted by Bowdich, in Excursions in 



Madeira, ^c.) QQ.^ 



Bowdich, (as implied in Excursions in Madeira, SfC.) QQ. 



My own for 1824, 68.2 



1825, 68.6 



1826, 64.3 



1827, Q5.Q 



1828, Q5.Q 



The two first of these, (Kirwan's and Cavendish's,) are, I 

 suspect, (but I have not here the means of ascertaining it,) 

 derived from the same source, and they have either quoted one 

 another, or have been misquoted, as it regards names, by others. 

 Humboldt, in the Memoires d'Arceuil, (Bowdich says) has found 

 Kirwan s mean of the equator 3° too high, — it is therefore, 

 I think, very probable, that his estimate for Funchal may be 

 in the same predicament, Humboldt himself appears to prefer 

 Heherden''s mean, (which is 1.2 lower) to his own; for he gave 

 it in 1826 to Kisso, as " the mean " of Funchal. Gourlay's 

 and BowdicKs it would be much more convenient to me to pre- 

 fer to all the rest, for, excepting my own, they are the lowest 

 upon the list, — unfortunately, however, they are, I am afraid, 

 the lowest also in authority, for the observations published by 

 Gourlay were not made in Funchal, (as it is implied,) but at 

 a height of from 200 to 300 feet above it. No one knows any 

 thing of the instruments, their situations, or the hours of ob- 



