Meteorological Observations. 79 



clear blue sky, fully 15° high, and very slender, scarcely the diameter 

 of the sun. 



After the sun had set in a golden sky it became of a rosy hue, 

 brighter and broader at some places than others, as if the brightest 

 strata, or thin laminae of the horizontal clouds, reflected the sun- 

 beams most perfectly. It continued quite perpendicular, and about 

 half-past 9 o'clock, or 45 minutes after sunset, vanished gradually — 

 the last spot of it being 1 or 2 degrees above the horizon. About 

 an hour afterwards, when the moon rose, a pillar of light also ap- 

 peared over her, but fainter and shorter, and after 30 minutes when 

 she had risen a little above the horizon, a similar pillar appeared 

 below her, but they only extended about 3 or 4 diameters of the 

 moon on each side, having her diameter as a base, and tapering away 

 as they receded from her. This continued till 12 o'clock and pro- 

 bably much longer. 



I am told that the sun pillar was again very beautiful before sun- 

 rise next morning, about 3 o'clock. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS FOR MAY 1853. 



Chiswick. — May 1. Very fine. 2. Slight haze : fine : rain at night. 3. Constant 

 rain. 4. Hazy. 5. Very fine. 6. Cloudy. 7. Overcast : cold rain. 8. Cloudy : 

 overcast: clear. 9. Rain: boisterous. 10. Cloudy and boisterous. 11. Fine. 

 12. Fine: very clear. 13. Cloudy: rain. 14. Fine. 15. Fine: overcast. 16. 

 Very fine. 1 7. Dry haze : clear and fine. 18. Fine. 19. Very fine. 20. Clear : 

 slight frost at night. 21. Hazy : fine. 22. Clear and dry. 23. Clear: partially 

 overcast at night. 24. Cloudless : windy : slightly overcast. 25. Very fine. 26. 

 Very fine : clear at night. 27. Very fine : rather hazy : lightning at night : rain. 

 28, 29. Very fine. 30. Cloudy and fine. 31. Cloudy and cold. 



Mean temperature of the month 51°'41 



Mean temperature of May 1852 51'45 



Mean temperature of May for the last twenty-seven years . 53 -95 

 Average amount of rain in May l # 77inch. 



Boston.— May 1, 2. Fine. 3,4. Cloudy. 5. Fine. 6. Cloudy. 7. Cloudy: 

 rain and snow a.m. 8. Cloudy. 9. Rain : rain a.m. 10. Rain : rain and hail 

 a.m. and p.m. 11, 12. Fine. 13. Cloudy. 14, 15. Fine. 16. Cloudy. 17—28. 

 Fine. 29. Cloudy : rain p.m. 30, 31. Cloudy. 



Sandwich Manse, Orkney. — May 1. Bright a.m. : damp p.m. 2. Hazy a.m. : 

 fog p.m. 3. Clear a.m. : clear, aurora p.m. 4. Bright a.m. : fog p.m. 5. Damp 

 a.m. and p.m. 6. Cloudy, showers a.m. : sleet-showers, aurora p.m. 7. Snow- 

 showers a.m. : sleet-showers, aurora p.m. 8. snow-showers a.m. : sleet-showers 

 p.m. 9. Sleet-showers a.m. : snow-showers p.m. 10. Snow -showers a.m. : 

 clear p.m. 11. Bright a.m. : clear p.m. 12, 13. Clear a.m. : clear, fine p.m. 

 14 — 17. Clear a.m. and p.m. 18, 19. Clear, fine a.m. and p.m. 20. Clear a.m. 

 and p.m. 21. Bright, fine a.m. : clear, fine p.m. 22. Bright a.m. : clear, fine p.m. 

 23. Bright a.m. : sun pillar, clear, fine p.m. 24, 25. Bright, fine a.m. : clear, 

 fine p.m. 26. Cloudy a.m. and p.m. 27. Clear a.m. : clear, fine p.m. 28, 29. 

 Cloudy a.m. and p.m. 30. Bright a.m. : clear, fine p.m. 31. Bright, fine a.m. : 

 clear, fine p.m. 



Mean temperature of May for twenty-six previous years ... 47 0, 94 



Mean temperature of May 1852 .'..... 50 -49 



Mean temperature of this month 49 *07 



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



