Meteorological Observations. 495 



ON A NEW MODE OF FORMING AMMONIA. BY M. REIZET. 



The researches of M. Kuhlmann have shown that under the in- 

 fluence of spongy platina, nitric oxide mixed with excess of hydrogen 

 produced ammonia. On repeating the experiments of M. Kuhlmann, 

 M. Reizet substituted several metallic oxides for spongy platina. 

 The results which he obtained are very interesting, and throw great 

 light on the obscure cause of catalytic action *. M. Reizet states, that 

 with an apparatus, consisting of two bottles, each of the capacity of 

 about 60 cubic inches, for evolving hydrogen gas and nitric oxide, 

 and 1 45 grains of sesquioxide of iron, heated in one end of an ana- 

 lysis tube, he obtained sufficient ammonia to completely saturate 

 360 grains of commercial hydrochloric acid. — Ibid. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS FOR OCTOBER 1842. 



Chiswick. — October 1. Clear and fine. 2. Foggy : fine. 3. Foggy : overcast. 

 4. Very fine. 5. Cloudless and very fine. 6—8. Cloudy and fine. 9. Light 

 haze: cloudy. 10. Overcast. 11. Foggy: clear and very fine. 12. Cloudy. 

 13. Overcast. 14. Hazy. 15. Overcast. 16. Light haze : very fine. 17. Hazy: 

 overcast and fine. 18. Very fine: heavy rain at night. 19. Fine. 20. Clear 

 and frosty : fine : frosty at night. 21. Sharp frost : fine : frosty. 22. Densely 

 overcast : heavy rain. 23. Rain : heavy showers. 24. Boisterous : clear and 

 fine at night. 25. Rain : stormy at night. 26. Very clear. 27, 28. Cloudy and 

 fine. 29. Frosty : cloudy and fine : clear and frosty at night. 30. Frosty : clear 

 and fine. 31. Overcast : clear at night. — Mean temperature of the month 5° # 94 

 below the average. 



Boston. — Oct. 1. Cloudy: rain early a.m. 2. Cloudy. 3. Cloudy : rain a.m. 

 4. Cloudy. 5—8. Fine. 9, 10. Cloudy. 11. Fine. 12, 13. Cloudy. 14. 

 Fine. 15—17. Cloudy. 18. Cloudy: rain p.m. 19. Stormy. 20,21. Fine. 

 22. Stormy : rain a.m. 23. Cloudy. 24. Windy : rain a.m. 25. Cloudy : rain 

 p.m. 26—31. Fine. 



Sandwich Manse, Orkney. — Oct. 1 /Showers : cloudy. 2. Showers. 3. Cloudy. 

 4. Showers. 5. Clear : cloudy. 6. Showers : rain. 7. Damp : cloudy. 8— 

 13. Cloudy. 14,15. Drizzle: cloudy. 16. Cloudy. 17. Cloudy: showers. 

 18. Rain : sleet. 19. Hail-showers : sleet. 20. Snow: hail. 21. Sleet-showers: 

 cloudy. 22. Rain. 23. Showers. 24. Snow : aurora. 25. Rain : aurora. 

 26. Rain : showers. 27 — 29. Showers. 30, 31. Damp. 



Applegarth Manse, Dumfries-shire. — Oct. 1 — 3. Fair and fine. 4. Frost: 

 fair and clear. 5 — 8. Fair and fine. 9, 10. Fair and fine, but cloudy. 11. Fair 

 and fine : clear. 12. Fair and fine. 13. Fair and fine: frost a.m. 14. Fair 

 and fine, but cloudy. 15. Fair and fine. 16. Fair and fine : cloudy. 17. 

 Cloudy, but fair. 18. Shower. 19. Shower of snow. 20,21. Fair and clear. 

 22, 23. Heavy showers all day. 24. Fair and clear. 25. Heavy fall of snow. 

 26. Snow a.m. : melting p.m. 27. Fair and clear. 28. Fair and clear : snow 

 gone. 29,30. Fair and clear : frost. 31. Fair and clear : no frost. 



Sun shone out 28 days. Rain fell 4 days. Frost 4 days. Snow 3 days. 



Wind North 3 days. North-east 1 day. East-south-east 1 day. South-east 

 2 days. South-south-east 1 day. South 1 day. South-west 4 days. West- 

 south-west 4 days. West 3 days. West-north-west 6 days. North-west 3 days. 

 North-north-west 2 days. 



Calm 12 days. Moderate 5 days. Brisk 9 days. Strong breeze 4 days. 

 Boisterous 1 day. 



Mean temperature of the month 44°*45 



Mean temperature of October 1841 45 '75 



Mean temperature of spring-water 49 -60 



* On this subject see Professor Grove's paper in the present Number. 



