372 Mr. J. Glaisher's Remarks on the Weather 



Berwick, which is sheltered on all sides, with the exception 

 of that open to the E., a strong breeze is recorded. At Dur- 

 ham and at Darlington a hard wind was recorded ; but both 

 these places, though at a considerable elevation above the sea, 

 are protected from the N. W., at a distance, by the main ridge 

 of mountains extending down the countr}'. At Hartlepool, a 

 place situated on the sea-coast, there is no mention of wind 

 stronger than ordinary. At York there was a gale ; at Whitby 

 a strong breeze, which probably is protected by the mountains 

 on the N. W. of it. Thus it will be seen, that, whilst a furious 

 and destructive gale was raging on the western side of the 

 mountains, those places on the opposite side were experiencing 

 weather of a much more moderate character; plainly showin<>- 

 that the land is of sufficient elevation not only to influence the 

 direction of the wind, but in a great measure to obstruct a 

 storm in its progress. 



A more cursory examination of the midland and southern 

 counties will be sufficient, the hills being of sufficient elevation 

 rarely to obstruct the wind in its course during the passage 

 of a storm. From all those places situated near the Bristol 

 Channel, except Exeter, including Weymouth and Guernsey, 

 a N.W. gale is mentioned. At Exeter a strong breeze only 

 was experienced, attributable probably to the vicinity of the 

 Devonshire hills rising N.W. of it. The same was described 

 at Swindon, a place situated between the range of high hills 

 in Wiltshire and Berkshire and those in Gloucestershire. In 

 the south-eastern counties the gale was general, but it was 

 uniformly from the W. It is possible that this direction over 

 a portion of the country during a N.W. gale may be owing 

 partly to the high land in Wales, and partly to the different 

 velocities with which the air seems to have passed down the 

 country on the different sides of the northern mountains. At 

 the time the observations were taken, the heaviest part of the 

 gale had passed. It had attained its height all over the country 

 between the hours of 3 and 6 a.m. The decrease in the reading 

 of the barometer was great. At Chester the lowest reading 

 occurred at 3^ 45"^ a.m., and was ^8'68, as observed by the 

 Rev. A. Rigg. At Durham the lowest reading was 27*9, as 

 observed by R. E. Carrington, Esq., being the lowest since 

 Dec. 12, 1847. On Feb. 8 the direction of the wind was 

 S.W. principally, but it was much deflected by the higli land. 

 Rain was falling at most places north of Holyhead. On Feb. 9 

 a strong S.W. wind was blowing at most places south of 

 latitude 53°; between 53° and 55° the direction was S.; and N. 

 of 55° it was W. A storm and heavy gale was blowing at 

 places north of 53° 30'; and heavy rain was falling at many 



