Meteorological Observations. 79 



acted upon by nitric acid of the greatest density. M. Barreswil, 

 desirous of ascertaining whether this anomaly was due to the same 

 want of action of this acid on certain metals, kept a piece of marble 

 in concentrated nitric acid, and it was not visibly acted upon. It 

 was then removed from the acid, washed, dried and powdered, and 

 the powder was put into fresh concentrated acid ; it was strongly 

 acted upon, but not entirely dissolved. A little water was then 

 added to the acid, the reaction again took place, and after some time 

 ceased, but recommenced on the addition of more water. It may be 

 concluded from these facts that marble is attacked by concentrated 

 nitric acid with energy proportional to its surface, becoming covered 

 with a varnish of nitrate of lime insoluble in concentrated nitric 

 acid. This nitrate of lime concentrates the nitric acid in which it 

 is produced, and renders it strong. The experiment performed 

 in a direct mode was perfectly conclusive : dried nitrate of lime, put 

 into nitric acid of moderate strength, concentrated and rendered it 

 fuming. — Ibid. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS FOR MAY 1843. 

 Chiswick. — May 1. Cloudless : cold and dry. 2. Fine. 3. Very fine. 4. 

 Cloudy and fine : rain. 5. Rain : cloudy: constant and very heavy rain at night. 

 6. Heavy rain : clear and cold at night. 7. Clear and fine : showery : frosty at 

 night. 8. Hazy : heavy rain. 9. Drizzly: cloudy. 10. Slight haze : clear and 

 cold at night. 1 1 . Light haze : clear. 12, 13. Very fine. 1 4. Cloudy and fine : 

 heavy rain at night. 15, 16. Rain. 17. Heavy showers. 1 8. Densely overcast : 

 cold rain. 19. Rain: cloudy. 20. Cloudy: showery: heavy rain at night. 

 21. Fine : heavy rain : clear and cold at night. 22. Heavy showers. 23. Cloudy: 

 lightning with rain at night. 24. Heavy rain : clear. 25. Cloudy and fine. 

 26. Rain. 27, 28. Showery. 29. Hazy. 30. Light haze : very fine : showery. 

 31. Cloudy and mild. — Mean temperature of the month 3° below the average. 

 The quantity of rain was greater than that which has fallen in any month within 

 at least the last seventeen years. 



Boston. — May 1, 2. Fine. 3. Cloudy. 4. Fine. 5. Cloudy: rain early a.m. 

 6. Rain : rain a.m. and p.m. 7. Cloudy. 8. Cloudy : rain p.m. 9 — 11. Cloudy. 

 12. Fine. 13. Cloudy : rain p.m. 14. Fine. 15. Rain : rain p.m. 16. Cloudy : 

 rain early a.m. 17. Cloudy. 18, 19. Cloudy: rain early a.m. 20. Cloudy. 

 21. Cloudy: rain early a.m.: rain p.m. 22. Fine. 23. Cloudy: rain a.m. 

 24. Windy : rain a.m. 25. Fine : rain a.m. 26. Fine. 27. Fine : rain, with 

 thunder and lightning p.m. 28, 29. Fine. 30. Fine : halo round the sun 1 1 a.m. 

 31. Cloudy : rain early a.m. This has been the wettest May we have had since 

 1830. 



Sandwich Manse, Orkney. — May 1. Fine: fog. 2. Cloudy: fog. 3. Clear: 

 cloudy. 4. Rain : cloudy. 5. Cloudy : clear. 6. Clear : cloudy. 7. Rain : 

 cloudy. 8. Clear. 9. Clear : cloudy. 10,11. Clear : fine. 12—14. Cloudy. 

 15 — 17. Clear. 18. Cloudy : fine. 19. Cloudy: showers. 20. Bright : clear. 

 21. Bright: cloudy. 22 — 24. Bright: clear. 25. Rain. 26. Cloudy. 27. 

 Damp. 28. Cloudy : sleet-showers. 29. Snow-showers : sleet-showers. 30. 

 Bright: fine. 31. Clear: fine. 



Applegarth Manse, Dumfries-shire. — May 1 — 3. Fair and fine. 4. Fair till p.m. : 

 rain. 5. Heavy showers. 6. Fair and fine. 7. A shower. 8, 9. Fair. 10, 

 11. Fair : hoar-frost. 12. Fine : rain p.m. 13. Fine and mild. 14. Fine, but 

 cloudy. 15. Showers. 16. Cloudy and cold. 17. Cool : cloudy. 18. A 

 shower. 19. Cold. 20. Cold : fair. 21. Cold: wet. 22. Milder, but showery. 

 23. Mild : cloudy. 24. Cold and rainy. 25. Soft rain. 26. Mild : showers. 

 27. Mild : showery. 28. Cold and rainy. 29. Clear: heavy rain. 30. Soft: 

 growing : thunder. 31. Wet all day. 



