386 Mr Kamtz's Meteorological Observations. 



summit is about 1350 toises above the level of the sea, or ra- 

 ther more than 70 toises higher than the Hospice of the 

 Great St Bernard. The fine weather was particularly favour- 

 able for the residence of Mr Kamtz on this beautiful station, and 

 allowed him to prolong his stay to the 6th of October, which af- 

 forded him twenty-five entire days for observations, during which 

 period corresponding observations were made at Zurich, Bern, 

 and Geneva. He addressed a letter to the celebrated Gautier 

 of Geneva, dated, Unterseen, 9th October, from which the fol- 

 lowing extract appeared in the Bibliotheque Universelle, for 

 September 1832. 



' Although,' say Mr Kamtz, ' I have not rigorously calcula- 

 ted my observations, it appears that many instruments have a 

 . different marclie upon the Faulhorn from what is observed in 

 the plains/ The barometer appears to have a single minimum 

 at 6 A. M., and a single maximum at 6 p. m. ; the daily oscilla- 

 tions of the thermometer are smaller than in the plains during 

 clear days, and the maximum of temperature appears to occur 

 shortly after the culmination of the sun. The dryness was so 

 great that Daniel's instrument could not be used for several days ; 

 on a mean, the moment of greatest dryness during the day was 

 some time after sunrise, that of greatest humidity appeared to 

 be three and four o'clock in the evening. The action of the 

 direct solar rays has been enormous. I have several times suffer- 

 ed much from the heat of the air, when exposed to the full ac- 

 tion of the sun, while the temperature of the thermometer in the 

 shade was under zero. The transparency of the air was so 

 great, that I frequently saw Jupiter before sunset ; the polar and 

 some other stars near the zenith were visible, at a mean, ten 

 minutes after sunset. The progress of twilight, as to duration, 

 was very different from what is observed in the plains, and I 

 liave endeavoured to determine it, by means of a sextant of re- 

 flection. The firmament, after sunset, exhibited a slight red 

 tint only once when thin clouds were present ; in general it and 

 the yellow colour of gold. But what is worthy of notice, 

 neither the sun nor the moon, at rising or setting, exhibited the 

 great apparent diameter which we observe in the plains. 



You know that the apparent figure of the sky is not a sphere, 

 in the centre of which we are. Smith has discussed this topic 



