Meteorological Observations. 79 



alterable by the action of light and air, and is insoluble in water. 

 By concentrated nitric acid it becomes of a yellowish red colour, and 

 of a rather deeper yellowish red by hydrochloric acid ; concentrated 

 sulphuric acid renders it of a fine blood-red colour. Oxalic and 

 phosphoric acids also redden it, but not so strongly as the preceding 

 acids ; acetic and arsenic acids produce no sensible effect ; and in 

 all cases diluted acids act almost as powerfully as when concentrated. 

 Chlorine does not alter it ; alkalies render it of a brown colour, 

 which the stronger acids bring back to red. Lastly, when heated in 

 a glass tube, it decomposes without subliming, and leaves a coaly 

 residue, upon which acids exert no action. During calcination it 

 yields a smell of burnt horn, and evolves ammoniacal vapours which 

 restore the blue colour to reddened litmus. — Journ.de Ph. et de Ch., 

 Mai 1849. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS FOR MAY 1849. 



Chiswick. — May 1. Cloudy. 2. Foggy : overcast. 3. Foggy: fine. 4. Very 

 fine. 5. Clear and fine : thunder, lightning, rain and hail in afternoon : cloudy 

 at night. 6. Overcast. 7, 8. Qvercast and cold : fine : cloudy. 9. Fine: showery. 

 10. Overcast: slight rain. H. Cloudy and cold. 12. Fine: overcast. 13. Very 

 fine. 14. Rain: fine. 15. Cloudy: fine. 16. Rain : cloudy. 17. Cloudy: 

 slight rain, 18. Overcast. 19. Cloudy and fine. 20. Rain throughout. 21. 

 Hazy. 22. Rain: fine. 23. Fine. 24. Very fine : densely overcast at night. 

 25. Cloudy : very fine. 26. Overcast : very tine. 27. Very fine ; cloudy : rain. 

 28. Overcast: very heavy rain. 29,30. Very fine. 31. Dry haze : overcast: 

 clear at night. 



Mean temperature of the month 55'''19 



Mean temperature of May 1848 58 '12 



Mean temperature of May for the last twenty-three years ... 54 -22 



Average amount of rain in JMay l*82inch. 



Boston. — May 1. Cloudy. 2. Cloudy: rain early a.m. and late p.m. 3 — 5. 

 Fine. 6 — 9. Cloudy. 10. Rain : rain a.m. and p.m. 11,12. Cloudy. 13,14. 

 Cloudy: rain p.m. 15. Cloudy. 16. Rain: rain a.m. and p.m. 17. Fine: 

 rain A.M. and P.M. 18. Rain: rain a.m. and p.m. 19. Cloudy. 20. Rain: 

 rain A.M. and r.M. 21. Cloudy: rain p.m. 22. Cloudy: rain, with thunder 

 and lightning P.M. 23. Cloudy : rain p.m. 24. Fine. 25. Rain : rain, with 

 thunder and lightning early a.m. 26. Fine, 27. Rain : rain early a.m. : rain p.m. 

 28. Cloudy : rain early A.M. 29. Fine: rain early a.m. .'30,31. Fine. 



Applegarlh Manse, Dumfries-shire. — May 1. Remarkably fine day, 2. Dull, 

 but fair. 3. Fiery heat : dry and parching. 4. P'iery heat. 5, 6. Fiery heat : 

 heat less. 7. Fiery heat : a few slight drops of rain, 8. Fiery heat. 9. Mild 

 day : wind variable. 10. Mild day: showe^on the hills. 11. Chill and piercing : 

 ungenial. 12. Mild and genial : rain at night. 13. Dropping day : most wel- 

 come rain. 14. Wet morning : bright afternoon. 15. Mild and damp: showers. 

 16. Heavy showers, 17. Wet morning : very fine and hot, 18. Slight showers : 

 fine cool evening. 19. Hot forenoon : blowing evening. 20. Heavy showers : 

 dull. 21,22. Very fine day : damp evening. 23. Showers in forenoon : very 

 fine. 24. Fair, but dull. 25. Fair and clear : cloudy p.m. 26. Fair and very 

 fine, 27. Beautiful day. 28. Beautiful day : still warmer. 29. Fine, though 

 cloudy : showers P.M. 30. Fine : clear bracing weather. 31. Slight rain : wind 

 high P.M. 



Mean temperature of the month 50°*5 



Mean temperature of May 1848 52*9 



Mean temperature of May for twenty- five years 51 '09 



Rain in May for twenty years , 1'69 inch. 



Sandwick Manse, Orkney. — May 1. Fine: clear. 2. Cloudy. 3. Clear: fine. 

 4. Fine. 5. Cloudy : fine. 6. Cloudy : clear. 7. Cloudy : fine. 8. Cloudy. 

 9. Bright : cloudy. 10. Fine. 11,12. Cloudy. 13. Rain : fine. 14. Fine: 

 drizzle. 15, 16. Cloudy: drizzle. 17. Cloudy: rain. 18. Drizzle: cloudy. 

 19. Clear. 20, 21. Cloudy. 22. Cloudy: hazy. 23. Bright: clear. 24. Bright: 

 rain. 25, 26. Bright : clear. 27. Cloudy : clear. 28. Bright : cloudy. 29. 

 Cloudy. 30. Bright : clear. 31. Bright : cloudy. 



