Meteorological Observations. 151 



earth would therefore contain 0"4 grm. of gold, worth about twenty- 

 six and a half cents. 



During a stay at Reading, in the summer of 1851, 1 noticed a vein 

 of decayed ferruginous quartz, very much resembling the auriferous 

 quartz of North Carolina. It was uncovered in exploring the depo- 

 sits of iron ore in Penn's Mount behind the city. I neglected at 

 the time to secure specimens ; and upon a second visit to the locality 

 this spring to obtain a quantity for analysis, I found it covered. I 

 obtained, however, from the vicinity a quartz rock, quartz and felspar 

 mingled, and sand, which on analysis yielded an exceedingly minute 

 quantity of a brownish powder after treating the silver button result- 

 ing from cupellation by nitric acid ; but which was too minute from 

 which to derive any definite conclusion as to the presence or absence 

 of gold. A former pupil of mine, in an examination of the pyrites 

 of the same locality, thought to have detected traces of gold. I have 

 no doubt that a more careful examination of the rocks in the vicinity 

 would yield affirmative results in an examination for this metal. — 

 From the Transactions of the American Philosophical Society. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS FOR DEC. 1852. 

 Chiswick. — December 1. Overcast : rain. 2. Overcast. 3. Fine. 4, 5. Densely 

 clouded. 6. Overcast. 7. Rain. 8. Foggy : rain : clear at night. 9. Clear and 

 fine. 10. hovf clouds : rain : densely overcast. 11. Exceedingly fine. 12. Fine : 

 overcast : rain. 13. Rain : uniformly overcast. 14. Cloudy : clear at night : rain. 

 15. Rain : cloudy : clear. 16. Clear : fine, with sun : thunder, lightning and 

 heavy rain at night. 17. Partially overcast : fine : boisterous, with lightning at 

 night. 18. Clear and fine : extensive and sudden rise of barometer. 19. Slight 

 rain : overcast. 20. Fine : densely clouded : clear at night. 21. Exceedingly fine. 



22. Overcast : rain. 23. Overcast. 24. Rain : drizzly : overcast. 25. Very fine : 

 ovei'cast. 26. Fine : very fine : boisterous, at times quite a hurricane at night. 

 27. Very boisterous : large white clouds : clear at night. 28. Clear and fine. 

 29. Fine : overcast. 30. Overcast : fine : clear. 31. Very fi.ie. 



Mean temperature of the month 46°'54 



Mean temperature of Dec. 1851 38 -88 



Mean temperature of Dec. for the last twenty-six years ... 39 '69 



Average amount of rain in Dec l*52inches. 



Boston. — Dec. 1. Fine : rain p.m. 2. Fine. 3. Fine : rain p.m. 4. Cloudy 

 rain a.m. 5. Cloudy, 6, 7. Cloudy : rain a.m. 8. Cloudy : rain a.m. and p.m. 

 9. Fine : rain p.m. 10. Cloudy : rain a m. 11. Fine. 12. Cloudy. 13. Cloudy: 

 rain a.m. and p.m. 14. Fine. 15. Cloudy: rain a.m. 16. Fine: rain p.m. 17, 

 18. Fine. 19. Cloudy : rain a.m. 20, 21 . Cloudy. 22. Cloudy : rain a.m. and p.m. 



23. Fine. 24. Cloudy. 25. Fine : rain a.m. 26. Fine. 27. Fine : rain and 

 stormy a.m. 28. Fine. 29. Cloudy. 30. Cloudy : rain a.m. 31. Fine. 



Sandwich Manse, Orkney. — Dec. 1. Showers a.m. and p.m. 2. Showers a.m. : 

 showers, aurora p.m. 3. Bright a.m. : cloudy, aurora p.m. 4. Damp a.m. : 

 cloudy P.M. 5. Showers a.m. : showers, aurora p.m. 6. Rain a.m. : showers, 

 aurora p.m. 7. Bright a.m. : clear, aurora p.m. 8. Cloudy a.m. and p.m. 9. 

 Cloudy A.M. : clear p.m. 10. Rain a.m. : showers, aurora p.m. 11. Showers a.m. : 

 rain p.m. 12. Drizzle a.m. : cloudy p.m. 13. Clear, frost a.m. : clear, aurora p.m. 

 14. Bright, frost a.m.: drizzle p.m. 15. Damp a.m.: clear p.m. 16. Clear, 

 frost a.m. : drizzle p.m. 17. Sleet-showers a.m. and p.m. 18. Cloudy, frost a.m. 

 and P.M. 19. Lightning, rain a.m. : cloudy p.m. 20. Cloudy a.m. and p.m. 

 21. Cloudy A.M. : snow-showers p.m. 22. Clear, frost a.m. : cloudy p.m. 23. 

 Clear a.m. and p.m. 24. Cloudy a.m. : showers p.m. 25. Cloudy a.m. : sleet- 

 showers P.M. 26. Bright a.m. : hazy p.m. 27. Cloudy a.m. : drizzle p.m. 28. 

 Showers a.m. : fine p.m. 29. Cloudy a.m. : shower p.m. 30. Drops a.m. : 

 shower p.m. 31.* Showers a.m. : showers, thunder and lightning p.m. 



Mean temperature of Dec. for twenty-five years 4 i°'20 



Mean temperature of this month 40*74 



Average quantity of rain in Dec. for six previous years 3 86 inclies. 



