Meteorological Obset'vations, 311 



The details of every determination will be shortly published. 



I have great pleasure in acknowledging the services of my assist- 

 ant Mr. R. Smith, to whom the investigation has been entrusted. 



The examination is now being extended to a great variety of 

 native minerals. I remain, my dear Francis, 



Yours very truly, John Pekcy. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS FOR FEB. 1853. 



Chiswick. — February 1 , 2. Very dense fog. 3. Overcast : cloudy. 4. Cloudy : 

 rain. 5. Densely overcast. 6. Cloudy. 7. Fine : overcast. 8. Unitorraly over- 

 cast. 9. Foggy : dusky haze : foggy : overcast : rain. 10 Cold rain : drizzly : clear. 

 11. Few snow-flakes. 12. Cloudy. 1 3. Overcast throughout : frosty. 14. Over- 

 cast : sharp frost. 15. Frosty: overcast: frosty. 16. Frosty : fine : clear. 17. 

 Clear : slight snow. 18. Frosty, with brisk wind : snow-shower occasionally. 

 19. Dry and frosty : clear : frosty. 20. Frosty : large white clouds : clear and 

 frosty. 21. Clear and frosty : fine : clear, with sharp frost at night. 22. Frosty : 

 rain : overcast. 23. Drizzly : fine : clear and boisterous at night. 24. Clear 

 and frosty : overcast : rain at night. 25. Cloudy : overcast : rain at night. 26. 

 Boisterous, with rain. 27. Overcast: clear and frosty. 28. Clear and frosty : 

 cold dry air : clear and frosty at night. 



Mean temperature of the month 32°*63 



Mean temperature of Feb. 1852 38 -72 



Mean temperature of Feb. for the last twenty-seven years... 40 '06 

 Average amount of rain in Feb 1*62 inch. 



Boston. — Feb. 1. Foggy. 2, 3. Cloudy. 4. Cloudy : rain a.m. and p.m. 

 5, 6. Cloudy. 7. Cloudy : rain p.m. 8. Cloudy. 9. Cloudy : rain p.m. 10. 

 Cloudy : rain and snow a.m. and p.m. 11. Cloudy : snow a.m. and p.m. 12. Fine : 

 snow A.M. and p.m. 13. Fine : snow a.m. 14. Cloudy : snow a.m. 15, 16. Fine. 

 17. Cloudy : snow A.M. 18. Fine : snow a.m. 19. Fine. 20. Cloudy : snow a.m. 

 21. Fine. 22. Cloudy: snow a.m. and rain p.m. 23. Fine ; snow p.m. 24, 25. 

 Fine. 26, 27. Cloudy : snow p.m. 28. Cloudy. 



Sandwich Manse, Orkney. — Feb. 1. Bright a.m.: fine, cloudy, aurora p.m. 2« 

 Hazy A.M. : cloudy p.m. 3. Rain a.m. and p.m. 4. Rain a.m. : clear, aurora p.m. 

 5. Clear, frost a.m. : cloudy p.m. 6. Cloudy a.m. : showers, aurora p.m. 7. 

 Bright A.M. : clear, frost p.m. 8. Clear, frost a.m. and p.m. 9. Rain a.m. s 

 cloudy P.M. 10. Bright, frost a.m. : snow-showers p.m. 11. Snow-showers a.m. : 

 snow-drift P.M. 12. Snow-showers a.m. : cloudy p.m. 13. Snow a.m. : clear p.m. 

 14. Snow, clear A.M. : clear, aurora p.m. 15. Sleet-showers a.m. : cloudy p.m. 

 16. Snow-showers A.M. : clear p.m. 17. Snow-drift a.m. and p.m. 18. Deep 

 snow A.M. : snow-showers p.m. 19. Snow-showers a.m. : snow-drift p.m. 20. 

 Snow-showers a.m. and p.m. 21. Cloudy a.m. : thaw, showers p.m. 22. Frost a.m. : 

 cloudy, thaw p.m. 23. Snow-drift a.m. : snow-showers p.m. 24. Snow, cloudy 

 a.m. : snow-drift p.m. 25. Snow-showers a.m. : snow, cloudy p.m. 26. Snow- 

 showers A.M. and P.M. 27. Clear a.m. : fine, aurora p.m. 28. Snow, cloudy a.m. : 

 clear, aurora p.m. 



Mean temperature of Feb. for twenty-six previous years 38°'44 



Mean temperature of this month 33 '74 



Average quantity of rain in Feb. for seven previous years 4*23 inches. 



All marked as rain after 11th is melted snow, viz. 1*77 inch. 



The snow-storm began on the night of the 10th and continued till the end of 

 February, being the most severe remembered for twenty-six years at least, except 

 in 1838, when the snow continued all the month and all the previous January, 

 except the first eight days. It has also been one of the coldest months during 

 that time, the only one decidedly colder being February 1838, when the mean 

 temperature was 31°'31. Some instances occurred of the snow being rolled up in 

 hollow fluted cylinders, as formerly observed here and described in February 

 1847 *, but on a much smaller scale. 



* See our Number for April 1847. 



