Royal Society, 465 



VIII. Minimum temperature of each month, on Sea Fell Pike and 

 Gabel, and at Sprinkling Tarn, from July 1851 to December 1852 

 inclusive. Table IX. Monthly hygrometrical observations taken at 

 the mountain stations adjacent to the Vale of Wastdale, in the year 

 1852. Table X. Deductions relative to the humidity of the atmo- 

 sphere at the mountain stations in 1852. Tables XI., XII., XIII., 

 XIV. contain hygrometrical observations made at various stations in 

 April and July 1848, and in December 1850 and July 1851. 

 •; In the remarks which follow the tables, the author states that the 

 past year is distinguished by several marked peculiarities, of which 

 the most prominent are — the very large amount of rain and its very 

 unequal distribution over the different seasons ; the enormous and 

 unprecedented fall in the first two and last two months ; and the pro- 

 tracted drought of ten weeks in the spring, the longest, though not 

 the most severe which has occurred in the northern counties within 

 the memory of the existing generation. The year is further re- 

 markable for its high temperature ; the large amount of surface eva- 

 poration ; the great heat of July and August ; the great quantity of 

 free electricity, as manifested by the unusual number and almost 

 tropical severity of the thunder-storms ; the small number of frosty 

 nights, and the entire absence of snow ; and, lastly, for the violent 

 gales of wind which prevailed during the last week of December, 

 particularly the hurricane on the morning of Christmas-day. After 

 the discussion of these irregularities, tables are given showing the 

 excess or deficiency per cent, of the principal mountain gauges over 

 or under the quantity of rain received by the adjacent valleys, both 

 in the summer and winter months, in each year since the instruments 

 were erected in 1846. The remainder of the paper is occupied with 

 details referring to the temperature and the hygrometrical observa- 

 tions at the mountain stations. .uj-'ii^.-i^tu.* 



March 10. — The following letter, addressed to Michael Faraday, 

 Esq., and by him communicated to the Society, was read : — 



; -M% v? sfTor ' -pjjj^gg ^jj_ Britain), March 1, 1853. 

 \ - Dear Sir, — In the report in the Athenaeum of your lecture at the 

 Royal Institution on the 21st of January, I observe that you refer to 

 the highly interesting observations of Schwabe, Sabine, Wolf, Gautier, 

 &c., from which it would appear that a connection exists between the 

 solar spots and the variations of the terrestrial magnetic forces. 

 Since a connection has been demonstrated to exist between the lat- 

 ter and auroral phenomena, I was induced to look over my notes 

 relating to the auroras observed at this place, with a view to ascer- 

 tain whether these also exhibited maxima and minima, and if so, 

 whether the periods of such agreed with those of the solar spots and 

 of the magnetic variations. The subjoined table shows the distri- 

 bution of the auroras seen here in the years 1838 to 1847 inclusive : — 



»', .0... -'^i. -J .■ . 



