JOURNAL OF PROCEEDINGS. 187 



the waves, could evidently be secured. A knowledge and application 

 of the hourly variations being so important an element in the correc- 

 tions of isolated observation's, for the determination of elevations and 

 mountain heights in distant regions, a series of hourly observations for 

 these regions, a sufficient length of time to insure a good approximation, 

 is an additional inducement for filling up so important a chasm in meteor- 

 ological science. 



Dr. Hilgard presented Fungi from the vicinity of St. Louis. 



November 3, 1862. 

 The President, Dr. Engeljianx, in the chair. 



Seven members present. 



Letters were read from the Amer. Philos. Society, Philad., 

 Oct. 27, transmitting publications ; A. P. Bandelier, of High- 

 land, 111., sending his meteorological observations made at 

 Highland during the months of May, June, July and August, 

 18(32. 



The following donation to the library was received : Salt 

 Manufacture of the Saginaw Valley, Mich., by A. Winchell, 

 from the Author. 



Dr. Enno Sander presented a beetle from St. Louis. 



Dr. Engelmann presented a copy of his paper on the Eu- 

 phorbia} of De Candolle's Prodromus. 



Dr. Engelmann spoke about the snowstorm of October 25th. This was 

 the third time in 27 years that he had observed in St. Louis a fall of snow 

 in October. The first occurred Oct. 26, 1843, when between 9 A.M. and 

 2.30 P.M. a very light snow (melted, 0.03 inch) fell, almost immediately 

 disappearing. Th- second took place Oct. 5, 1855, between 3.30 and 5 

 P.M., precipitating 0.17 inch : being preceded and followed by drizzling 

 rain, it disappeared very soon : as long as it lasted it oddly contrasted 

 with the still fresh vegetation of field and forest, but only injured some 

 tender exotics, such as the Paulownia. In his meteorological journal 

 he found a memorandum, that on the 4th a snowstorm, undoubtedly the 

 9ame, extended over New Mexico, and was observed on the Upper Platte 

 River from the evening of the 4th to the 5th at noon. 



The weather had been unusually warm from the morning of October 

 23d last till the forenoon of the next day, the temperature varying between 

 50 and 64 degrees, with southeasterly and southerly winds, and a fall of 

 the hitherto very high barometer. On the 24th, at 10 o'clock A.M., the 

 wind suddenly veered to the west, blowing a gale from the west and 

 northwest for about 48 hours, the barometer rising rapidly and reaching 

 a very high point next morning at 7 o'clock. During this storm the sky 

 was very dark, until about 1 A.M. on the 25th it bpgan to snow and con- 

 tinued till 9 A.M.; in the evening the sky cleared off, both barometer and 

 thermometer fell slowly, the latter reaching»21.5 u on the morning of the 

 26th, which is lower than he had observed it in October. The snow, 0.30 

 inch when melted, partially disappeared during the day. 



This snowstorm is remarkable for its extent through the middle por- 

 tions of the Mississippi valley from west to east, extending far south, 

 but scarcely north of Milwaukie and Detroit, nor, in our latitude, east of 

 the Alleghanies. 



