282 On the Wiiither. Aiir. 



On the Wtathei'. 



Nothing wculd \jo, of more irnport^mce to iigriculturc, tlian a 

 rational theory of the weather ; but althoujih meteorological ob- 

 icrvations ha\e of h^.te years 'oecii r/,u]tiplied to a great extent, 

 yet dill I am afrakl cur dala are tiot fairieieat to enable natural 

 philofophers to form a ratiuiial ilitory. 



The variety of circumiVances to be taken into account, before 

 one table of obfervations can be properly compared with another, 

 and the diirerences in the manner, time and form, oblervable in 

 almoit all of them, tend more to obfcure, than to elucidate, the 

 fubjecl:. Suth unremitted attention to fo many objects, is re- 

 quired to form a complete table, that fevv^ perfons capable of do- 

 ing it are inclined, or have it in their power, to bellow upon It 

 the neceflary time. T,he moll tlierefore that can be hoped for, 

 but whicli would be of infinite cofifajuencc, would be perhaps a 

 probable conjcclure as to the general character of fucceeding fea- 

 fons, wlicther v/c might look for a dry or a wet fumnicr, an open 

 or a froily winter. 



P.Ir Kirwan (fee Encyclop. Br dan. article IVeather) has lately 

 endeavoured to difcover probable rules for prognolticating the 

 ditTerent feafons, fo far as regards Britain and Ireland, from 

 tables of obfen^ation alone. On perufmg a number of obferva- 

 tions taken in England from 1677 to 1789, he found, 



1. That when there has been no ilorm before or after the 

 venial equino:\, the enfuing fummer is generally ^rv, at leail, five 

 times in fix. 



2. That wlien a fiorm happens from an eafterly point, either 

 on the 19th, 20th, or 21ft of May, the fucceeding fummer is 

 generally dry four times in five. 



^. That when a Ilorm arifes on the 25th, 26th, or 27th of 

 March (and not before) in any point, the fucceeding fummer i$ 

 generally dty four times in five. 



4. If there be a ftoim at fouth-weft, or weft fouth-weft, on 

 the 19th, 20th, 21 ft, or 22d of March, the fucceeding fummer 

 is generally luct {i\z times in fix. 



I am inclined to pay fome attention to thefe rules, from the 

 clrcumllance of liis 4th one being apparently verified laft fum- 

 mer, at leaft, in this part of the country \ the night of the 20th 

 day of March 1802 having been very llormy, the wind foutli- 

 weft, and the lall fummer having been fo very itv/, that we had 

 only nine days quite fair in the whole month of July. 



According to the above rule, there are five chances to one, 



that 



