ATMOSPHERIC ELECTRICITY. 



353 



might conclude that the electricity of rain or snow is sometimes posi- 

 tive and sometimes negative, and this nearly for the same number of 

 times. But we ought to observe that the two other series of observa- 

 tions by Schiibler* do not exhibit the same result ; of the 412 observa- 

 tions of wliich they are composed, the rain or snow was 161 times posi- 

 tive and 251 times negative, that is to say^ in the proportion of 100 to 

 155. It would appear, even according to these observations, that the 

 winds were not without influence on the kind of electricity with which 

 the air was efiected. In fact, in grouping the positive rains and the 

 negative ones according to the directions of the winds, Schiibler found 

 the following results : 



Taking for rmity the number of jioBitive rains, Hemmer found for the same winds the 

 following proportions : 



North 1 : 0. 47 



Nortlieast 1 : 0. S4 



East 1 : 0.91 



Southeast 1 : 0. 98 



South 1 : 1.04 



iSoutliwest _ 1 : 1. 10 



West 1 : l.OS 



Northwest 1 : 0. CG 



* Journal do Schweigger, torn. XXV, p. 254^ 



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