235 



THE METEOROLOGY OF THE PAST YEAR, 1858. 

 Mr. Smith (who had kindly taken charge of the Meteorological department 

 of the Club's observations) laid on the table a number of tabulated statements 

 of the results of his observations, remarking that several interesting phenomena 

 have occurred in the course of the past year. 



During the total eclipse of the sun on the 15th of March, 1858, he made 

 observations every five minutes, and communicated the results to Mi. Glaisher, 

 the Secretary of the Meteorological Society, as requested by that gentleman, 

 but the clouded state of the atmosphere prevented them fiom being so useful as 

 they otherwise might have been. He laid on the table a copy of the collected 

 results as published by the Meteorological Society, and other pamphlets, and then 

 passed to notice the appearance of Donati's comet, remarking that even our elders, 

 generally so loth to acknowledge that anything in these later degenerate days is 

 equal to that in the " good old times," were obliged to confess that this comet 

 equjJled, if it did not surpass the comet of 1811. (A laugh). 



The high temperature of August, the small amount of rain (only 22 inches) 

 the damp and foggy atmosphere of October, the remarkably low temperature 

 of November, and the mildness of December, were also remarkable features of 

 this year. 



The partial eclipse of the moon on February 27th was invisible owing to the 

 clouded state of the sky. 



A Meteor was observed by Mr. Lingen in the clear sky at 4 p.m. on December 

 2nd, the sun shining brightly at the time. It appeared in the N.E., and after 

 moving a short space, leaving a trail of light, it suddenly disappeared. Mr. 

 Smith read a tabulated statement of the appearance of this phenomenon at 

 Brighton and other places, and then passed on to notice that he had been re- 

 quested by Mr. Glaisher to record se£isonable phenomena in the animal and 

 vegetable world. That request having been made public by him (Mr. Smith), 

 he had received from Mr. Woodhouse, of Aymcstrey, an obliging communication 

 of the observations which he had made, with a promise to continue them and 

 transmit the results to him from time to time. Last summer the quarterly 

 reports of the Registrar-General previously supplied to Meteorologists gratis 

 were stopped by order of the Government, but the order had been since rescinded 

 through the exertions of Dr. Barker, of Bedford, to whom it was proposed to 

 present a small testimonial of thanks, in the shape of a timepiece, as an acknow- 

 ledgment of his services to the meteorologists. 



Mr. Smith then drew attention to his Returns, remarking that, among other 

 facts, it was noticeable that the Wye was lower in August than had been known 

 for 25 years. 



The Barometer for the year was nearly the same' as the average for this 

 latitude. 



. , The mean Temperature was 1.4 degrees above the average. 



