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METEOROLOGICAL KOTES. ACCOUNT OF SOME 

 BAROxMETRICAL MEASUREMENTS OF HILLS IN 

 HEREFORDSHIRE. ALTITUDES FIXED BY ORD- 

 NANCE AND OTHER SPIRIT LEVELLINGS. 



By EDWIN J. ISBELL, Esq. 



A very severe frost marked the end of 1870 and the beginning of 1871. The 

 mean temperature of December, 1870, at Hereford, was 32° '5 and that of January, 

 1871, 32° 2, whilst, according to Mr. Glaisher, the average mean temperature of 

 January at Greenwich is 36° 9, and that of February, 38° 7. 



The yearly mean of 1871, however, was not a remarkably low one, for it 

 amounted to 48° '46, and Mr. Glaisher informs us that the temperature of an 

 average year at Greenwich is 49° '02. 



The amount of rainfall for the whole year did not exceed that which we regard 

 as our average quantity, viz., 27 to 28 inches. At Richmond-place I registered 

 27738 inches. It is true some of the returns as shown in the rainfall table give 

 larger quantities, but the yearly average alluded to above is strictly that of Here- 

 ford and its immediate neighbourhood. At Pool-cottage, Titley, and Rocklanda, 

 an average yearly rainfall exceeds 30 inches by a few decimals. 



The fall of rain during the month of September was unusually large, the 

 monthly total registered at Kichmond-place being 6 317 inches. On the morning 

 of the 7th of this month 1 340 inch was measured and on that of the 30th 1.221 

 inch. 



On the evening of Sunday, August 13th, a tremendous thunderstorm burst 

 upon Dinmore-till and was felt over a large extent of the surrounding country. 

 The fall of rain is said to have been extraordinary. I was in the village of Wel- 

 lington at the time, and feel satisfied that the lightning and thunder were never 

 equalled by anything of the kind I ever experienced, with the single exception of 

 the terrible thunderstorm of 1852, when the spire of Ross church was struck. I 

 had no means of measuiing the rainfall at Wellington, but it must have been 

 something very great, though small, I suppose, compared to that which came down 

 at the centre of the storm. A farm on the hill was struck by the lightning and 

 partially consumed. 



The yearly mean of barometric readings around England, at the sea level, is 

 29'95 inches. The yearly mean of 9 a.m. readings at Hereford this year is 29735 

 inches, the cistern of the standard barometer being 187 feet above the level of the 

 sea. The Herefcrd observations are corrected for capillarity and index error, but 

 not reduced to sea-level readings. 



In connection with this subject it may be well to give a short account of the 

 barometric measurements of some of the hUls in the neighbourhood of Hereford 

 made by simnltaneons observations with the two standards. 



