12 



sets of five figures. The telegrams fr"-^ «>« 

 west of Ireland and Scotland were usually those 

 which gave us the first warning of what was to 

 happen, but we also had reports from stations as 

 far apart as Lapland. Nice, and the A/.ores. As 

 soon as those reports were received the "either 

 charts were prepared and issued As a ™le we 

 had less rain and more sun in Canterbury than in 

 any other part of the country. The rainfall was 

 sometimes only one-tenth of that experienced in 

 Ireland. The reason of this was that these 

 depressions usually passed over the country to 

 the northward of Canterbury ; but when 

 they crossed to the southward we got 

 more rain. (Figs. 4 to 6). A3 a rule the 

 country to the northward of a depression received 

 most rain, and the effects of these systems were 

 Mt at distances varying from SOO to 1,000 miles 

 from their centres. Mr. Lander proceeded to show 

 a number of views of various kinds of clouds, 

 some of them taken by Mr. Snell and others 

 reproduced from an article in Pearson s Magazine 

 for Tanuary. The arrival of a depression 

 would frequently cause the barometer to 

 fall and the temperature to rise to the extent 

 of U, or 20 degrees in a very short time. 

 It was a remarkable fact that these depressions 

 would rarely cross a range of mountams, Ihe 

 presence of such a range would divert their course 

 and that was the case on December 12 l^^^t when 

 the depression passed up the Channel to the 

 southward of Canterbury, and we bad more rain 

 than had occurred for a long time. (Figs. 4 to b.) 

 The mild.cloudy weather experienced during J anu- 

 ary last was the result of a high pressure area 

 and the barometer reached 30 9 degrees which he 

 believed, was the highest point in Canterbury a^ 

 any period of the year for the last ten years or 

 so Passing on to discuss the value of the study 

 of meteorology, Mr. Lander e.xplained the dis- 

 covery of Lockyer that when the iron lines m the 

 sun crossed those other lines the nature of which 

 was unknown, the rainfall in India was largely 

 increased and famine stopped in that country 

 This crossing of the lines takes place every fave 

 and a half years, and in the usual order of things 

 should have occurred i-i IS^f • ""* "-is did not 

 happen, and the famine had not ceased. That once 

 in an epoch of 35 years these lines did not cross 

 was because the sun was in an unusual y heated 

 condition, and instead of the famine lasting tor a 

 year or a year and a half the present visitation 

 had lasted five or six years, but was likely tocea^e 

 about the end of 1902, when the rains would be 

 more abundant. . , , ^, 



The lecture was listened to with a great amount 

 of attention and with evident appreciation. Con-, 

 siderable discussion followed ^°<3 /^Ply^S *° 

 questions. Mr. Lander stated that at the cen re o 

 the track of a cyclone the wind would sometimes 



change from north to south ten minutes after the 

 depression had passed. In Canterbury the usual 

 signs ot the approach of a cyclone or storm centre 

 are as follows — The wind after dropping to a calm 

 will back to the S. W. or S. aud the thermometer will 

 begin toripe(exceptduringtheheatotsmumer)even 

 before thebkrometer begins to tall. Thm parallel 

 bars of cirrus moving from N.W. or radiating lines 

 (Sc 7) will in summer appear across the sky or 

 possib y a portion of the sky will be covered with 

 Ch-stratusin the form of fish scales (mackerel sky 

 fij" 8) In winter the fronfis otten marked by a 

 great bank of cirrus stratus. This thin cloud will 

 Gradually spread and is the cause of lunar and 

 solar hal^s. As the storm centre approaches the 

 wind rises to a gale, rain sets in heavily and 

 continuously if the storm centre is passing up the 

 English Channel just to the south of us ; or as a 

 drizzle or heavy showers or squaUs if the centre 

 U passing on the north. In ^^e former 

 case iult as the centre Passes the 

 wTnd will back from S. through E. to N.L and 

 the rain will do,.ly cease, but in the latter 

 instance the wind will veer through W to N 

 The sky will rapidly clear, the thermometer will 

 taU perhaps 10 degrees in one hour, and the 

 barometer 'l.ill rapidly rise. In the right-hand 

 rear of the cyclone we have shower cumuli (fig. 9) 

 n the left rear heavy gloomy-looking banks^ot 

 condensed vapour. These cyclones are tollowed 

 by cool, dry, and bright weather, in contrast to 

 the warm mug-y, dirty weather in front. It is 

 ntere^t^ngltmpare'figs. 1 to b with the oca 

 charts for November and December on a later 

 page, and note the inttueuce of these eye ones on 

 ?he local barometer and thermometer etc. I hese 

 changes are more marked the nearer the centre of 

 the disturbance is to the observer. It t*"" ^^^'^ 

 is a long distance away the changes '"*?/'« 

 almost fmperceptible. Freciuently secondary 

 cyclones travel around the deep cyclones and 

 ciuse much rain w.th little wind. In summer 

 these often move N.E.from the Bay of Biscay ana 

 cause thunderstorms, the first indication be'ug 

 usually wisps of cirrus moving from S. with an 

 E wind This is an almost sure sign of coming 

 thunder Heavv cumulus clouds in the evening 

 after a fine day indicate a showery night or snow 

 showers in the cold winter nights. 



Mr Lander had suggested to the Meteorological 

 Office whether, with a view of obtaining earlier 

 notification of theapproach of storms, and thereby 

 savin" life on the sea, it would not be possible to 

 make" use ol wireless telegraphy upon ships 

 travelling between England and America. Ihe 

 office authorities replied that they were in com- 

 munication with Lloyds to see if something ot the 

 kind could not be done. 



A cordial vote of thanks to Mr. Lander con- 

 cluded the proceedings. 



