Se ye. 
—— 
CYCLONES. 151 
to say, it is dependent on the passage of Cyclones, either over us or 
somewhere in our neighbourhood, and to this fact we may put 
down the wonderful changeability of climate that we experience 
more often to our sorrow than our joy. Of course, if we could 
be forewarned in good time of approaching changes for the worse 
in weather our sorrow would often be mitigated. Now this is 
what the Meteorological Office in London is attempting to 
do at present, as you know, and I think there are few people 
who read the morning papers who do not look at the weather 
forecast for the day. As I frequently hear grumbles against the 
London forecasters (often without reason, however), I should like 
to mention one of the great difficulties they experience, owing to 
the situation of these Islands. I said just now that our weather 
is chiefly Cyclonic. Now Cyclones, as we have seen before, 
almost always come to us direct from the Atlantic Ocean, often 
moving at the rate of forty miles or more an hour. Further, the 
only safe indication of the approach of a Cyclone is the fall of the 
barometer ; this fall may have been preceded shortly by certain 
well-known cloud and sky appearances, but these are not to be 
relied on thoroughly. From the west of Ireland, looking west or 
south-west on the map, nothing but the ocean is to be found until 
the continent of America is reached. Now this ocean is the 
birthplace of many of the Cyclones that come over us. How 
then can it be possible for our meteorologists to know anything 
about their approach to our shores until their very edge is actually 
touching part of this kingdom, and so causing the barometers 
there to fall? Consider further, as I said before, that the Cyclones 
sometimes move at the rate of forty miles or more an hour, and I 
think then instead of blaming the London Office for a few bad 
forecasts, we shall only be surprised at the great accuracy to which 
they generally attain (83 per cent. of their forecasts of weather 
are correct). On the Continent, in Germany for instance, the 
- meteorologists are much better placed than here, for they have 
the advantage that Cyclones which reach them must first pass 
&. in far the greater number of cases either over this country or 
_ France, so that they can get timely telegraphic notice of what is. 
cu : 
