20 REPORT—1845. 
magnetic observatory, and as our distinguished secretary Colonel Sabine has swung 
the pendulum during his important voyage in the northern seas at Hammarfest, 
Dr. Lee states that his superior opinion on this subject could be consulted with 
advantage. 
Also, on account of the northern position of Alten or Hammarfest, observations on 
refraction might be made with great advantage, and some results obtained from them 
which would be highly beneficial to astronomy. 
Alten is also the region of auroras; they abound in that latitude, and their con- 
nexion with magnetism might be traced with more advantage at Alten than at any 
other place. 
During the visit of the King of Sweden and Norway to Christiana in the winter 
of 1844, his Majesty is said to have expressed his readiness to give every patronage 
in his power to the arts and sciences in Scandinavia, and he has already authorised 
Baron Wrede and Professor Selander, the Astronomer Royal of Stockholm, to make 
arrangements during the summer of 1845, for the measuring of an arc of latitude 
from Tornea in the gulf of Bothnia to the North Cape during the summer of 1846, 
and Baron Wrede is now engaged on that grand work. 
This is an additional reason for the establishment of a magnetic observatory at 
Alten, under the patronage of the British Association, in the spring of the year 1846. 
Dr. Lee expressed his wish, that the friends of the Association would authorize 
the committee to establish a series of magnetic observatories at Edinburgh, Inverness, 
Thurso, the Shetland Isles, Drontheim in Norway, and Alten in Lapland, in order 
that regular tables of observations might be produced from them for the benefit of 
the Association. 
Researches on Shooting Stars. By M. Coutvier Gravirr. 
The observations were made at Rheims and at Paris, and were continued without 
intermission from July 1841 to February 1845 inclusive. The mean number seen 
in an hour followed a remarkable law of progression throughout the year. The 
hourly mean number for January was 3°6, for February 3°6, for March 3°7, for 
April 3°7, for May 3°8, for June 3°2, for July 7°0, for August 8°5, for September 6°8, 
for October 9, for November 9°5, for December 7°9; thus during the first six months 
the hourly number is nearly the same each month, while in the next six months 
there is a progressive increase, first until August, and then until October or Novem- 
ber, periods at which the hourly number is more than double those of the other six 
months, which well agrees with the facts proved in those countries as to August and 
November. The second part of the memoir contains tabulated results of the hourly 
variations of the shooting stars observed from six in the evening to six in the morn- 
ing, which also observed a remarkable progression from 3°3, the hourly mean number 
observed between 6 and 7 P.m., to 8°2, the hourly mean of those seen between 5 and 
6 a.m. This result was illustrated by curves, in which a very obvious law of hourly 
progression was to be observed. 
On Remarkable Lunar Periodicities in Earthquakes, extraordinary Oscillations 
of the Sea, and great Atmospherical Changes. By Ricuarp Epmonps, jun. 
The following nine days remarkable for earthquakes, extraordinary oscillations of 
the sea, or very unusual states of the atmosphere, occurred near the moon’s first 
quarters, at successive intervals of about four lunations each. 
1842, November 9.—Earthquake at Montreal and other parts of Canada*, when 
“the waters of the St. Lawrence were violently agitated.”’ This was the day before 
the moon’s first quarter. On the 11th, the day after it, the barometer at Penzance 
was 29°00, lower than for 247 days before and 13 days afterwards. 
1843, March 10.—Earthquake at Manchester{; barometer at Chiswick§ on the 
preceding days 30°380, higher|| than for 49 days before and 179 days after. 
* The newspapers are the authorities unless others are mentioned. 
+ Kept at the Penzance Public Library. + British Association Report, 1843, p. 121. 
§ At the Gardens of the Horticultural Society. 
|| On the day of the great earthquake of Lisbon, the barometer at Penzance was higher 
than it had been for ¢iree years before.—Borlase’s Natural Listory of Cornwall, p. 53. 
