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An Account of EXPERIMENTS made to determine the 

 TEMPERATURE c/^ //^^ EARTH's SURFACE 

 in the Kingdom of Ireland in the Year 1788. By the Reverend 

 WILLIAM HAMILTON, F.T.C.D.and M.R.LJ. 



X T is a queftion as ancient as the days of the Scythians and Read Dec. 

 Egyptians, whether the temperature of the earth be a perma- ^' '''^^* 

 nent or variable quantity*. Unfortunately thefc early nations, 

 deftitute of proper inftruments for afcertaining the temperature 

 of their refpedive kingdoms, have not given us any afliftancc 

 in refolving this curious and interefting problem, which has been 

 handed down to poflerity with no other attendants than vague 

 and illufive fpeculations. 



• See Juftin, 1. 2, c. i. 



In 



