34 REPORT — 1851. 



7^ 12'>> the curved band vanished. 



7"" IS" a blood-coloured mock sun formed 5° above the horizon, not dazzling, but 

 of good shape. It seemed to be immediately above the true sun. Lasted 2 min. 



4 th. Effect in a fog. 



1851, January 6th. — Nottingham and neighbourhood was visited by a remarkable 

 fog. At 4'' P.M. the prospect did not exceed 5 yards. The upper stories of houses 

 and tops of trees invisible. On going to an open window, a candle being in the room, 

 my image was very distinct on the fog at a distance of about 3 yards from me. 



ll*" P.M. mist considerably cleared ; the prospect extended to about 60 yards. On 

 going down a steep hill, a lamp, being situated near a house, at a distance of 50 yards, 

 appeared elevated in the air to nearly the level of the eye of the observer ; on near- 

 ingit, it gradually lowered, until, when opposite, it appeared at its proper elevation. 



5th. An appearance of cloud analogous to aurora boreahs. 



1851, March 29ch, Itf" 50™. Stars bright, nimbi about. Below Cassiopeia was a 

 dense nimbus of a leaden colour, from which proceeded upwards streams of a leaden 

 hue, which precisely resembled aurora borealis ; these advanced and receded re- 

 peatedly, and dimmed the stars very considerably; between the bands the stars 

 shone brightly. There were no signs of aurora borealis at the time. 



Observations on Storms, By Robert Russell (^Edinburgh). 

 In my communication last year on this subject at Edinburgh, I stated that there 

 appeared to be two distinct classes of storms which occurred in Britain. In both, 

 there were in general two currents in the atmosphere moving in different directions. 

 At that time I described the rainy form of storms in which a western current is 

 flowing above, while the wind at the surface of the earth is blowing from very dif- 

 ferent points of the compass over the island — often no doubt to a certain extent cor- 

 responding to the curves which is supposed to indicate a gyration and translation of 

 the elements of the storms. But I must say that the rotary theor)' of stonns has 

 never been satisfactory to my mind, and I believe that the phenomena involved 

 admits of other explanation. I gave an illustration last year of the slow progress 

 which the rains often make in their northerly course by taking the weather of October 

 1849 in the north and south parts of the island. While I was actually reading my 

 communication a similar instance was again in action, and producing fine clear 

 weather in Scotland during the end of July and 1st of August, when the equatorial 

 currents were precipitating their moisture over the south of England, and damaging 

 the crops. But on the 18th and 19th of August a storm of wind swept over Britain, 

 and was particularly violent in the north of England and over Scotland. The destruc- 

 tion which occurred to the uncut grain was of a very serious character. It afforded 

 a good example of the other class of storms which I adverted to ; and in the present 

 short sketch I only intend to state the more prominent features which distinguish 

 this form of storms from the other, which was described last year. Theoretical con- 

 siderations will be avoided, as it may form materials for a future communication. It 

 is well known that some storms begin to blow from south-west, and veer round to 

 north-west. It often happens, however, that an upper north-west current has been 

 steadily flowing all the time. During the present season the weather was very cold 

 and stormy in the end of May, and almost throughout the month of June. In these 

 storms the wind began to blow from south-west, and veered round to north-west ; 

 but the upper currents kept very regularly in Scotland from the north-west. This 

 is a very common occurrence over Great Britain in autumn and winter ; when the 

 wind below veers round to the north-west, it becomes dry and cold, and the clouds 

 clear off; but again the wind will shift at the surface of the earth to the south-west, 

 while the current above will still continue from the north-west. Here we perceive 

 a consistent and regular recurrence of phsenomena. The south-west wind is laden 

 with moisture, which is condensed into cloud and rain where the two winds meet. 

 The lower surface of the cold upper current forms cirrostratus, which, when we 

 observe its motions, is the means which assures us of the existence of two different 

 currents. The formation of this particular cloud in the west is the first herald of 

 approaching storm, for the barometer does not give warning here as in the rainy 

 storms with eastern winds ; this is a very distinct and important feature in the two. 



