108 Dr. Hale on the Meteorological Journal 
thirty-six volumes, all in Dr. Holyoke’s hand-writing ; and while 
it exhibits a fine specimen of his characteristic neatness and 
regularity, it furnishes a striking and interesting proof of his love 
for scientific investigations, which did not forsake him at so ad- 
vanced a period of life. The journal contains two observations 
daily with the barometer; and eight (four within doors, and four 
abroad) with the thermometer; four observations of the course 
of the winds, and at least four of the state of the weather, faces 
of the sky, &c.; and, a great part of the time, four observations 
with a hygrometer. In addition to these, there are frequent oc- 
casional observations of unusual degrees of heat or cold at other 
hours; and sometimes an additional observation is continued 
daily for several months, recording either the temperature at sun- 
rise, or the extreme heat of the mid-day sun. There are also 
interspersed a great variety of miscellaneous notices, of atmo- 
spheric phenomena, meteors, halos, aurora borealis, &c., and of 
the state of the seasons, as indicated by the progress and state 
of vegetation; and sometimes there is a notice of the prev- 
alence of particular diseases. 
In preparing this journal for the press, it was found that only 
a part of these various observations could be published. To 
print the whole in detail, would occupy much more room than 
could be spared for such an object. In making the selection of 
such. parts as seem best adapted to purposes of general utility 
and interest, regard has been had to the facility of a comparison 
with other similar observations, as well as to the nature and com- 
pleteness of the observations themselves. In this point of 
view the observations with the barometer and thermometer are 
the most satisfactory, because in the present improved state of 
those instruments, they furnish a ready comparison with cor- 
