0/the Spring Months of the Year 1855. 



25 



columns are, therefore, only comparable in a very general way ; they do, 

 however, indicate to us that the lowest morning and evening tempera- 

 tures occurred on the days of minima at most of the stations, and that 

 the changes dming the period were in a great measure correspondent. 

 Setting in on various days between the 9th and 14th January, the 

 frost was fully established at all the stations by the middle of the 

 month, and till the end of Februaiy the weather continued of extreme 

 severity. The whole of March and the first week of AprU exhibited 

 somewhat higher, but still very low general temperatures ; and it was 

 not till the 6th April that genial weather was experienced, with rain and 

 westerly breezes. The period, therefore, comprised from eighty to 

 eighty-five days, one of very unusual continuance, in these islands, of tem- 

 peratures so low and widely experienced. It appears from all the returns, 

 on comparing the indications at high and low adjoining stations, that 

 the cold was more intense at the lower station. The minima, as is usual 

 in such cases, occurred towards the close of the period of greatest 

 severity of the frost, that is, towards the end of February. During the 

 entire period, the wind remained almost constantly in the northern 

 semicii'cle of the horizon, ranging through 135° between E. and N.W. 

 Stornoway alone presents an exception, especially in January, the wind 

 being from the south quarter during twenty-five days, and from the 

 north during the last four days only. The wind was almost always 

 so light that it was often difficult to know the exact point from which 

 it proceeded. The barometric column was at its maximum at the setting 

 in of the frost, at aU the stations. The heights are given in the fol- 

 lowing table : — 



January 



Glasgow, 



Bonhill, 



Stomowaj', 



Sandwick, 



Boston, 



Chiswick, 



30-45 



13 



30-65 

 30-70 

 30-45 

 30-58 

 30-22 

 30-543 



13 



30-65 

 30-69 

 30-45 

 30-54 



30-40 



13 



The minimum at Glasgow was 29714, and occurred on the 25th 

 February, with snow-fall and wind at N.E. At tlie other stations the 

 minima were nearly correspondent, being towards the close of the 

 month. The heights corresponding to the lowest temperature on Feb. 

 17th were 30004 and 29-964, at Glasgow. At the other stations the 

 height of the mercury at the times of lowest temperatures was also 

 intermediate between the maximum and minimum, as will be seen by 

 reference to the tables. In no case does the minimum temperature 



Vol-. IV.— No. 1. E 



