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Meteorological Observations made at the Imperial Acadenuj of 

 Sciences of St Petersburg, from 1822 to 1835. and calcu- 

 lated by M. A. T. KUPFFER.-' 



The meteorological observations which M. Kupffer has just 

 calculated and published, were made by M. Wisniewsky. They 

 are not the first which have been made at St Petersburg. 

 Some go so far back as 1726 ; but they were printed with few 

 details in the Memoirs of the Academy. Nevertheless, M. 

 Kupffer, after having collected them into several tables, an- 

 nounces that he will compare . them with those recently exe- 

 cuted, in order to deduce from this comparison certain con- 

 clusions concerning the changes which, it is said, have for 

 some time been observed in the climate of St Petersburg. 



From the numerous results which the volume just published 

 by M. Kupffer contains, we have selected some, which ap- 

 peared to us of great interest, whether considered in their own 

 nature, or on account of the geographical position of the place 

 M'here they were obtained. But before placing them before 

 our readers, we shall mention some preliminary observations 

 of M. Kupffer concerning meteorology, as remarkable for their 

 justness, as they are instructive for the summary which they 

 present of the labours undertaken at St Petersburg on this 

 subject. 



" Meteorology is the natural philosophy of the people of the 

 world ; it observes nature in general, and such as she presents 

 herself of her own accord, and requires no great extent of ac- 

 quirements, either in the knowledge or management of in- 

 struments ; it employs no skilfully combined artifice to sur- 

 prise the secret of nature. It is for this reason also, that it is 

 one of the most anciently cultivated sciences. We have a 

 work of Aristotle on Meteorology ; and in Egypt, the study of 

 the succession of the seasons, and the rise of the Nile, a true 

 meteorological phenomenon, ascends to the highest antiquity ; 

 the origin of meteorology and that of astronomy are mixed 

 up together in all the mommiental and traditional history of 

 early states. 



* Bibliotli. Univ. dc Geneve, No. 41. (May), published 2fttb June IBS'.l, 



