176 METEOROLOGY. 



It will readily be seen from this brief description that by means of this 

 instrument we obtain a correct record of every change that takes place in 

 the direction and force of the wind, and every particular connected with the 

 fall of rain, all written down by the agency of those elements themselves, at 

 the precise moment such change occurs. It is impossible to forsee the influ- 

 ence this invention may have on the progress of Meteorology, if it should be 

 generally adopted ; and a few facts, as elicited by the one at the Philosophical 

 Institution within the last three months, will, I hope, not be unacceptable. 

 The middle of the last month of the year 1837, was remarkable for the preva- 

 lence ofhigh winds. On Monday, December 18th, in the storm from the S.W. 

 which lasted for fourteen hours, the anemometer registered a force of sixteen 

 pounds pressure on the square foot, which is equal to a velocity of nearly 

 sixty miles an hour. The highest gust of wind happened at twenty mi- 

 nutes before seven p.m. On the following Wednesday, (December 20), 

 this gale was exceeded in force, though not in duration, the highest pres- 

 sure of the wind on that day amounting to twenty-one pounds and a half on 

 the square foot. This happened at a quarter before one p.m., and at five 

 p.m. it again obtained a force of twenty pounds. It is worthy of notice, 

 that the highest temperature indicated by the external thermometer, during 

 the month, happened on this day. It was 55° F. and was attained a few mi- 

 nutes before one o'clock. About the same time, the most violent gust of 

 wind was registered. The present } r ear opened with mild weather ; the mi- 

 nimum of the external thermometer on January 1st, was 41°. On the 2d 

 of January, a violent gale from the S.S.E. caused the instrument to register 

 a force of sixteen pounds on the square foot. On the 9th of February, a re- 

 markable variation of the wind was indicated ; at half-past eleven a.m. its di- 

 rection changed from S.S.E. to N.N.W. within the space of a quarter of an 

 hour, and the barometer began to rise, and the thermometer to fall. The 

 barometer at nine a.m. had fallen to 28.14 inches, which is much lower than 

 it had ever been previously observed at the Philosophical Institution. The 

 greatest force of the wind was five pounds and a half on the square foot. On 

 the 12th the wind changed from W. N. W. to E. N. E. within three quarters 

 of an hour, beginning at five minutes before ten a.m. In this instance, there 

 was no action upon the barometer. On the 15th, there was a brisk wind 

 from the E. S. E. at half-past five p.m. One gust reached a force of eight 

 pounds and a half, when the wind immediately changed to N. N. E. On the 

 following day (the 16th), the direction became due East, and at ten minutes 

 before two p.m. the force amounted to eighteen pounds and a half. On the 

 25th, the barometer was lower than on the 9th. It will be seen by the 

 Journal that the mercury had fallen to 28.12 inches. 



It would be superfluous to make any remark upon these facts ; for, it is 

 evident from the connection shown between the change in the current of the 

 air and its alteration in weight as indicated in the observation on the 9th of 

 February, that if, in conjunction with the Anemometer, a barometer could 

 have indicated the exact instant when the mercury began to move, it might 

 have led to important discoveries in Meteorology. 



W. ICK. 



Birmingham Philosophical Institution, 

 March, 15, 1838. 



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