Meteorological Observations made at Clapton. 159 
Fel. 6.—Calm cloudy morning, with mizzling rain: at night’ 
blew a gale from SW. and a clearer sky, but falling Barometer. 
Fel. 7.—Gale from SW. Confused and rainy appearances of 
cirrus andother clouds. \Therm, 50. Many sea gulls, Lari cant, 
in the marshes. ' 
Feb. 9.—Wind W. Some cauliflower-like cirrocumulus and 
other confused clouds. Barom. getting up to 30.00. The raven 
croaking while sailing round and round aloft. 
Feb, 10.—SW. breeze. Clouded, damp and warm. 
Fel. 11.—Various confused features of the modifications. 
Warm and muggy day. Wind SW. and §. Sea gulls abound 
about the marshes of the river Lea. 
Feb, 12.—Overcast and dark day. The conflagration of the 
Custom-house occasioned a curious phenomenon this morning. 
Looking out of the window, I observed the air replete with de- 
tachments of a black light substance, which on minute inspec- 
tion appeared to be fragments of burnt paper, coming over from 
the south in a very gentle wind, from the fire at the Custom- 
house. ‘These papers must have been carried to a great height 
in the air; for after the lower current of wind got to E., which it 
. did for a short time, I observed numerous portions of the said papers 
coming also from that quarter. Whether they were carried up 
aloft merely by the current of heated air from the fire, or whe- 
ther the explosion of the gunpowder which took place heaved 
them up on high, is uncertain; their long continued appear- 
ance, and the extent to which they were carried, (for they went 
some miles into Essex,) seems to indicate the former cause. 
Fel. 13.—Clouded still day, wind southerly. The floods, 
which have been more or less out ever since the thaw, are daily 
abating,’ and the water-mills on the Lea work again as usual. 
Clapton, Feb. 13, 1814. Tuomas FoRSTER. 
P.S.—In a former paper, and also in my Researches about 
Atmospheric Phenomena, p. 92, I noticed that the changes of 
wind appeared to take place first above, and to be continued 
downwards. Some experiments made with Thermometers sus- 
pended at different heights, have induced me to believe the same 
thing to happen with respect to the changes of temperature, It 
would be a good thing to try this by repeated observations ou 
Mr. Six’s or the self-registering Thermometer hung at different 
altitudes along high-erected poles. ‘The instruments might be 
drawn up and down the poles by means of strings hung over pulleys 
at the top. The old May-poles, which still remain in many of our 
country villages, might be converted to this use. Paper kites, 
too, might be made large enough to carry up ‘Thermometers at 
their tails. 
METEORO-~ 
