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Meteorological Journal for May. 455 
parabolic reflector, of equal size, illuminated by an Argand 
lamp, and placed nearly in the same direction, as an object of 
reference, at the distance of 15 miles. 
Results of a Meteorological Journal for May 1826, kept at 
the Observatory of the Royal Academy, Gosport, Hants. 
General Observations. 
This month has been fine and generally dry, with a long 
continuance of North and North-east winds, which brought 
on hoar-frost before sunrise almost every morning till the 
middle of the month. Till the 18th instant the air was re- 
markably dry, and for the preceding three weeks. scarcely 
enough rain fell to moisten the ground. This dry period, with 
unobstructed sunshine, was the means of dust accumulating so 
much on the main roads, as to render travelling uncomfortable 
at this pleasant season. 
The warm showers of rain since the 18th have changed the 
appearance of the parched grass-lands to a fine green: the 
corn blades, however, retained their verdant colour through- 
out the month, and look promising. The effects of the frosts 
the latter end of last month and the first part of this, are 
visible both on the wall-fruit and other trees, and also in the 
appearance of the potato-tops in many districts, although they 
are now recovering. 
The mean temperature of the external air this month, is 
one degree and a half under the mean of last May, and nearly 
half a degree under the mean of that month for the last ten 
years. But during the last few days summer appears to have 
suddenly opened upon us by an increased temperature, with 
mild and refreshing showers. 
The temperature of spring-water has increased about one 
degree this month. 
In the evening of the 21st, the Chaffers were on the wing, 
being the first time they had been seen this spring. The same 
evening the full moon rose in a striking manner behind pur- 
ple surmounted by red haze (or descending mist so tinged b 
the horizontal rays of the sun and spreading a blush on the 
twilight), which gave to her large disc a blood-red colour. 
The atmospheric and meteoric phenomena that have come 
within our observations this month, are one anthelion at 
2 o'clock in the afternoon of the 12th, two parhelia in the 
morning of the 9th; three solar halos, five meteors, one rain- 
bow, lightning in the evenings of the Ist and 10th, distant 
thunder in the afternoon of the 24th; and two gales of wind, 
one from the North, the other from North-east. 
Numerical 
