Meteorological Observations for November. 79 



General Observations. — Considering that November is, in general, the 

 most wet and gloomy month in the year, we may term the present a fine 

 month ; but the prevailing northerly and easterly winds made it cold. It 

 seldom happens in November that we can see the coenilean hue of the sky 

 five days without clouds, which was the case this month. But during one- 

 third of the month much low haze and vapours prevailed, wliich, from the 

 obliquity of the sun's rays, had rather a gravitating than an ascending 

 power. Their floating so near the earth's surface was the cause of exces- 

 sive dampness for several days, which seemed to have a mure powerful 

 effect on the human constitution, than the cold weather with brisk dryin" 

 winds had. On the penetrating effects of sudden vicissitudes of the 

 weather in autumn, we may draw some inference from the discoloured 

 or rusty state of the standing leaves of trees, plants, and polished metals, 

 which is communicated to them by the superabundant quantity of oxygen 

 in the atmosphere near the earth. Nearly two-thirds of the month we 

 have had hoar frost on the ground in the mornings, sometimes accom- 

 panied by ice, which brought on the appearance of an early winter. So 

 early as the middle of the month the hills in the northern districts were 

 said to have been covered with snow. 



On the 1 3th instant, there was a very sudden depression of the quick- 

 silver in the Barometer, and more than an inch of rain fell in the 24 hours : 

 after the quicksilver had attained a pretty high altitude, the dense clouds 

 on the 19th, ~Oth, and 21st, presented a snowy appearance. The 2()th 

 was the coldest day here, when the Thermometer sank three degrees be- 

 low the freezing point, and icy eiHorescences appeared on the inside of 

 the windows the first time this autumn, which indicated that it had frozen 

 within doors. 



The mean temperature of the external air this month is nearly three 

 degrees lower than the mean of November for the last ten years. 



In the morning of the 11th between Hand 9 o'clock, three parhelia ap- 

 peared in the South-east quarter ; one on each side of, and the third above 

 the sun, which latter was formed by the intersection of an inverted co- 

 loured arch with the solar halo that accompanied it, and each parhelion 

 was 22° 35' distant from the sun's centre. 



The atmospheric and meteoric ^yfies/wmena that have come within our 

 observations this month, are three parhelia, one solar and one lunar halo, 

 five meteors, two rainbows, sheet-lightning in the night of the 2Gth, and 

 two gales of wind, namely, one from the North, the other from the S. W. 



London. — Nov. 1. Fine. 2. Fine. 3. Fine day : rainy evening and night. 

 4, 5. Rainy. G. Fine. 7. Fine : white frost. 8. White frost this morning : 

 fine day. 9. White frost this morning: fine day. 10 — 12. Fine. 13. Cloudy 

 day : rainy night. 14 — 16. P'ine. 17. Cloudy. 18, 19. Rainy. 20. Fine. 

 21, 22. Cloudy. 23—25. Fine. 26. Hoar frost with dense fog : afternoon 

 clear : some snow in the evening. 27. Foggy morning : afternoon fine : 

 a little snow in the night. 28. Rainy. 29. Fine during the eclipse of the 

 sun : rain in the afternoon. 30. Cloudy. 



Penzance. — Nov. 1. Showers. 2, 3. Fair. 4 — 6. Fair: showers. 7. Showers. 

 8. Fair. 9, 10. Fair: showers. Jl.Rain. 12. Showers. 13. Rain. 14. Hail 

 showers. 15. Showers. 16. Rain, 17, 18. Showers. 19. Clear: fair. 

 20 — 23. Fair. 24. Showers. 25. Showers: hail and snow. 2G. Fair. 

 27. Clear : hail shower. 28. Rain. 29, 30. Showers : rain at night. 



Boston. — Nov. 1. Cloudy. 2, 3. Fine. 4. Rain. 5. Cloudy : rain a.m. 

 and P.M. C. Cloudy. 7, S.Fine. 9. Cloudy. lO.Rain. 11. Cloudy. 12. Fine. 

 13. Fine: rain at night. 14. Rain. 15, 16. Fine. 17. Rain. 18. Cloudy. 

 1 9. Cloudy : rain a..m. 20—24. Cloudy. 25. Stormy. 26. Fine: snow p.m. 

 27. Fine. 28. Cloudy : rain p.m. 29. Cloudy. 30. Cloudy : rain a.m. 



Meteor- 



