kept at Futichal, in the Island of Madeira. 365 



rative value, but I hope ere long to obtain others from the 

 same source. The symprisometer I obtained accidentally, 

 and in time only for the December observations : but as it is 

 to me a new instrument, I know nothing of its merits, and give 

 the results merely because I happened to note them at the 

 time as a matter of inquiry. It has hitherto agreed very nearly 

 on an average with what I believe to be an accurate barome- 

 ter, and differed but slightly (after allowing for corrections) 

 in each observation ; and it certainly possesses an advantage 

 in correcting itself for temperature. During three years the 

 highest at which the barometer has ever stood is 30*62 ; — in 

 Gourlay's tables 31* is mentioned: but at 400 feet above the 

 sea (the height of Mr. Murdocli's instrmnent), I will venture 

 to assert that such a phaenomenon never occurred even a quar- 

 ter of a century ago. 28^ inches are also given by him as the 

 lowest; but when I observe in the same tables 26*9 (an evi- 

 dent misprint), I cannot but be charitable enough to give him 

 the benefit of a compositor's blunder, especially when during 

 the period before mentioned (three years) 29*39 is the lowest 

 point to which the mercury has ever descended, and when it 

 was then so notoriously low as to be the theme of general re- 

 mark with several who paid attention to the matter. Generally 

 the barometer is highest with a N.E. wind, and lowest with a 

 S.W. ; the great predominance of the first will, perhaps, ap- 

 pear extraordinary ; but they are in fact the skirtings of the 

 trade-winds. I do not pretend to great accuracy as to the 

 precise points of the compass from which the winds have 

 blown ; upon a mountainous speck in the ocean such as this, 

 the only method of judging is to look to sea with a glass ; for 

 all indicators on shore, or in the bay, serve only to deceive. 

 During the greater part of the year we have a sea and land 

 breeze morning and evening; and with this exception it is 

 rare that the wind changes more than once during the four- 

 arid-twenty hours ; for weeks, sometimes almost for months 

 without intermission, it will come from the N., N.E., and E., 

 and then we have our finest weather ; to the S. of E. we look 

 ior a sirocco, and if it lingers at the S. or passes to the W. 

 of it, heavy warm rain invariably follows, and continues as 

 long as it remains in that quarter ; to the N. ot W. it becomes 

 more violent, and always attended with cold, s(]ua]ly, severe 

 (for this climate) weather; and in the winter with snow upon 

 the summits of the mountains, and most of the little thunder 

 and lightning which occur here — reaching the E. of N. it be- 

 comes again fine; and the sailor's mode ol judging of the 

 weather is here peculiarly applicable. I never remember a 



week's 



