Meteoj-ological Ohservatiojis for March 1829. 399 



General Observations. — The first part of this month was cold and dry, 

 and the latter part mostly fine, with seasonable intervening showers. The 

 wind having prevailed two-thirds of the period from the N.E. and E., the 

 frosts were felt rather keen in the early part of the mornings ; so that the 

 spring was scarcely perceptible till the vernal equinox, on which day, as 

 well as on the 22nd and 29th, the thermometer rose to 60 degrees in the 

 shade. Even in the first week of the month the dust in the roads had very 

 much increased in consequence of the dryness of the N.E. wind, which in 

 March prevails much longer in proportion than in any other month. A 

 more favourable seed-time and for other agricultural purposes could not 

 have happened. The last three winter months have been seasonable and 

 dry, and only three and a quarter inches of rain have fallen here since the 

 end of last December. 



In the mornings of the 1st, 15th, 16th, and 25th, the ice on the ground 

 was more than one-third of an inch thick. 



In the evening of the 12th a large lunar halo appeared, and measured in 

 perpendicular diameter 45 degrees; it was soon followed by light rain and 

 snow, the latter slightly covered Portsdown Hill the following morning. 



The whole of the miornings of the 22nd and 28th, coloured solar halos 

 appeared in beds o( cirrostratus ; their horizontal diameters measured re- 

 spectively 45° 15', and they were also succeeded by rainy nights. 



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

 quarters of a degree under tlie mean of March for the last thirteen years; 

 but this will be advantageous in the end, if the spring should not be un- 

 usually cold and wet, which, from a consideration of the high temperature 

 of the ground, and the times that the lunar phases will happen, are circum- 

 stances not very likely to occur. 



The temperature of spring water has not varied the whole of the month. 



The atmospheric and meteoric phaenomena that have come within our 

 observations this month, are one lunar and two solar halos, two meteors, 

 and four gales of wind from the North-east. 



REMARKS. 



London. — March 1. Clear and cold. 2, 3. Cloudy. 4. Stormy. 5 — 7. 

 Fine. 8. Cloudy: heavy shower of sleet in the afternoon. 9. Cloudy. 

 10. Very fine : slight fog at night. 1 1. Cloudy. 12. Fine. 13, 14. Cloudy. 

 IS. Fine. 16. Clear and cold. 17 — 19. Very fine. 20. Cloudy morning: 

 fine: heavy gale of wind at night. 21 — 25. Fine. 26. Cloudy. 27. Very 

 fine. 28. Fine: heavy rain at night. 29. Wet morning: cloudy. 30,31. 

 Cloudy. 



Boston. — March 1. Fine. 2. Snow. 3— 9. Cloudy. 10. Fine. 11—13. 

 Cloudy. 14. Cloudy : snow A.M. 15 — 19. Fine. 20. Stormy. 21,22. 

 Fine. 23, 24.Cloudy. 25. Fine. 26. Cloudy. 27. Fine. 28, 29. Cloudy. 

 30. Cloudy: rain A.M. 31. Cloudy, 



^ This month has produced less rain than any month for the last five 

 years. 



Penzance. — March 1. Clear. 2—5. Fair. 6. Fair : clear. 7. Fair. 

 8 — 1 0. Fair : clear. 11. Fair. 12. Clear: rain. 13. Fair. 14. Fair: clear. 

 15, IC. Fair. 17. Fair: showers. 18, 19. Rain. 20. Showers: fair. 

 21. Fair. 22. Rain. 23. Misty : fair. 24. Fair. 25, 26. Clear. 27. Fair. 

 28. Fair : rain. 29. Rain : clear. 30. Clear. 31. Fair. 



Meleoro- 



