Meteorological Observatio?is for July 1831. 239 



high in the magnetic north ; but the lower arch was low, and could not be 

 traced in consequence of a dark vaporous horizontal cloud before it. At 

 a quarter past ten several bright yellow columns, 20° in altitude, rose 

 from the aurora under Polaris, when one brilliant meteor descended be- 

 tween that star and Dubhe in Ursa Major. Coruscations continued to 

 rise between the true and magnetic north till a quarter to eleven, when the 

 moon was several degrees above the hoi-izon, and the aurora disappearing. 

 It was lately nientioned at Portsmouth by a j)ublic lecturer on aerology, 

 that Jupiter's attraction of the atmosphere of the earth is greater than 

 has been generally supposed ; and that when the moon is near him, he has 

 so powerful an attraction over our atmosphere, as to disturb its elasticity 

 and draw it up considerably out of its spheroidal form, by which means 

 electrical action and a condensation are produced, «o as to cause heavy rain; 

 and that the effect is greater when Jupiter crosses the northern part of 

 the Pacific Ocean in his north declination, and the South Sea and Atlantic 

 Ocean in his south declination, in consequence of the abundance of va- 

 pours arising from them. This opinion (conceived to be new by the 

 lecturer), although not new to men of scientific pursuits, certainly deserves 

 the strictest investigation in a meteorological point of view, it having been 

 verified in almost all the lunations this year, even in this latitude, when 

 the moon has been near Jupiter ; and as this planet is 131:2 times larger 

 than the earth, it is not surprising if we admit the principle of attraction 

 of the heavenly bodies, that he should conjointly with the moon exert so 

 great an influence over our atmosphere. 



The mean temperature of the external air this month is nearly half a 

 degree higher than the mean of July for many years past. 



The atmospheric and meteoric phEenoniena that have come within our 

 observations this month, are, two solar halos ; one meteor; one aurora 

 borealis; lightning on eight days and thunder on four, and five gales of 

 wind, namely, one from the iSorth-east, three from the South-west, and 

 one from the West. 



REMARKS. 



London.— i\\\y 1, 2. Fine. 3. Slight rain: fine. 4: Very fine. 5. Fine : 

 slight rain at night. 6 — 9. Very hot. 10. Tliunder at noon, with slight 

 rain : very heavy storm to the eastward. ] 1. Hot. 12. Heavy showers. 

 13. Rain in the morning: fine. 14. Cloudy: rain at night. 15. Rain, 

 with some thunder in the afternoon. 16. Cloudy, with thunder showers. 

 17 — 19. Fine. 20. Cloudy and windy, with slight rain. 21. Fine. 

 22. Fine, with slight showers. 23. Fine: rain at night. 24 — 27. Very 

 fine and warm. 28. Sultry : thunder, with rain towards night. 29. Very 

 hot : thunder in the afternoon. SO, 31. Very fine. 



Pc7jza«ce.— July 1. Fair. 2.Fair:rain. 3. Fair. 4. Misty:fair. S.Rain: 

 fair. C.Clear. 7. Fair: clear. S.Clear. 9, 10. Fair. 11. Fair: rain. 

 12. Fair: thunder-shower. 1.3. Showers. 1 4. Fair : showers. 15. Fair: 

 rain. 16. Fair : shower. 17. Fair. 18. Showers: fair. 19. Misty: rain. 

 20. Rain : showers. 21,22. Showers. 23. Heavy rain. 24 — 27. Clear. 



28. Fair, 29 — 31. Clear. 



Boston. — iu\y 1, 2. Fine. 3. Cloudy. 4. Fine: Therm. 74° 3 p m. 

 5. Cloudy: rain A.M. 6. Cloudy. 7,8.Fine. 9. Fine: Therm. 78-5, 1 p.m. 

 10. Cloudy: rain P.M. 11. Cloudy. 12. Fine. 13. Cloudy: rain a.m. 

 and P.M. 14. Fine: rain, with heavy thunder-storm 1 p.m. IS, 16. Rain. 

 17_19. Fine. 20. Cloudy. 21. ('loudy: rain early a.m. 22. Stormy. 

 23— -25. Fine. 26. Cloudy. 27. Fine : 'J'herm. 74° 4 p.m. 28. (Cloudy. 



29. Fine : Therm. 80'^ 1 p.m. 30. Cloudy: rain early a.m. 31. Fine. 



Meteoro- 



