Meteorological Observations. 271 
“ Remarks.—St. Johns is in lat. 47° 34’ 3” N. and lon. 52° 38” 
30” W. ‘The height of the barometer above the level of the sea 
is 140 feet. From the foregoing table it will be observed that in 
the peculiar climate of this Island the mean temperature of the 
month of September is very little below that of July, whilst that 
of October is nearly equal to that of June. The first fortnight in 
February is usually the severest part of the winter—in which pe- 
tiod the thermometer in some seasons sinks to from 10° to 20° 
below the zero of Fahrenheit. It will also be seen that in the 
year 1836 there was only one month (August) in which frost did 
hot occur. ‘The temperature above shown is the mean of the 
maximum and minimum of every 24 hours commencing at 9 a. m. 
It generally happens, therefore, that the greatest degree of cold 
occurs on the morning following the date here shown. Where 
two dates are mentioned, it shows, of course, that the same extreme 
occurred on both days. 
“ As regards the barometer, it may be observed that it is scarcely 
ever steady for 6 hours together. Its oscillations are often great 
and sudden, sometimes as much as from 14 to 24 inches, in the 
course of 36 hours. ~ These are greatest and most frequent in the 
Winter months—during which period almost every variety of 
Weather is experienced in the course of every four days. The 
barometer attains, during that interval, to the height of from 30.20 
to 30.40 inches, the weather being calm and serene and the cold 
Severe—the mercury soon indicates a change—a breeze springs 
up from the S. E. and increases to a gale with snow and drift. 
This is most frequently, although not always, succeeded by 
heavy rain from S. W. (the temperature, which in the morning 
was perhaps near or below zero, rising to above 40 degrees) and 
in a few hours the wind, which generally subsides after the rain, 
suddenly shifts to the N. W., with a strong breeze. ‘The barom- 
eter (which on these occasions falls rapidly and almost always 
Sinks to several 10ths below 29 in.) then begins to rise again, as 
rapidly as it had before fallen. At the turn of the barometer, the 
gale increases for a few hours, and then gradually subsides. The 
barometer very rarely rises above 30.50 inches, and has never, 
€xcept on one occasion, during the above period of five years, 
fallen as low as 28.50 inches.” 
