Meteorological Observations. 319 



action of absorbed oxygen in the liquid is out of the question. 

 Neither could it be taken into consideration in regard to this circuit, 

 because the body liberated in the tube filled with muriatjc acid is 

 chlorine, which resembles oxygen, and hence does not annihilate its 

 action, but is associated with it in its effect. The cessation of the 

 current can therefore only be explained by the chlorine which is 

 liberated in the tube containing the liquid polarizing the platinum 

 in it in the same manner as the oxygen does in the tube containing 

 the gas. This corresponds perfectly with the fact found by Grove, 

 according to which chlorine renders platinum even more strongly 

 electrically polar than oxygen does. 



Starting from this point of view, the author found that when a 

 strip of platinum is brought into contact with amalgamated zinc in 

 dilute sulphuric acid, hydrogen is evolved from the platinum. Now 

 as platinum also possesses the property of causing hydrogen to 

 combine with electro-negative bodies, the author took advantage of 

 this circumstance to obtain hydriodic and hydrobromic acids. If 

 iodine or bromine be added to the above-mentioned liquid, in a short 

 time its colour disappears, and the hydrogen acids of these bodies 

 are formed. In the course of three days a considerable quantity of 

 hydriodic and hydrobromic acids may be obtained. By distillation 

 they may be separated from the liquid, which contains sulphate of 

 zinc in solution. — Verhandl. der Physikal. Medicin. Gesellsch. zu 

 Wiirzburg, 1851, vol. ii. p. 329-331. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS FOR FEB. 1852. 

 Chisnvick. — February 1. Rain : clear and fine. 2. Rain : cloudy and mild : 

 densely overcast. 3. Clear : exceedingly fine : clear at night. 4. Uniformly over- 

 cast : rain. 5. Densely clouded : rain. 6. Clear : slight shower : clear : frosty. 



7. Clear: very fine: overcast. 8. Boisterous, with rain: overcast: rain. 9. Cloudy 

 and fine: showery: clear. 10. A few snow-flakes: cloudy and cold: clear at 

 night. 11. Clear and frosty : fine: sharp frost at night. 12. Frosty and foggy : 

 very fine : clear : slight frost. 13. Densely overcast : fine : overcast. 14. Hazy: 

 uniformly overcast: clear. 15. Overcast. 16. Fine: densely overcast. 17. 

 Cloudy: 'fine. 18. Low white clouds: clear. 19. Clear and cold. 20. Clear 

 and frosty: very sharp frost at night. 21. Severe frost : fine. 22. Cloudy and 

 cold. 23. Fine, hut cold. 24,25. Clear and cold. 26. Slight rain: uniforrnly 

 overcast. 27. Cloudy : rain. 28. Slight rain : clear at night. 29. Clear : over- 

 cast and cold. 



Mean temperature of the month 38 0, 72 



Mean temperature of Feb. 1851 38 "44 



Mean temperature of Feb. for the last twenty-six years ... 40 -06 



Average amount of rain in Feb 1"62 inch. 



Betton. — Feb. 1. Fine. 2. Cloudy: rain early a.m. 3. Fine. 1,5. Rain: 



rain a.m. and p.m. 6. Fine : stormy. 7. Fine. 8. Rain : rain early a.m. and p.m. 



9. Cloudy: rain with lightning a.m. and p.m. 10. Cloudy: rain a.m. and p.m. 



11, 12. Fine. 13, 14. Cloudy. 15, 16. Cloudy: rain p.m. 17. Cloudy. 18— 



21. Fine. 22, 23. Cloudy. 24. Fine. 25. Cloudy. 26. Cloudy : rain early a.m. 



and p.m. '-'7. Ftoe. 28. Cloudy. 2'.). Fine. 



Sandu .<■/. Monte, Orkney*— Feb. 1 , Clear : fine : aurora. 2. Cloudy. 3. Cloudy : 



■leet-ibowert. I. Rain: showers. 5. Showery: clear. C, 7. Sleet-sbowera, 



8. Drizzle : rain. 9. Sleet-showers. 10. Bright : clear. 11. Cloudy. 12. Cloudy: 

 clear : aurora. 13. Brigl : aurora. 11. Drops : drizzle. 1">. Bright i 



hail-shown* : S. aurora. 16. HaiL-SbOWen S S. aurora. 17. Kaiu : miow -showers : 

 S. aurora. 18. Snow-showers : S. aurora. 19. Snow-drift: S. aurora. 20. Bright: 

 cloudy. 21. Thaw: cloudy: aurora. 22. Cloudy: aurora. 23. Fine: cloudy: 

 fine. 21,25. Cloudy: fine. 26. Cloudy: showers. 27. Showers : drizzle. 28. 

 Snow-showers : showers. 29. Snow -showers. 



