Meteorological Observations. 399 



EQUIVALENT OF PHOSPHORUS. 



Prof. Schrotter has determined the equivalent of phosphorus by 

 burning amorphous phosphorus in oxygen gas. A mean of ten de- 

 terminations, which scarcely differ, gave as the true equivalent 387 5 

 on the oxygen, or 31 upon the hydrogen scale. One gramme of 

 phosphorus according to this yields, on burning, 2-289186 grms. 

 of phosphoric acid. Pelouze's determination, 32, is consequently 

 too high. — Journal fur Prakiische Chemie, vol. liii. p. 435. 



PRODUCTION OF CYANIDE OF POTASSIUM. 

 M. Rieken has confirmed by careful experiments the results of 

 Bunsen and Playfair, that cyanide of potassium is formed when car- 

 bonate of potash intimately mixed with carbon is heated to whiteness 

 in a current of previously heated nitrogen gas. The temperature 

 must be that at which potassium is formed, and the nitrogen must 

 be strongly ignited before passing over the mixture. The necessity 

 of fulfilling these conditions will render the process very difficult of 

 execution upon a large scale. — Ann. der Chemie und Pharmacie, 

 vol. lxxix.p. 77. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS FOR MARCH 1852. 

 Chiswick. — March 1. Fine. 2. Overcast : fine : clear, with sharp frost. 3. Clear 

 and frosty : fine : sharp frost at night. 4. Very fine : clear : severe frost at night. 

 5. Frosty : bright sun : frosty. 6. Slight haze : clear. 7. Frosty, with haze : 

 fine : slight haze. 8. Uniform haze : overcast. 9. Cold dry haze : fine : clear. 

 10. Hazy: foggy at night. 11. Hazy: densely overcast. 12. Cloudy: clear. 

 13. Flying haze : cold and dry. 14. Uniformly overcast. 15. Foggy : dusky haze. 

 16. Slight drizzle : cloudy. 17,18. Cloudy and cold. 19. Cold haze : white 

 clouds : clear and frosty. 20. Clear and fine : frosty. 21, 22. Fine. 23. Slight 

 haze : fine : clear : frosty. 24. Overcast: densely clouded. 25. Clear: overcast. 

 20. Clear: cloudy : frosty. 27. Frosty: cloudy : clear. 28. Overcast. 29. Hazy : 

 fine: rain. 30. Rain: cloudy and mild : overcast. 31. Uniform haze: overcast 

 and cold : cloudy. 



Mean temperature of the month 36 0- 92 



Mean temperature of March 1851 41 '72 



Mean temperature of March for the last twenty-six years ... 42 -52 



Average amount of rain in March 1*40 inch. 



Boston. — March 1. Fine. 2. Cloudy. 3. Fine: snow a.m. and p.m. 4 — 7. Fine. 

 8, 9. Cloudy. 10. Foggy. 11. Cloudy. 12. Fine. 13. Cloudy. 14. Cloudy : rain 

 a.m. 15. Cloudy: rain p.m. 10, 17. Cloudy. 18. Fine. 19. Cloudy. 20— 20. Fine. 

 27, 28. Cloudy. 29. Fine. 30. Cloudy: rain early a.m. and p.m. 31. Cloudy. 

 Sandwick Marine, Orkney. — March 1. Snow-showers. 2. Snow-showers : snow. 

 ;;. Snow: fine. 4. Snow: fine: light halo. 5. Thaw: clear: fine. 6. Fine: 

 clear: fine. 7. Fine : hazy. 8. Fog : fine : fog. 9. Fog. 10 — 15. Hazy : fine. 

 16. Drops : hazy : fine. 1/. Hazy : line : cloudy: fine. 18. Bright : fine : cloudy : 

 fine. 19—21. Bright : fine : clear : cloudy : aurora. 22. Cloudy : fine. 23. Fog : 

 cloudy. 24. Bright: cloudy. 25. II ail-showers. 26. Hail-showers : snow- 

 . 27. Snow-Bhowers. 28. Snow: bright i snow: clear. 29. Cloudy: 

 mow-thowers. 30. Bright : clear. 31. Cloudy. — Tbia month hu been remark- 

 ably fine .'ind dry, with a high barometer and thermometer. The average quantity 

 of rain in March fur lis previous years was 2 55, and in one month only was the 

 quantity smaller, viz, Sept. 1846, when it was only -00. The average temperature 

 of March for twenty-six previous years 10-38. The average state of the baro- 

 meter has not been higher since May 1844, when it was 30'213. 



