

Meteorological Obsei-vations. 479 



Its colour was pale or whitish iu its upper portion, or when it ap- 

 peared contrasted with the dark sky ; but in passing through the red, 

 copper, or orange-colonred sky that prevailed lower down, it partook 

 of its shade, and tinged the thin strata of cloud that lay across it with 

 a brighter hue of their own colour. Fifty-five minutes was the longest 

 period that it was visible any evening. I am told that it also appeared 

 very bright some mornings before sunrise. 



If the phsenomenon was uncommon, so was the state of the atmo- 

 sphere when it occurred. The drought was unprecedented ; only 

 about yV-h °f an ulcn °f rani falling in April, which is about -^th of 

 the average quantity in that month in previous years. The atmo- 

 spheric pressure was great, the mercury never being lower than 30"07, 

 nor higher than 3032. The temperature was also high for the 

 month, being 47°* 64, or more than 4° above the average for April. 



The atmosphere was very calm, and the sky near the horizon of 

 that red or copper colour which generally indicates dry and warm 

 weather, so that at last we could anticipate its appearance. I do not 

 presume to explain the mode of its production, but these circumstances 

 may assist others in doing so. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS FOR APRIL 1852. 

 Chiswick. — April 1. Overcast and cold: fine: clear and frosty. 2. Cold dry 

 haze : clear and frosty. 3. Slight fog : fine : clear. 4. Slight haze : overcast : 

 clear. 5, G. Fine. 7. Cloudy. 8. Cold and dry : clear. 9. Very fine. 10. Clear: 

 hazy. 11. Foggy : very fine. 12. Hazy : clear at night. 13. Hazy : very fine : 

 clear. 14. Dry haze : fine, with very dry air : clear. 15. Foggy : slight haze. 

 16. Cloudy and cold. 17. Clear aud fine. 18. Cloudy and cold. 19. Clear and 

 cold : cloudy : clear, with sharp frost at night. 20. Clear : very fine : sharp frost 

 at night. 21. Clear, with excessively dry air. 22. Foggy : fine : clear. 23. Fine, 

 with hot sun. 24. Boisterous. 25. White clouds: fine: clear and frosty at 

 night. 26. Clear: fine: clear and frosty. 27. Cloudy: frosty at night. 28. 

 Cloudy and fine : rain at night. 29. Rain : densely clouded. 30. Cloudy and fine. 



Mean temperature of the month 44°-81 



Mean temperature of April 1851 44 "56 



Mean temperature of April for the last twenty-six years ... 47 "30 



Average amount of rain in April l - 65 inch. 



Boston.— April 1—4. Fine. 5— 7. Cloudy. 8. Fine. 9. Cloudv. 10, 11. Fine. 

 12. Cloudy. 13, 14. Fine. 15— 17. Cloudv. 18. Cloudy : rain a.m. 19. Cloudy. 



20, 21. Fine. 22. Cloudy. 23. Fine. 24. Fine : stormy. 25, 26. Fine. 27. 

 Cloudy. 28. Fine : rain p.m. 29. Cloudy : rain a.m. and p.m. 30. Cloudy. 



Sandurick Manse, Orkney. — April 1. Clear : fine : clear. 2. Cloudy : fine : clear : 

 fine. 3. Bright : fine : clear : fine. 4 — 7. Clear : fine. 8. Bright : damp. 9. 

 Clear : fine : cloudy : fine. 10. Clear : fine : aurora. 11. Hazy : fine : clear : fine : 

 aurora. 12, 13. Bright: fine: warm: fine. 14. Bright: fine: warm: fine: 

 aurora. 15 — 17. Bright: fine: warm: fine. 18. Cloudy: fine: clear: fine: 

 aurora. 19. Bright : fine : clear : fine. 20. Drops: fine: clear: fine: S. aurora. 



21. Clear : fine : clear : aurora. 22, 23. Bright : cloudy : aurora. 24. Clear : fine. 

 25. Clear : fine : aurora. 26. Cloudy : fine. 27. Bright : fine : clear: fine. 28. 

 Cloudy : fine : showers : fine. 29. Fog: damp. 30. Cloudy: clear: fine. 



This mouth has been unprecedentedly fine, dry and warm, with the haromctcr 

 high. 



Mean temperature of this month 47°'64 



Mean temperature of April fur preceding twenty-live years ... 43 '28 



Average amount of rain in April for six years 2 inches. 



The most singular meteorological phenomenon this month was the perpendi- 

 cular column of light which appeared above the sun at setting, extending about 

 15° in height, wider than the apparent diameter of the sun, following his course 

 northwards, and continuing one evening for 55 minutes. It appeared at sunset on 

 the 6th, 11th, 16th, 24th, 26th and 27th, and once or twice before I noted the 

 date, either this month or March, also before sunrise. 



