Meteorological Observations. 383 



Thus then it appears that an oxidation of ammonia to nitric acid 

 in the animal organism has not by any means been proved by 

 Dr. Bence Jones's experiments. It remained, therefore, necessary 

 to ascertain by some other means whether such a formation of nitric 

 acid really took place. For this purpose, concentrated urine, mixed 

 with a few drops of nitric acid, was distilled with phosphoric acid ; 

 and the distillate did not give the slightest reaction either with 

 starch and iodide of potassium or with protosulphate of iron. 



After these results, the author considers it unnecessary to enter 

 more fully upon the consideration of the various deductions from 

 Dr. Bence Jones's experiments ; such, for instance, as the assumed 

 formation of nitric acid from urea introduced into the stomach, espe- 

 cially as Frerich has already proved that this is always attended 

 by an increase in the quantity of urea in the nv'me.—Journ. fur 

 Prakt. Chem., June 1853. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS FOR MARCH 1854. 

 Chiswick. — March 1. Frosty: very fine : clear, with sharp frost at night. 2. 

 Frosty : very fine : hazy. 3. Very dense fog : foggy : partially overcast : frosty! 

 4. Frosty, with slight fog : overcast. 5. Overcast: clear: dense fog. 6. Dense 

 fog : foggy throughout. 7. Foggy : fine : overcast. 8. Cloudy : overcast : clear. 

 9. Overcast: very fine : overcast. 10. Cloudy: slight rain. 11. Fine: clear. 

 12. Shghtfog: very fine. 13. Clear and fine. 14. Cloudy: slight rain, is! 

 Foggy: cloudy. 16. Cloudy and fine. 17. Clear throughout : frosty at night! 

 18. Slight haze : rain. 19. Rain : overcast. 20. Clear and cold. 21, 22. Fine. 

 23. Cloudy and cold. 24, 25. Overcast. 26. Cloudv. 27. Overcast : very fine! 



28. Cloudy : very fine. 29. Clear : very fine. 30. Overcast : fine. 31. Clear 

 throughout. 



Mean temperature of the month 42°'54 



Mean temperature of March 1853 37 -41 



Mean temperature of March for the last twenty-eight years. 42 -23 



Average amount of rain in March 1-36 inch. 



Bos/ow.— March 1 — 3. Fine. 4,5. Cloudy. 6, 7. Foggy. 8, 9. Cloudy. 10. 

 Fine. 11. Cloudy. 12, 13. Fine. 14. Cloudy : rain a.m. 15. Fine. 16. Cloudy! 

 rain A.M. 17. Fine : rain a.m. and p.m. 18. Cloudy. 19. Fine. 20 — 26. Cloudy 

 27. Fine : rain a.m. 28. Cloudy. 29. Fine. 30. Cloudy. 31. Fine. 



Sandwich Mame, OrAney.^March 1. Cloudy a.m. and p.m. 2. Bright a.m. : 

 cloudy p.m. 3. Clear, fine a.m. : clear, aurora p.m. 4. Clear, fine a.m. : 

 clear p.m. 5. Bright a.m. : drizzle p.m. 6, 7. Cloudy a.m. and p.m. 8. Bright 

 a.m. : clear p.m. 9. Rain a.m. : cloudy p.m. 10. Bright a.m. : showers p.m. 

 11. Rain a.m.: cloudy p.m. 12. Bright a.m. : clear p.m. 13. Bright a.m. :' 

 cloudy p.m. 14. Cloudy a.m. : fine p.m. 15. Clear a.m. : cloudy p.m. 16. 

 Cloudy a.m.: clear p.m. 17. Cloudy a.m.: drops p.m. 18. Cloudy a.m.: 

 showers p.m. 19, 20. Cloudy a.m. : clear, aurora p.m. 21. Bright a.m. : cloudv, 

 aurora p.m. 22. Cloudy a.m. and p.m. 23. Cloudy a.m. : clear p.m. 24. Cloudy 

 A.M. and P.M. 25. Cloudy a.m. : clear, aurora p.m. 26. Bright a.m. : clear, 

 aurora p.m. 27. Showers a.m. : cloudy p.m. 28. Clear a.m. : cloudy, hazy p.m. 



29. Cloudy a.m. : cloudy, drizzle p.m. 30. Clear a.m. and p.m. 31. Clear a.m. : 

 cloudy p.m. 



Mean temperature of March for twenty-seven previous years . 40°'37 



Mean temperature of this month 45 -14 



Mean temperature of March 1853 38-24 



Average quantity of rain in March for thirteen previous years 2-59 inches. 



The mean temperature of this month is higher than that of any March for the 



last twenty-seven years, and the barometer on the 4th was as high as on any day 



during the same period except on two, viz. 27th December 1840, when it was 



30-72, and on 1st February 1841, when it was 30-70. 



On the 30tb, about 8 o'clock p.m., a comet with a long tail was seen N.W. 

 about 1" above the horizon, and remained visible to the naked eye, and attracting 

 attention for an hour and a half, but has not been seen since then, as the sky was 

 too cloudy for several evenings. 



