Meteorological Observations. 463 



columbium and its various oxides and other combinations. But we 

 ought not to overlook what was done before him. 



The matter is now reduced to a verj^ simple issue. 



We have columbium in the American and Bodenmais columbites, 

 and probably now in some other minerals. 



We have tantalum in Swedish tantalite and yttrotantalite, and 

 probably in some other minerals. 



Of all courses, one of the most ill-advised seems that followed by 

 some English chemists, of giving occasionally the name of columbium 

 to tantalum, which, as I understand the matter, is now quite ascer- 

 tained to be different from any of the other metals. This course 

 can only lead to confusion. Tantalum is not columbium. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS FOR APRIL 1854. 



Chiswici. — April 1, 2. Very fine. 3. Fine: clear: frosty. 4. Slight haze: 

 cloudless: very clear. 5. Very fine. 6. Foggy: veiy fine. 7 — 9. Very fine. 

 10. Foggy: cold haze. 11. Hazy: fine: clear. 12. Cold haze : very dry air : 

 partially overcast. 13. Dry haze : fine: clear. 14,15. Very fine. 16. Quite 

 clear : very fine : overcast. 17. Light clouds : fine: clear. 18. Slight haze : fine : 

 very clear. 19. Slight haze : cloudless. 20. Very fine. 21. Cloudy. 22. Uni- 

 formly overcast : drizzling rain. 23. Cloudy and cold, vrith dry air : boisterous : 

 very clear. 24. Cloudless : masses of white clouds formed in the forenoon : ex- 

 cessively dry air : very clear : severe and destructive black frost at night. 25. Light 

 clouds : very dry air : clear. 26. Overcast. 27. Showery. 28. Cloudy and cold : 

 very clear. 29. Rain : cloudy : clear. 30. Rain : cloudy : overcast. — The frost 

 on the 24th was more severe than in any April for at least thirty previous years. 



Mean temperature of the month 47°'53 



Mean temperature of April 1853 45 '44 



Mean temperature of April for the last twenty-eight years . 47 "16 



Average amount of rain in April 1'64 inch. 



£o»<on.— April 1—7. Fine. 8. Cloudy. 9— 14. Fine. 15. Cloudy. 16—20. 

 Fine. 21. Rain a.m. 22. Rain a.m. and p.m. 23— 26. Cloudy. 27. Rain a.m. 

 and p.m., with thunder and lightning. 28. Rain a.m. 29. Cloudy : rain a.m. 

 30. Cloudy : rain p.m. 



Sandwich Manse, Orkney. — April 1. Rain a.m. : rain, clear p.m. 2. Clear a.m. : 

 showers p.m. 3. Showers a.m. : rain p.m. 4. Bright a.m. : cloudy p.m. 5. 

 Showers a.m. : cloudy p.m. 6. Drizzle a.m. : clear p.m. 7. Bright a.m. : cloudy 

 p.m. 8. Bright a.m. : showers p.m. 9. Bright a.m. : cloudy p.m. 10. Bright a.m. : 

 showers p.m. 11. Bright a.m. : clear, aurora p.m. 12. Clear a.m. and p.m. 13. 

 Fine a.m. : clear p.m. 14. Fine, clear a.m. : clear, aurora p.m. 15. Fog a.m. : 

 damp p.m. 16, Cloudy a.m. : clear p.m. 17. Clear, fine a.m. and p.m. 18, 

 19. Clear a.m. : clear, aurora p.m. 20. Clear, fine a.m. : clear, fine, aurora p.m. 

 21. Clear, fine a.m. : cloudy p.m. 22. Cloudy a.m. and p.m. 23. Snow-showers 

 a.m. : cloudy p.m. 24. Cloudy a.m. : cloudy, solar halo p.m. 25. Bright a.m. : 

 clear p.m. 26. Damp a.m. : rain p.m. 27. Showers a.m. and p.m. 28. Snow- 

 showers A.M. and p.m. 29. Clear a.m. : rain p.m. 30. Showers a.m. : showers, 

 clear p.m. 



Mean temperature of April for twenty-seven previous years . 43°'43 



Mcai temperature of April 1853 44 '49 



Mean temperature of this month 44 '68 



Average quantity of rain in April for thirteen previous years 186 inch. 



