514- Mr. J. Glaisher's Remarks on the Weather 



Usually a period of many years passes between two read- 

 ings of the barometer so low as 28"3 inches. In the last 

 quarter i spoke of the remarkably low reading of 28*383 

 inches as occurring on December 7 at 3'* a.m. ; it will be seen 

 from the preceding accounts, that on February 26, at 9^ 45"* 

 A.M., the reading was lower than that in the preceding Decem- 

 ber, being 28*299 inches. This circumstance, in addition to 

 the other successive low readings, render this period one of 

 the most remarkable in a meteorological point of view ; and 

 an investigation of the several successive barometrical waves 

 would be highly instructive. The returns I have received do 

 not enable me to indicate the direction of motion of a single 

 v?ave. The observer at Stonyhurst says, "On February 27, 

 at l"* P.M., the reading of the barometer was the lowest during 

 the quarter, being 28" 140 inches; and during the period be- 

 tween February 22 and March I, the reading was always 

 below 28-8 inches." 



The observer at Latimer says, " On February 3, at 9'* a.m., 

 the reading was 30'048 inches; on the 10th, at 3^* p.m., it 

 was 28*556 inches; on the 18th, at 9^ a.m., it was 30*132 

 inches; on the 26th, at 9** a.m., it was 28*096 inches; on the 

 29th, at g"! A.M., it was 29*108 inches; on March 1, at 9^ 

 a.m., it was 28*455 inches; on March 8, at 9^ a.m., it was 

 29-974 inches; and on March 12, at 9^ a.m., it was 28*442 

 inches." 



The observer atCardington says, " The following extremely 

 low readings of the barometer have taken place. On Febru- 

 ary 12, at 9'' A.M., it was 28*63 inches; on the 26th, at noon, 

 it was 28*63 inches; on March 1, at 9^ a.m., it was 28*64 

 inches; on the 12th, at 9^ a.m., it was 28*63 inches; and on 

 the 21st, at 9^ a.m., it was 28*74 inches." 



It appears, therefore, that the great fluctuations of the read- 

 ings of the barometer have been general. 



The unusual meteorological character of the period which 

 we have just experienced, together with its influence on the 

 public health, makes it an object of general interest to trace 

 the cause of so remarkable a phaenomenon. To enable per- 

 sons who have time at their disposal for this investigation, I 

 iiave detailed the principal meteorological facts for England 

 for the period, and which may be briefly mentioned as exhi- 

 biting an excess of temperature for the six months ending 1848, 

 March 31, of 2°*55 upon the average t'or the same period from 

 the seven preceding years, — an excess remarkable both for 

 its amount and continuance. During the past quarter, the 

 amount of water mixed with the air has been about its average 

 value, although in consequence of the high temperature, the 



