1818.] Scientific Intelligence. 459 



IX. On the supposed Meteorological Period of IS Years. 



I recently met with the following passage in Lalande, which 

 1 copy out, as some of your readers may like to look at the autho- 

 rities to which he refers.- It is in the second volume of his 

 Astronomy (1792) at pp. 196, sect. 1504. 



" M. Toaldo trouve que la periode de 18 ans ramene aussiles 

 annees seches ou pluvieuses, chaudes ou froides. (Delia vera 

 Influenza de gli Astri, Saggio Meteorologico, 1770 & 1781, p. 177; 

 Saros Meteorologique, Journal de Physique, torn. xxi. p. 176.) 

 Sur les autres Influences que les Anciens attribuoient a. la Lune, 

 voy. liiccioli (Almag. i. 185; ii. 533) et la Connoissance des 

 Temps, 1765, p. 161." 



It is not my intention to enter into the much disputed point of 

 the moon's influence on the weather ; but the very remarkable 

 seasons of the present year induced me to look back to a meteo- 

 rological journal for 1800, from which I found that the summer 

 then, like the present, was remarkably warm and dry, no rain 

 falling for above two months, from June to August. The crops, 

 as must be the natural consequence of so long a drought, were 

 very short ; but in 1800, the rain came in the latter end of 

 August ; the autumn and seed-time were very fine, and the grass 

 sprung up luxuriantly after the ground had recovered its mois- 

 ture. It will be curious to look back to 1782 and 1764; but I 

 have no books at hand to which I can refer for the quantities of 

 rain which fell in the different months of those years. 



Aug. 20, 1818. S. 



X. Register of t lie Weather at New Malt on, in Yorkshire. 

 May. — Mean pressure of barometer, 29-760 ; max. 30*40 



min. 29*10; range, 1*30 in.; spaces described by the curve 

 4*27 in. ; number of changes, 11. — Mean temperature, 52-171° 

 max. 68 ; min. 38°; range, 30°. — Amount of rain, 2*30 in 

 Wet days, 11. Prevailing winds, N. and E. N. 7 ; N.E. 6 

 E. 9 ; S.E. 2 ; S. 1 ; S.W. 2 ; W. 2 ; var. 2 ; brisk winds, 6. 



June. — Mean pressure of barometer, 29-853 ; max. 30*37 

 min. 29-18; range, 1*19 in.; spaces described by the curve 

 4-81 in.; number of changes, 11. — Mean temperature, 62-360° 

 max. 83°; min. 47°; range, 36°. — Amount of rain, 1*33 in 

 Wet days, 6. Prevailing wind, W. N.E. 4 ; E. 2 : S.E. 1 

 S. 3 ; S.W. 9 ; W. 4 ; var. 4 ; brisk winds, 5 ; boisterous, 2. 



July. — Mean pressure of barometer, 29-870; max. 30-26 

 min. 29*50 ; range, 0-76 in. ; spaces described by the curve 

 4*65 in. ; number of changes, 12. — Mean temperature, 65*000° 

 max. 88°; min. 45°; range, 43°. — Amount of rain, 1*40 in 

 Wet days, 5. Winds, calm and variable. N. 6 ; N.E. 2 ; E. 1 

 S.E. 2 ; S. 3 ; S.W. 4 : W. 6 ; N.W. 4 ; var. 3 ; brisk winds, 3 



August. — Mean pressure of barometer, 29*850 ; max. 30*15 

 min. 29*33 ; range, 0-82 in ; spaces described by the curve 

 3*42 in. ; number of changes, 10. — Mean temperature, 59-2-38° 

 wax. 83°: min. 44°: range, 39°. — Amount of rain, 2*17 in. 



