: 
454 Dr. Burney’s Meteorological Observations. [JUNE, 
of the latter, 90 days. The most prevailing currents have come 
from the west, and the ieast from the north. The number of, 
strong gales from particular points of the compass, or rather the 
days on which they have happened, are 51; namely, N. 35 
N.E.4; E. 2; 8.6; S.W. 18; W. 14; N.W. 4; beside two 
hurricanes from the 8. and S.W. on the 4th and 7th of March. 
Although the vane on the observatory is somewhat higher than 
the neighbouring houses, yet it is seldom attended to, exeept the 
sky be cloudless, or in very dark nights. For an approximation 
of the prevailing winds, the direction of the low clouds, or the 
vane or flag at the main top-gallant-mast-head of the flag-ship in 
Portsmouth Harbour, is attended to; as from the eddy winds 
that do exist by means of local attractions and counter currents 
of air, it has been found impossible to ascertain by a low vane 
the true direction of the land breezes. Were this method gene- 
rally adopted by meteorologists, and those who attend occasion- 
ally to the illustration of the weather, we should not see so many 
seeming contrarieties in the names assigned to the winds in 
regular diaries, nor to those that are said to accompany particular 
thunder-storms. 
Nomenclature of Clouds. 
The total numbers, under this head in the table, represent the 
number of days on which the respective modifications of clouds 
have appeared here. The Cirrus and Cumulus clouds are nearly 
equal in number in regard to the days on which they have 
appeared ; the Crrrocumulus and Cumulostratus are exactly so ; 
but as they have often passed over our meridian more than once 
or twice in a day, it would have been tedious to determine which 
has occurred most frequently. The Cirrostratus it appears has 
revailed the greatest number of days, and the Stratus the least. 
The Nzmbus has appeared on 160 different days, although it is 
stated in the table, under Weather, to have rained only 101 days. 
In order to reconcile this seeming difference, it is only necessary 
to mention that a Nimbus is often tormed by an inosculation of the 
Cumulus and Cirrostratus ; also by the descending Cirrus upon 
the Cirrostratus, and may pass off with a small portion of rain 
that will not measure -,th of an inch from the rain-gauge. All 
the modifications of clouds seldom appear in one day; the 
Stratus is seldom seen immediately before the compound 
clouds are disposed to let fall their contents in rain, or otherwise : 
its appearance, on the contrary, is prognostic of a fair day. We 
have, however, by strict attention to atmospherie phenomena, 
been favoured with a sight of allof them in 12 or 14 hours, four 
times during the year, mostly about Michaelmas. A sudden 
simultaneous change of temperature and pressure of the electric 
state of the atmosphere, and of reverse winds, is sometimes the 
cause of this anomaly. 
As most of the atmospheric phenomena have been explained in 
