684 
Statistics times so severely wounded by the hail as to occasion their 
death; and it has even been asserted, that men have 
been known to be killed by the hail, when they could 
not procure shelter. 
The climate of France naturally divides itself into 
four zones, according to the vegetable produce which 
each affords. The most northern of these divisions bears 
a considerable resemblance, in its vegetable produce and 
in its climate, to England: the second differs from the 
first principally in exhibiting here and there a few vine- 
yards: in the third, fields of maize begin to make their 
appearance ; and the fourth is distinguished from the 
preceding by the intermixture of olives, mulberries with 
corn, vines, and maize. The line of separation between 
vines and no ‘vines is at Coucy, ten miles tothe north 
of Soissons ; at Clermont in the Beauvoisis; at Beau- 
mont'in Maine; and Herbignac, near Guerande in Brit- 
tany. The ‘line of separation between ‘maize and no 
maize is first seen on the western side of the kingdom, 
in going from the Angoumois and entering Poitou, at 
Verac, near Ruffee: in crossing Lorraine, it is met with 
between Nancy and Luneville. If these lines between 
vines and no vines, and between maize and no maize, 
be drawn on the map of France, it will be found, that 
they proceed in an oblique line from the south-west to 
the north-east, being parallel’ to each other. The line 
which the vines forms is nearly unbroken ; but that form- 
ed by the maize in the central part of France, proceeds 
no farther north than the southern part of the Limosin. 
The line of olives is also pretty nearly from south-west 
to north, in the same oblique direction. In proceeding 
to the southward from Lyons, they are first met with at 
Montelimart ; and, in proceeding from Bezieres to the 
Pyrenees, they are lost at Carcassone. Hence it ap- 
pears, that there is a considerable difference between the 
climate of France in the eastern and western parts ; the 
eastern side of the kingdom indicating, by its produc- 
tions, 24 degrees of latitude of more heat than the 
western. 
Having made these general remarks on the climate of 
the different parts of France, we shall next proceed to 
lay before-our readers an abstract of the most careful 
metecrological observations, as they respect the thermo- 
meter, barometer, wirids and rain. 
I, The annual heat of London and Paris is nearly the 
same; but, from the beginning -of April to the end of 
October, the heat is greater at Paris than at London. 
If the annual temperature of London’ be-represented by 
1000, the average degree of cold in January by 1000, 
and the average coe of heat in July by 1000, the an- 
nual temperature of’ Paris may be represented by 1028 ;’ 
the average d of-cold of Paris in January by 1040 ; 
and of heat in July by 1037. ‘The annual temperature 
of Bourdeaux will be represented by 1090; the average 
Division of 
the climate 
into four 
zones. 
Tempera- 
ture, 
degree of cold in January by 925 ; and the average de-" 
gree of heat in July by 1139. ‘The annual temperature 
of Montpellier will be represented by 1170; the average 
degree of cold in January by 850 ; and the average de- 
gree of heat in July by 1196. ° 
' In the centre of France, the greatest heat averages 
27 degrees of Reaumur’s thermometer, and the greatest 
cold 7 degrees: in the north of France, the test heat 
is 28° 2’, and the least 6° 6’: in the ehet of Wiiaibh the 
FRANCE. ¢ 
test heat is 24° 8’, the least 9° 5’: in the west of 
runce, the greatest heat is 24°, and the least 6°. In 
the south-east, at Mon » the heat is 28° 1’, 
the least 3°.7’.. At Marseilles, meteorological ob- 
servations of nine successive years an average of 
25° 3’ for the heat, amd 3° 1) for the least. 
IL. In the neighbourhood of Paris, the barometer ne= po: omoter, 
ver continues twenty-four hours without ing. . The 
barometer rises and falls sooner in Seceettiae. 
than in the eastern. M. Burckhardt, after 15,000 baro- 
metrical observations, in order to calculate the influence 
of the winds on the barometer in France, found that 
the south wind gave, for 2 mean height, 27 inches 11.3 
lines, while an east wind raised the ‘to 28 inches 
1.9 line. He also found, that the tht of the baro- 
meter-on the Mediterranean shores of France was 28 7 
inches 2.2 lines, while its height on the Atlantic shores 
was 28 inches 2.6 lines. i wy / ; 
In the centre of France, the greatest height of the 
mercury in the barometer, on an average of several years, 
is 28 inches 5.7 lines, its least height 27 inches 3.3 lines : 
in the north of France, the greatest height is 27 inches . 
10.10 lines, the least 26 inches 8.5 lines: in the west, - : 
the average height of the mercury in the barometer is eg 
28 inches $ lines: in the north-east, at Montpellier, the 
greatest height is 28 inches 5.3 lines, the least 27 inches 
5.5 lines. At Marseilles, the height of mercury 
in the barometer is 28 inches 7.2 lines, the least 27 inches 
3.7 lines. ; son 
III. It appears from the result of observations made Winds 
by M. Cotte, at 86 different places in France, that along | 
the whole south coast of that kingdom, the wind blows q 
most frequently from the north, north-west, and north« 
east: on the west coast, from the west,. south-west, and 
north-west ; and on the north coast, from the south 
west. In the interior parts of France, the south-west =» © 
wind blows most frequently in 18 places; the west wind 
in 14; the north in 13; the south in 6; the north-east 
in 4; the south-east in 2; the east and north-west, each 
of them, in one. About Dunkirk, according to the’ 
same author, the prevailing winds are the ‘south-west. 
As, however, the result of other observations differ:from 
those given by. M. Cotte, we shall subjoin them, © ? 
According to these observations, in the centre 
France, the prevailing winds are the south-west and 
north-east ; in the northern districts the south-east wind. 
is most common ; in the eastern districts the north-and 
south-west winds ; in the west of France the north-east 
is the prevailing wind; inthe south-east at Montpellier, 
the north and north-east are the prevailing winds; and 
at Marseilles the south-east and north-west. 
IV. The mean quantity of rain that falls at Paris isp ~ 
22 inches ; the evaporation is generally greater than the 
rain; the mean evaporation being $3 inches. In the 
centre of France, the average quantity of rain is rather 
more than 20 inches; the number of rainy days in the 
course of the year 164. In the north of France there 
are 126 rainy days; in the east 145; in the west 150 
rainy days ; in the south-east, at Montpellier, there are | 
74 rainy days, and the quantity of rain is u is of 
27 inches—a proof of the violence of the rain when it 
does fall. At Marseilles, the quantity of rain is rather 
more than 21 inches, and the number of rainy days 57. a 
——sS Se 
~ 
