538 



NATURE 



{April 19, 1877 



METEOROLOGICAL NOTES 

 Meteorological Lustrum of 1871-75.— To the seventh 

 Meteorological Report of the Grand Duchy of Baden, by PI* 

 Oscar Ruppel of Carlsruhe, just published, there is appended a 

 paper giving the averages of the observations of pressure, tem- 

 perature, humidity, rain, and snow, and thunderstorms made at 

 the sixteen stations of the Grand Duchy during the Meteoro- 

 logical Lustrum ending with 1875. Considering the many 

 • physical and climatical inquiries of the highest importance which 

 such averages, calculated for absolutely the same terms of years 

 over considerable portions of the earth's surface, are certain 

 greatly to elucidate, it is to be hoped that other meteorological 

 institutes and societies will take the trouble to prepare and pub- 

 lish similar averages for their respective countries. In view of 

 the more special inquiries which such averages are calculated to 

 further, it will be necessary that anemometrical averages be in- 

 cluded, and that all the averages be given for each of the differ- 

 ent hours of observation. 



Distribution of Barometers in France. — In virtue 

 of the President's decree, signed by M. Thiers, for recr- 

 ganising the French National Observatory, that establish- 

 ment issues weather warnings for agricultural purposes. As 

 it was impossible to send 40,000 telegrams daily (one 

 to each parish) without gradually extending the institution, 

 M. Leverrier decided that the daily telegrams should be sent 

 only to those parishes which possessed an aneroid barometer and 

 made arrangements for exposing it to public inspection at the 

 same place where the official warnings were posted. Having 

 obtained ready assistance from the Association Scientifique de 

 France, of which he is the president, M. Leverrier was enabled 

 to make the price of the aneroids as low as 20 francs (16^-.). 

 From the beginning, of the year about 800 communes purchased 

 the barometer, and now enjoy the free transmission of weather 

 warnings. The number is increasing at the rate of about ten a 

 day, and it is supposed that by the end of the present year 10,000 

 communes will be in constant communication with the national 

 Observatory. The public barometer is to be used by local 

 observers for interpreting, on their own responsibility, the 

 weather-warnings issued by the Observatory. Special meteo- 

 rological organisations have already issued general rules for this 

 purpose partially based on Fitzroy's " Weather Manual," partly 

 on special observations. The mean pressure for all these baro- 

 meters, irrespective of the altitude of the stations is to be con- 

 sidered 760 mm., as it was supposed impossible to establish 

 comparisons without thus displacing the variable. Isobaric 

 curves are drawn daily on observatory maps after each obser- 

 vation has undergone correction by a constant number. M. 

 Leverrier has established a lule for the determination of that 

 constant. When he supposes the weather will be quite settled 

 for a few days he sends to his coi respondents a telegram stating 

 attention, reglage. Each correspondent is ordered to observe the 

 barometer at 6 p.m., and on the two following days at 9 a.w. 

 and 6 p.m. The result of these three observations in millimetres 

 is to be sent to the observatory for the determination of the value 

 of the correction. When that number has been found it is sent 

 to the station through the Minister of Public Instruction. The 

 Mayor is informed officially how many divisions the indicating 

 needle of his aneroid must be turned, left or right, in order that 

 the correct reading may be read. 



Storm in the Southern and Eastern Counties.— A 

 storm of unusual violence swept over this part of Ergland en 

 Wednesday last week, rising in Hertfordshire to a fearful hurri- 

 cane. At Sacombe the whole of the farm buildings occupied by 

 Mr. Mardeil were destroyed, and one of his workmen killed. 

 Large trees were broken across, hundreds of fruit-trees uprooted 

 and carried away, and a large wall blown down. In a wood 

 near Little Munden, one hundred fir trees were destroyed. 



Auroras in Canada during the Past Winter.— We 

 learn from a correspondent in Ontario that auroral phenomena 

 have been unusually rare in that part of Canada during the four 

 months preceding the middle of March. In that region, where 

 auroras are usually very brilliant and frequent at that season of 

 the year, only two hsve been noticed during these four months. 



Solar Radiation in Winter and Summer. — M. A. 

 Crova communicates to the Bulletin International of the Paris 

 Observatory, March 20, a note on some observations he made 

 near Montpellier on Jsnuary 4 and July 11, 1876, with the view 

 of ascertaining the calorific intensity of solar radiation received at 

 the surface of the ground in winter and summer. These two days 

 were selected as being characterised throughout by uninterrupted 

 brilliant sunshine, and, there being no sea-breeze, uninterrupted 

 calorific transparency of the air, and as being as near as possible 

 to the winter and summer solstice respectively. The results 

 arrived at are that the heat received normally on January 4 was 

 0'6io of that received on July 1 1, and the heat received over the 

 surface of the ground on January 4 was o'28i of that received 

 on July II. These results give a measure of the inequalities 

 produced in winter and in summer by the obliquity of the sun's 

 rays and by the duration of the sun above the horizon, between 

 the absolute values of the intensity of solar radiation, and be- 

 tween the relations of the quantity of heat emitted directly to 

 that which is received over the horizontal surface of the ground. 



Hailstones in India.— Dr. Bonavia, of Lucknow, sends 

 us the following:— On Apiil 12, 1876, at 8.30 p.m., after a 

 great deal of lightning and thunder in the north-west, a hail- 

 storm occurred in Lucknow. We evidently only got the edge 

 of the storm, as it was passing towards the north-east. The fall 

 of hail was not plentiful, but the generality of the stones were 

 enormous. The hailstones were of all sizes, from that of peas 

 and marbles to that of oranges, two inches and more in diameter. 

 The largest I measured, about half-an-hour after the fall, was a 

 flat oval, resembling a paper-weight, M-iih a depression in the 

 centre above and below. Its circumference measured eight 

 inches, its long diameter 2\ inches, its short diameter 2\ inches, 

 its thickness \\ inches. Two others I measured had a circum- 

 ference of 74 inches and 6J inches respectively. Some were of 

 the above shape ; others almost spherical ; others might have 

 readily served as models gf the large flat China peach, with a 

 depression above and below. Most of them had curious rr.am- 

 millary projections all over the surface, which strongly reminded 

 one of some kind of Echinus. Their internal structure can best 

 be described by stating that it resembled exactly that of agates. 

 It consisted of concentric layers, with a more or less wavy out- 

 line, commencing from a small nucleus. The layers varied in 

 thickness. Some were transparent ; others opaque. One Isrge 

 oval stone, instead of having, like others, its nucleus in the 

 centre of its oval, had it quite at one end. The nucleus was the 

 size of a small marble ; it was spherical, but the sphere was not 

 complete. It appeared as if a small round hailstone had first 

 been formed, then a bit of it chipped off, and afterwards a large 

 oval hailstone agglomerated round it, leaving it at one end of the 

 oval. I have been informed that one hailstone, weighed some 

 time after it fell, was four ounces in weight ; another weighed 

 2\ ounces. 



The Weather of Europe.— We have received th( 

 Monthly Weather Reports of the Deutsche Seewarte for Marchj 

 and April, 1876, in which the main features of the weath( 

 of Europe during these months are briefly deti:.iled b 

 various well-known meteorologists, particular attention bei; 

 given to the remarkable storm of March 12 in its progn 

 over the Continent. The tracks of all the storms of Europe dv riD( 

 each month are shown by maps, and tables of figures are given 

 the means of the various meteorological elements for Germany 

 parts of the continent adjoining, from which the meteorology of 



