ON THE WEATHER CONSIDERED. 31 



if it had not occurred to us that some meteorologists, in ac- 

 cordance with the popular belief, have attributed to the 

 syzygies a marked influence on the changes of the weather. 

 Toaldo has deduced from half-a-century's observations, taken 

 at Padua, this general fact, that the maximum of influence 

 manifests itself at the syzygies, and somewhat more at the new 

 than at the full moon ; that the minimum coincides with the first 

 and second quarter; that the action of the perigee (minima 

 distance of the moon from the earth) is equal to that of the 

 full moon ; and that the action of the apogee (maxima dis- 

 tance of the moon from the earth) is double that of the 

 quarters. Observe that the Italian meteorologist extended 

 this influence to three days before and three days after a 

 phase, for the moon's passage through the syzygies ; while 

 he restricted it to a day before and a day after, for the quad- 

 ratures. 



The work which Toaldo did for the climate of Padua, 

 Pilgram had already executed for that of Vienna. But the 

 result at which he arrived, after five-and-twenty years of obser- 

 vation (from 1763 to 1788), was the contrary to that of Toaldo: 

 namely, that the new moon is the least active of all the phases 

 in reference to changes of weather. What, then, are we to con- 

 clude ? That the problem is one of extreme difficulty, and that 

 there are probably several elements necessary to its solution, 

 which at present escape us. Then, too, we ought to have a clear 

 understanding of what is meant by " changes of weather ;" we 

 must eliminate all vagueness from the word, and not allow it 

 to be governed by any preconceived theory. 



