18J0.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



247 



and about 1 j" above the horizon, and went in a westward direction near to 

 the star 31 Lyneis, leaving a train of blue light of about 20°; a few seconds 

 after a small meteor shot from above Polaris to Cassiopca; on the same niglit, 

 at 0*45 a.m., a meteor shot from $ Serpentis, and went about 5° south ; at 

 Ih. 3m. a.m. a meteor shot from e Bootes to Arcturus; at Ih. 20m. a.m. a 

 meteor as large as a star of the first magnitude, and of a beautiful red 

 colour, shot from € Ursa Major passed by a Ursa Major, and went as far as 

 y Ursa Major; on the 20tb, at llh. 42m. p.m. a meteor shot between a 

 Lyrcc and a Cygni; on the 24th, at llh. 30ra. p.m., a meteor, as large as a 

 star of th:: lirst magnitude, shot from Arcturus, .lud went 20° magnetic west, 

 leaving a train of blue light. 



On June 4th, at Hartwell Rectory, a small meteor was seen from Polaris 

 to the Pointers, at llh. 30m. p.m.; on the 21st, a meteor shot from o Lyrce 

 to a Cygni at lib. 42m. p.ru. ; on June 24th a meteor was seen from Arc- 

 turus to wiihin 10° of the horizon at lib. 30m. p.m. 



At Nottingham, on May 1st, at lOh. 33m. a mi-teor of the size of second 

 magnitude star fell slowly down from 30° above south horizon at an angle of 

 40° to west ; another fell downwards 5° south of Jupiter ; May 30th, at 

 10b. 38m., a meteor, size second magnitude, passed nearly horizontally 1J° 

 under Vega, moving to south ; June 1st, a globe meteor, size of Jupiter, but 

 less briglit, of a red colour, having a well-defined disc, moved from y through 

 <p CassiopciE, ended 30° east of a Pcrsei, duration 15 minule ; on the 3rd 

 another, size third magnitude, blue colour, ill defined, passed from a Cygni 

 through Lacrctan at lOh. 30m., and at lOh. 4m. a nearly similar one from 

 \ Draconis through ij Draconis. 



TInmiier-storms occurred on April 2 at Wakefield, L^cds, Liverpool, 

 Stonyburst, and Whitehaven; on the 8th at Uckfield; on the lOtli at Aylesbury; 

 on the nth at Hartwell Rectory, Stone, Cardington, and Saft'ron Walden ; 

 on the 12th at Uckfield, Greenwich, London, and Saffron Walden; on the 

 13th at Greenwich ; on the 17th at Norwicli ; on the 20tb at lliilkham, 

 Nottingham, and Exeter; on the 23r(! at Hawarden ; on May 7 at Uck- 

 field ; on the 13th at Leeds and Hawarden ; on the 17th at Uckfield ; on the 

 19th at Derby; on the 22nd at Stnnyliurst ; on the 23rd at Stone, Hartwell 

 Rectory, Hartwell House, Leinslade (fjucks). Rose Hill (0,xford),Carilington, 

 Saffron Walden, Derby, Nottingham, Liverpool, Leeds, and Manchester ; on 

 the 24lh at Hartwell House, Rose Hill (O.xford), and Radcliffe Observatory, 

 ().\ford ; on the 26th at Norwich ; on the 27th at Leeds, Manchester, Dur- 

 ham, and North Shields ; on the 30th at Hartwell Mouse, Liverpool, and 

 Stonyburst; on the 31st at Stone, and Rose Hill, Oxford ; on June 5th at 

 M'akeficld, North Shields, and Duihain; on the 6th at Hartwell House, 

 Hartwell Rectory, Leeds, Stonyburst, Durham, and Whitehaven ; on the 7tb 

 at Leeds ; on the 12tb at Helst'on ; on the 13th at Uckfield ; on the 16th at 

 Durham; on the 17th at North Shields; on the 25tb at Wakefiehl and 

 Leeils ; on the 2fltb at Guernsey, Helston, Falmouth, Truro, Exeter, Uck- 

 field, Southampton, St. John's Wood, Greenwich, Stone, Aylesbury, Hart 

 well House, Hartwell Rectory, Leinslade, (Ducks), Saffron Walden, Uadclitfe 

 Observatory (Oxford), and Cardington ; ou the 27th at Guernsey, Jersey, 

 Exeter, Chichester, St. John's Wood, Uckfield, and Hartwell House. Of 

 these storms that of the 26th of June was the worst ; it was described by 

 M. J. Johnson, Esq., of Oxford Observatory, as the most violent storm of 

 thunder and lightning ever remembered there; it began about 230 p.m., 

 and lasted till about 4*30 p.m. Two college towers were struck by lightning : 

 no life was lost. But he had heard of five persons (three children) who 

 were thrown down by the violence of the lightning ; there appears to have 

 been two storms, one succeeding the other after an interval of about 30 

 minutes. Mr. Johnson remarks, *' I was not here myself, but the storm lias 

 been described to me by two trustworthy persons as terrific. As far as lean 

 make out, the storm passed over the town in a n.x.e. direction." 



At Hartwell Rectory, the Rev. C. Lowndes states, that on the 26tb June 

 thunder was heard at 1'30 p.m., and at 3 p.m. there was a heavy storm 

 with thunder and lightning ; it continued stormy during the evening and 

 night. 



At Hartwell House, Mr. Horton says that on June 2Gth a mansion near 

 Thame, called Thame House, about ten miles from here, was set on fire by 

 the lightning. 



At Truro, Dr. C. Barham says, "The thunderstorm on June 21st was 

 rather severe, but more so a few miles to the northward ; eleven sheep were 

 killed by the lightning in one field, and four in a neighbouring one about 

 ten miles to the north-east ; the rain was not very heavy, and there was no 

 hail. There was a fall of 16° of temperature between 1 and 5 p.m., and the 

 weather has continued unsettled, with showers and squally from that time 

 to the present (July 3)." 



At Exeter, Dr. Shapter says that, for three days previously to June 26th, 

 the atmosphere had gradually become hot and sultry, and at 4 p.m. on that 

 day it became exceedingly oppressive. Distant thunder was then heard, and 

 heavy rain clouds came up with a light wind from the south ; at 6 p.m. the 

 storm reached Exeter, the lightning was constant and vivid. Heavy rain fell 

 for two hours, when the storm moderated and passed on and the wind shifted 

 rather suddenly till 6 p.m. It reached Bridgewjiter at 9 p.m. The electric 

 telegrapli at the South Devon Railway was rendered useless for several hours, 

 and the trains consequently delayed. Rain fell to the depth of 1-21 inch 

 during the storm. 



At Uckfield, C. L. Prince, Esq. says, on the 26th, at night, there vras a 

 very severe thunder-storm, and that the electric fluid struck a house in that 

 place, and shattered a portion of the roof, burnt some clothes, &c. ; but in- 



jured no one, although there were thirty persons under the roof at the time. 



At Southampton, John Drew, Esq., F.K.A.S., says that rain fell to the 

 depth of 1'96 inch on June 26th. 



Thunder was heard, but lightning was not seen, on April 11 at Rose Hill 

 (0.\ford) and Saft'ron Walden; on the 12th at Saffron Walden and Norwich ; 

 on the 17tb at Hartwell House; on the 20tb and 2l6t at Nottingham ; on 

 May 7th at Guernsey; and the 131b at Cardington, Stone, and Aylesbury; 

 on the 17th at Nottingham ; on the ISth at Wakefield and Nottingham; on 

 the 19tb at Cardington and Nottingham; on the 21st at Exeter and Hawar- 

 den ; on the 22nd at Aylesbury and Holkham ; on the 23rd at Aylesbury, 

 Norwich, Holkham, Oxford, Wakefield, and Stonyburst ; on the 25tb and 

 26th at Hawarden; on the 27th at Guernsey, Wakefield, and Stonyburst; on 

 the 31st at Hartwell Rectory, Leinslade (Bucks). Cardington, Oxford, Liver- 

 pool, Stonyburst, anil Whitehaven. — On June 5th at Nottingham and Dun- 

 dee ; on the 6th at Stone and Nottingham ; on the 9tb and 11th at Stone; 

 on the 12lh at Helston ; on the lOth at Stonyburst ; on the 25th at Notting- 

 ham ; on the 26th at Jersey, St. John's-wood, Wakefield, and Nottingham ; 

 on the 27th at Stonyburst; and on the 28th at Jersey. 



Lightning was seen, but thunder was not heard, on April 2nd at Stone and 

 Stonyburst ; on the 20th at Nottingham. On May 2nd at St. John's-wood. 

 On June 5th at Nottingham ; on the 26th at St. John's-wood ; on the 27tb 

 at St. John's-wood and Aylesbury ; on the 28th at Aylesbury and Carding- 

 ton ; on the 29th at Aylesbury. 



The daily horizontal movement of the air was 110 miles in April, 96 in 

 May, and 90 in June.* 



Wheat in ear, at Aylesbury on June 9th; at Leinslade (Bucks) and Ha- 

 warden on the lOtb ; at Holkham on the llth ; at Cardington on the 12th ; 

 nt Helstoue, Stone, Hartwell, and Oxford on the 16th; at Nottingham on 

 the 20th ; at Leeds on the 24th. 



Wlieat in flower, at Jersey on June 8 ; at Uckfield on the lOth ; at Guern- 

 sey on the 16th ; at Holkham and Stonyburst on the 20th ; at Stone on the 

 21st; at Hawarden on the 22nd ; the white at Wakefield on the 22nd, and 

 the red in the same field on the 26tb ; on the 23rd at Helston, Hartwell, 

 Leinslade, and Derby ; on the 25th at Cardington ; on the 26th at Notting- 

 ham ; on the 28th at Rnse-hill, near Oxford ; on the 30th at Leeds. 



Hat began to he gathered, at Hartwell and Stone on the 18th ; at Hawar- 

 den and Whitehaven on the 24th ; at Durham on the 27th. 



The common Lilac in flower, at Jersey on April 22; at Guernsey and Hels- 

 ton on the 25tb ; at Uckfield on May 5 ; at Hartwell House and Wakefield 

 on the llth ; at Aylesbury on the 12th ; at Oxford on the 13th ; at Stone on 

 the loth; at Hawarden on the 16th; at Nottingham on the 19th; at Car- 

 dington on the 20th ; on the 22nd at Leeds, at Derby, and Holkham on the 

 23rd ; at Stonyburst on the 27th ; at Durham on the 30th. 



The Cuckoo was first beard at Uckfield on April 11 ; at Stone on the 12th; 

 at Whitehaven ou the 10th ; at Hartwell on the 2l3t. 



The first Swallow was seen at Stone on April 3 ; at Whitehaven on the 

 18tb; at Nottingham on the 20th; at Hartwell Rectory on the 22nd; at 

 Durham on the 21st of May. 



The following observations of natural phenomena were taken at Highfield 

 House, near Nottingham (being nearly in the centre of England), by Edward 

 J. Lowe, Esq., F.RA.S. 



May 25. Lilacs in fuil glory 

 .. 2'i. Pinii tiavvthorn just in flower 

 .. 28. Oak nearly in leaf; hybrid rho- 

 dodendron in flower 

 .. 20. Yellowhammer's nest with eggs; 



reed sparrow's do. 

 .. 30. Flowing ash in flower 



31. Lupinus polyphyllus in flower: 

 flycatcher's nest wilii eggs; tree 

 peony just in flower; lily of 

 valley in flower 

 June 2. Snowball tree in flower 

 7. Lilacs out of flower 

 y. Woodbine in flower 

 12. Japonica in full flower 

 l;i. Syringer in flower 

 14. Laburnums out of flower 

 16. Rosa canina just in flower 

 1;J. Wheat just showing ear. 

 16. Leunicera pubisceus just in 

 flower; tree peony out of 

 flower ; peas ready to gather 

 .. 17. Rose (Mrs. Bosanquet) just in 

 flower; eider just in bloom 

 20. Strawberries just ripe ; acacia 

 in flower; hay, some boused to 

 day, very little as yet cut ; bar- 

 ley just coming in ear ; wheat 

 in full ear 

 .. 24. Rose (Persian yellow) in flower; 

 kalmia latifolia var. albu in full 

 flower 

 ., 26. Portugal laurel in full flower; 



wheat in flower 

 .. 31. Roses of aU kinds in full glory. 



16. 



IS. 

 2U. 



21. 



2i. 



April 1. Willow wren arrived 



10. Rihes san^uiueum in full glory ; 



damson plums just in bloom 



11. Sand martin arrived 

 14. Aspara^'us ready to cut; found 



nest of longtail'd titmouse 

 ^\'hitehea^t cherry just in flower 

 Wild cowslip in flower 

 Swallow arrived; corncrake first 



heard 

 Snowy mespulis in flower ; 

 nightingale's first song; Daphne 

 cueorum just in flower 

 Hedges in full leaf 

 .. 30. Some chesnut trees in nearly 

 full leaf 

 filay 1. Daphne japonica in full flower 

 4. Sycamores in full flower 

 6. Apple (Maltster) in full blossom 

 6. Morella cherry in full blossom 



8. Beech iu full leaf 



9. Swift arrived 

 10. White broom just in flower 



• ■ 13. Apples iu full blossom; cuckoo 



heard 



16. Spotted flycatcher arrived; dou- 



ble gorse in full flower 



17. White lilac has few blossoms ex- 



panded ; hawthorn do.; wheat- 

 ear building a nest ; rhododen- 

 dron caucasicum in full bloom 



.. 19. Apples generally in full blossom 

 2'1. Purple lilacs in flower 



.. 23. Laburnum in full flower; double 

 blossomed cherry in flower 



. . 24. Whinchat nest with egga 



The following table contains the mean quarterly values of the several 

 subjects of meteorological investigation during the past quarter.* 



• See tlie Philosophiml Magnzine for August 1850, for tables of the direction of the 

 wind. 



t For the monthly values see the Quarterly Report of the Registrar-General. 



