September. 1910. 



KNOWLEDGE. 



367 



Geological Congress at Stockholm. It forms, perhaps, the most 

 finely-conceived and well-executed work on economic geology 

 yet published. The publication takes the form of separate 

 reports on various countries or districts drawn up by experts 

 familiar with their iron ore deposits. A valuable summary of 

 the reports is contributed by Prof. Sjogren. For some areas, 

 such as Europe and the United States, it has been found 

 possible to estimate the iron ore resources with some degree 

 of exactitude ; but in the case of little-known or undeveloped 

 areas, such as most of Canada, the information obtainable is 

 \ery meagre. For practically unknown areas, such as the 

 interiors of Asia and Africa, no reports were possible. The 

 deposits concerning which statistics were obtained were 

 classified into three groups. — ia) those in which a reliable 

 estimate, based on actual investigation, has been made ; 

 (6) those in which only an approximate estimate could be 

 made; (c) those in which a numerical estimate was not 

 possible at aU. The statistics indicate an actual reserve 

 amounting to ten thousand million Ions, with a potential 

 reserve of at least fifty thousand million. The first figure 

 represents the totals (Jf group Irtl.thesecond of group (6>. The 

 reserves in group (ct are vaguely described as "enormous."" 

 As the production of pig iron is at present estimated at sixty 

 million tons per annum, the actual known reser\es of iron, 

 quite apart from the potential reserves, would suffice the 

 world for nearly two hundred years on the supposition that the 

 production remained stationary. If. howe\er, the production 

 of pig iron increases at the same rate as at present, that is to 

 say doubhng even,- twenty years, the known supply will only 

 last sixty years. There is, howe\er, no prospect of a famine, 

 for with lapse of time, the deposits now classed as potential 

 will become available, and the advance in technical methods 

 will render possible the utilization of lower-grade ores. 



METEOROLOGY. 



By John .\. Ci KTis, F.R.Met.Soc. 



THP: WEATHER.— The week ending with July 30th 

 opened with cool and unsettled weather, which improved in 

 England towards the close of the week, but which remained 

 changeable in Scotland and Ireland. Thunderstorms were 

 experienced on the 25th and 2Sth. 



The highest temperature recorded in the British Isles during 

 the week was 75° '7 at the Royal Observatory. Greenwich on 

 the 28th. Readings of 74° were reported on the same day at 

 several places in the Midlands and Eastern Counties. The 

 maximum observed in Jersey was, however, only 70°, while at 

 Glencarron, five hundred miles further North. 71° was 

 registered on the same date (28th). The lowest readings 

 ranged from 31° at Balmoral to 54° at Portland Bill, but 

 readings as low as 46° or less were reported in all Districts 

 except the English Channel, where the minimum was 52° 

 on the 27th. 



The Rainfall was in excess in the North and West, but was 

 slightly in defect in the Midlands and South-Eastem Counties. 

 The excesses were considerable, and at se\eral stations more 

 than twice the average amount was recorded. At Markree 

 Castle, Sligo, the total amount was nearly four times the 

 average for the week. 



Sunshine was deficient in all Districts, the only stations 

 reporting excesses being Birr Castle, (0'5 hour excessi and 

 Markree Castle, (3"0 hours excess). Jersey had the largest 

 amount of Sunshine. 5r6 hours (48%), the only other stations 

 reporting more than forty hours being Guernsey (49"8 hours), 

 Ramsgate (44'8 hours). Scilly (42"5 hours) and Margate 

 (40"5 hours). 



The temperature on the grass fell to 28° at Balmoral, and 

 to 30° at Sheffield. At no other station was frost recorded, 

 but ground temperatures of 40° or below were experienced in 

 many places. 



The highest sea-water temperatures reported were 63' at 

 Margate and Eastbourne, and 62° at Seaford and Newquay. 



During the week ended August 6th. the weather was again 

 cool and changeable. Thunderstorms were reported on the 



3rd, 4th, and 5th, with, in many cases, heav^ falls of rain and 

 hail. Extraordinarily high temperatures were reported from 

 the Shetlands during this period. In the forty years from 

 1871 the highest temperature reported from Sunibiirgli 

 Head was 70° in June, 1891, in July, 1897, and in August, 

 1906, but on August 6th of the current year 82° was registered, 

 or 12° higher than the previous maximum. This great warmth 

 was. however, only local, for at Baltasound, about sixty miles 

 to the northward, the maximum was only 77°, while at 

 Dccnicss. Orkney, less than one hundred miles to the S.W., it 

 was onlv 58°. .^t Plymouth on the same day the temperature 

 did not exceed 64°. which was the maximum for the week at 

 that station. 



At no other station in the British Isles besides Siiiiibiirgh 

 Head was a temperature of 80° or upwards reported during 

 the week, and in two Districts, England, S.W., and England, 

 N.W.. the maximum was only 69°. In the Channel Islands 

 the highest reported was 70°, — at Guernsey on the 3rd. 

 Balmoral reported the lowest temperature — 37°. on the 4th. the 

 next lowest being 42° at Cirencester, Newton Rigg. and 

 Markree Castle. At Guernsey the minimum was 55°. 



The Rainfall was variable, being deficient in many parts, but 

 in excess in many other parts. In England. N.E., there was 

 but little more than one-fourth the average fall, while in the 

 Channel Islands there was half as much again as usual. 



The distribution of Bright Sunshine was also ver\- variable, 

 being, as a rule, in excess where the rainfall was in defect, and 

 vice versa. The sunniest stations were Lowestoft with 

 7r6 hours (66%). and Yarmouth with 69"3 hours (64%) 

 while in the North and West of Scotland. Glasgow had but 

 17"0 hours (15%). and Fort Augustus only 16"5 hours (15%). 

 London (Westminster) reported 43"7 hours or 41%. 



The lowest temperatures on the grass were 32° at Sheffield 

 and 34° at Balmoral. The temperature of the sea at Margate 

 varied between 62° and 64°, while at Wick and Berwick the 

 extremes were 10° lower, namely, 52° and 54°. 



During the week ended August 13th, the temperature was 

 above the a\erage, except in England. S.E., where it was 

 sUghtlv (0"5) below, and in the English Channel, where it was 

 normal. The maxima were uniform, the District extremes 

 only varying from 74° to 77°. The highest shade maximum 

 recorded was 77° "4 at Greenwich on the 12th. and the lowest 

 shade minima were 40° at Balmoral. West Linton and Newton 

 Rigg on the 9th or 10th. In Guernsey the range of temperature 

 was from 74° to 55°. The North and West of Scotland were, 

 relatively, the warmest parts of the British Isles, the excesses 

 above the average in those districts being 3° '5. The rainfall 

 was in defect all over the countn,-. and as a rule was less than 

 half the average. At only two of the recording stations were 

 amounts exceeding an inch for the week reported, namely, 

 Castlebay (r08 inches), and Malin Head (1"02 inches). There 

 were, however, some local falls of exceptional amount, and 

 on the evening of the 11th parts of West London were for a 

 time in flood. 



Although the rainfall was in defect, the Bright Sunshine 

 was. in most cases, in defect also, the exceptions being 

 Scotland. N. and E., and Ireland. N. In England, E., the 

 weather was \er>- dull, and at Cambridge only 22"S hours 

 was reported as against an average duration of 44'4 hours. 

 Torquav reported the largest amount for the week. 49"5 hours 

 (48%) and Cromer the least amount, 13"7 hours (13°b). 



During the three weeks. July 24th to .August 13th, the 

 records show that at the Royal Observatory- at Greenwich the 

 highest shade temperature was 77° "4 on August 12th, and that 

 the lowest was 47° '4 on July 24th. Rain fell on 14 days, but 

 was only heavy on August 4th. when 0"63-inch was 

 measured. The total amount collected during the period was 

 r38-inches. Only one day, August 13th, was sunless, but, on 

 the other hand, only three days had amounts exceeding eight 

 hours, namely August 1st (10"4 hours). 3rd ll2"5 hours) and 

 10th (ir3 ho'ursl. 



The highest temperature in Sun"s rays was 141° "1 on Bank 

 Holiday. August 1st, and the lowest temperature on the grass 

 was 40° "7 on August 3rd. 



