March 7, 1895] 



NATURE 



437 



and chief maxima are considered, there are indications of an 



i\ I -year period, ihus : — 



Mean da'es of minima — 

 1814... 1825 ... 1836 .. 1847 ... 1858 .. 1869 ... 1880 ... 1891 



Frost days, Paris — maxima — 

 1814... 1830 ... 1839 ... — ...1856... — ... 1878 ... 1889 



July temp. Pari>, minima — 

 1815 ... 1830 ... 1S42 ... — ...1862... — ... 1881 ... 1890 



In the Annals of the Astronomical Observatory of Harvard 

 •College, vol. xxxi. part i, p. 103, is given the average tempera- 

 ture tor each five years, observed at a large number of stations 

 in New England. The three stations having the longest records, 

 namely, Nov Hiven, Connecticut, Cambiidge, Massachusetts, 

 and New liedford, Massachusetts, are given below : — 



Year. 



1781- 

 35. 



1786- 

 90- 



<rambridge 



New Bed- 

 ford ... 



."New Haven 49*0 1 498 1 49*8 



I83I- 



35- 



48-2 

 481 



These records show that maxima r^ccurred in New England 

 about 1803, 1828, 1848, 1863, 1876, and 1S89, and minima 

 about 1818, 1838, 1858, and 1873. If these are arranged 

 according to intervals uf 22 years, as before, the following 

 results are obtained : — 



<S9i 



It will be seen that the dates of maximum and minimum 

 temperature correspond almost exactly with those observed in 

 Paris, showing how general were the forces acting to produce 

 them. 



That there exists all over the world a tendency to a period of 



about 33 years, is so well worked out by Briickner. that it is only 

 neces-ary to refer ihe reader to his treatise on " Klimaschwan- 

 kungen >eit 1700," to find exhaustive data on ihi> subject. 



This harmonic tendency of multiplication in weather periods 

 has been extensively worked oui by the writer in shorter periods, 

 and the evidence ol its existence appears conclusive, based in 

 that case ona very large mass of data. It is desired to call 

 attention to it here, that those making future inqu ries concern- 

 ing sun-spot periodicity and the weather may bean he possibility 

 o( this phenomenon in mind. H. Helm Ci.ayto.n'. 



Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory, Readville, Mass. 



Abnormal Atlantic Waves. 



In 1887 (Natuke, vol. xxxvii. p. 151) you kindly pub- 

 lished a few remarks from me on the possible volcanic 

 origin of the two waves which swept the d cl(s of the 

 steamers Umhiia and Faraday^ and which, from the da'a then 

 available, seemed to have ori^^inaled at a point in the Atlantic 

 known as the '* Faraday Reef, "and marked with a cross (-f )on 

 the accompanying chart. I am now able to send you the details 

 of a few similar cases which I have collected since then. The 

 exact positions of the vessels, and thediiections from which these 

 solitary waves seemel to come, being also marked on the chart. 

 In the case of H.M.S. Orontes the shiii's cours-- was not stated, 

 and on account of darkness and other causes the directions from 

 which some of the I. ther waves came are not to be depended 

 upon. None of these encoun'ers would have been reported had 

 thev not caused much damage — masts and funnels going by the 

 board, and bul a ks, deckhouses, and lifeboats being smashed ; 

 but many seafaring men can recall solitary and abnormally high 

 waves having siruck their vessels, although the sea was otherwise 

 quiet. Amongst the sirange results which thi se Mows have pro- 

 duced, may l-e menliunt-d that the magnetism of the steamship 

 Rucvi^ia was thus suddenly altered sufficiently to introduce an 

 error of 18' into the compass readings. The full details about 

 this and a few other vessels have not been obtained. 



North Atlantic. 



\ 



^^CT 



X 



initial. 



F 



\V 

 G 

 U 



L 

 M 

 D 



Ship's name. 



'Faraday 



M'lsternland 



Germanic 



Umbria 



H.M.S. Oronles.. 

 I'estina Lenle ... 



Manhattan 



Diamond 



Local lime. 



6 45 a.m. 

 2.45 a.m. 



9 40 a.m. 

 4.40 a.m. 



5 P-ni- 

 noon. 

 2 a.m. 



10 p.m. 



Dale. 



14/2/S4 

 27 11,86 



SS87 

 26/787 

 1 8/2/9 1 

 16/11/94 

 1 7 '1 1/94 



21/11/91 



L.ilitude. 

 North. 



46 II 



47 59 



50 36 

 3" 50 

 36 12 



50 12 



51 26 



53 9 



Longitiiile. 

 We-l. 



27 S3 



43 57 

 22 8 



27 8 



32 50 



35 23 



27 31 



9 52 



Speed. 



Knots. 

 6 



7 

 4 



16 



9 



Ship's course.) > W.-ivc's course. 



N. 72° E. 

 S. 60° W. 

 N. 68= W. 



Poit beam. 

 Bow. 

 Bow. 



.. , ,,, 3 points on 



.S. nearly u. .-" r , . 



' starboard bow. 



? S.E. by S. 



? S. 86° W. 



Lying to W.N.W. 



Bow. 



■> 



N.W. 



W.N.W, 



NO. 1323, VOL. 5 1] 



