CHAP. X.] LETTERS TO THE * TIMES ' AND ' STANDARD.' 113 



would have been spared ; and the moral may be leamt, never to have two 

 surfaces of metal in so high and exposed a situation without a lightning- 

 conductor. I have lived in a house struck by lightning where the 

 lightning-conductors, from being badly constructed, were really lightning 

 attractors, but in this case the mischief is due entirely to the parsimony of 

 the parish authorities. Thunder and lightning is in no part of Europe, 

 not even excepting the high Alps, so terrifically grand as in the centre of 

 the city of London ; and when to this marvellous natural phenomenon is 

 superadded its power of destruction of the more beautiful works of man, 

 the interest attending its operation is materially increased. 

 July 26th, 1870. 



Another magnificent display of the aurora borealis occurred last 

 night. I was driving from Carshalton to London when I noticed that it 

 suddenly became very chilly, and that the sky exhibited much the same 

 appearance as when a beautiful aurora occurred at Oxford about five weeks 

 since. The remark had hardly been made when the first light appeared in 

 the south-east. Within two or three minutes a grand display of red 

 light appeared overhead, with 'streamers stretching down to the northern 

 horizon. A few minutes afterwards the light showed itself towards the 

 west, with streamers of light stretching to the western horizon. The 

 glorious scene was ever changing, when a vast mass of red light appeared 

 in the north-east. This resembled the light of a large London fire, and 

 was in the greatest perfection whilst we were on Clapham Common, about 

 a quarter to 6 o'clock. It continued, however, till we arrived in London, 

 and ceased about 7 o'clock. These great displays of northern lights so 

 early in the season are unprecedented in my recollection. 



Oct. 26th, 1870. 



On January 24th, 1872, a violent gale passed over the 

 metropolis, which occasioned a letter to the ' Standard ' on the 

 25th, on barometric pressure, and which called for the invention 

 of cheap barometers for the use of our fishermen, so that they 

 might thereby be enabled to prognosticate a coming gale. 



The violent gale which passed last night over the metropolis was accom- 

 panied by corresponding changes in the barometer. Yesterday the barometer 

 stood at 29*03, but in consequence of the violence of the gale which raged 

 this morning I examined the barometer at half -past 4 and found that it had 

 fallen to 28*35, and that at 5 o'clock it had receded to 28*34. The flint 

 glass barometer of the London Institution, which is a duplicate of the 

 famous instrument made for the Royal Society, with a platinum ring in 

 the tube, recorded at 6 A.M. 28*37 inches of pressure, and at 6 P.M. 28*87, 

 showing a rise of half an inch in twelve hours. I kept my mountain 

 aneroid barometer, specially constructed for me by Messrs. Home and 

 Thornthwaite, under observation the entire day. By 9 o'clock it had risen 

 to 28*6 ; by 10 to 28*65 ; by 11 to 28*7 ; at noon it stood at 28*74. Then a 

 storm of wind and rain ensued, when by 1 o'clock it had fallen to 28*73. 

 By 2 o'clock the mercury rose again to 28*76 ; by 3 o'clock to 28*84; by 4 

 to 28*86 ; by 5 to 28*87, when it remained stationary till half-past 9, when 

 it reached 28*9. At 11 o'clock P.M. it stood at 28*93, when the observations 



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