BY JOHN TEBBUTT, JUN. 163 



May ; the barometer attaining its minimum at 6 p.m. on the 

 30th April. Mr. Todd on the 30th describes the barometer as 

 falling, with every appearance of high winds. But let us see 

 what was going on along our east coast at this time. The lowest 

 recorded reading of the barometer at Sydney was 29,444 at 3 

 p.m. on the 29th ; and throughout the 27th and 28th the polar 

 and tropical currents were in violent conflict, producing gales 

 between E.S.E. and N.E. of no ordinary character. A reference 

 to the newspapers of that period will show that floods were very 

 prevalent in the Colony. On the 29th the polar winds appear 

 to have gained the mastery for a short time, and the barometer 

 rose a little. On the 1st May the polar winds were first felt at 

 Adelaide ; the tropical ones at the same time prevailing at 

 Sydney. This second advance from the southward, which had 

 reached Adelaide, was afterwards slightly felt at Sydney. 



Although we have apparently arrived at the rule for the pro- 

 pagation of our atmospheric disturbances, still it cannot be denied 

 that there are some remarkable exceptions. Take for example the 

 weather of the middle of February of last year, which was marked 

 by successive heavy rains and floods from Queensland to Bass' 

 Straits. A rather lengthy account of that storm, which bore 

 strong marks of the cyclonic character, is contained in the Sydney 

 Morning Herald and the Empire of the llth and 10th June, 1863, 

 respectively. The gradual progression southward of the barometic 

 phenomena in connexion with the changes of the wind and 

 weather are remarkably well shown by the scattered observations 

 available. As then there are exceptions to the rule just mentioned 

 for the propagation of our storms, it becomes us before attempt- 

 ing to apply the system of Admiral Fitzroy to our own coasts, to 

 make at least some effort to establish special observations during 

 periods of remarkable atmospheric disturbance. The discussion 

 of such data might acquaint us with the conditions under which 

 the exceptions to the rule are produced. The effects of local 

 influence on the wind and weather would also have much light 

 thrown upon them. It is much to be regretted that special 

 observations were not instituted for the months of October and 

 December last, which were marked by extraordinary disturbances 

 in the atmospheric elements. It is of course impossible to 



