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Mr. S. A. NELSON of Georgetown read the following 

 communication on 



THE METEOROLOGY OF MOUNT WASHINGTON. 



The mountainous region of New Hampshire north of 

 Lake Winnipiseogee, known as the White Mountains has 

 a north and south extension of about sixty miles, and on 

 a cross line is not far from thirty miles wide. 



The several ranges are naturally divided into groups, 

 as the Moosilauke group in the southwest, the Franconia 

 region westerly, to the south the Pemigevvasset Mountains, 

 centrally the Mount Washington group, and to the north 

 the Stratford Peaks, together with others of less impor- 

 tance. 



The Mount Washington group has an area of not far 

 from thirty miles long and fifteen wide and has a north- 

 east and southwest course. Centrally in this range is 

 Mount Washington, in latitude 44, 16', 25" and longi- 

 tude 71, 16', 26", west from Greenwich. The altitude 

 is 6,293 feet and it is the highest peak in the group by 

 500 feet, and the highest east of the Mississippi with the 

 exception of Clingman's Peak in western North Carolina. 



Prof. Edward Tuckerman marks out four regions on 

 Mount Washington : First, the lower forest, where are 

 found the hard wood species of the lowlands, with the 

 white spruce and fir, forming a dense forest. Secondly, the 

 upper forest, composed of black spruce, fir, Frazer's bal- 

 sam fir, a mountain ash, with rarely the canoe and yellow 

 birch. At four thousand feet altitude these trees become 

 dwarfed and are only found above this height in a few 

 sheltered localities on the southern side of the mountain. 

 The plants in the third, or sub-Alpine region, correspond 

 to like localities in mountain regions generally, and from 

 a little below the summit, upward, is the Alpine region, 



