302 [ Assembly 



tween 3 and 4 P. M,, and continued to the hour of 11 A. M., of the 

 16th, a term of 90 hours, or two-eighths of the circle of 360 hours ; 

 the same term existed at Somerville, St. Lawrence county, N. Y., as 

 appears by the record kept by Dr. Hough at that place ; both of these 

 places are near four degrees of latitude north of my place of obser- 

 vation. 



A comparison of the records of these three places of observation 

 together, afford a beautiful illustration of the harmony of the laws 

 which govern the changes of atmospheric temperature. 



On the third of February, between the hours of 6 and 7 P. M., a 

 cold cycle commenced, and continued until between the hours of 12 

 M., and 1 P. M., of February 7, a term of 90 hours, or two-eighths 

 of a circle of 360 hours. 



When this cycle commenced I was at Saratoga j the temperature 

 of that place at 6 P. M., was 13°, and at 7 P. M., 10° above zero ; 

 while at Long Island at 6 P. M., it was 33°, and at 7 P. M., 29°. 

 The next morning at 7 and 8 o'clock the temperature at Saratoga was 

 5° below zero ; at Somerville, 23° below, and on Long Island 16° 

 above zero. At 1 A. M. of the 3d, a rain-storm was in force at Sara- 

 toga for one hour ; the morning previous I examined the temperature 

 on the banks of Lake Champlain, at sunrise, and it was 17° above 

 zero. At noon of that day, (the 2d,) I was at West Grranville, and 

 examined the temperature indicated by a thermometer kept by Mr. 

 Mack in the shade, on the north side of the house ; it was 32°, while 

 my thermometer hung on the east side of the same house, indicated 

 26°. This great difference of 6° in temperature in 50 feet, induced 

 me to remove my thermometer to the same position as that occupied 

 by Mr. Mack's, and on doing so it rose to 33° ; but on returning it 

 to its former position, the mercury fell to 26°. This great difference 

 in the two sides of the house, both shaded from the sun, evidenced a 

 great change approaching, which the rain at 2 o'clock next morning 

 confirmed, and further confirmation was made by the frost the suc- 

 ceeding morning It was during this state of atmosphere that that 

 great calamity in Hague-street, New- York, happened, by which near 

 a hundred persons lost their lives. When the explosion of the steam 



