Meteorological Observations taken at Edinburgh. 341 
Much labour has been expended in computing and verify- 
ing the earlier observations, and in making them comparable 
with each other, by reducing them all to the mean of 
maximum and minimum thermometers, and to a height 
of 250 feet above sea-level. In this connection my best 
thanks are due to Dr Buchan, who kindly placed at my 
disposal all the old manuscript observations in possession 
of the Scottish Meteorological Society. I do not propose, 
at the present time, to give a description of these old 
observations, where they were made, and by whom, as I 
hope to bring the results of an investigation on the 
meteorology of Edinburgh during these 130 years before 
another society at an early date. It will be sufficient to 
say that no effort has been spared to detect and eliminate 
any sources of error. The principal results of the investiga- 
tion are summarised in the following table :— 
Month Above Warmest Above Pals oak 
: HNETOSS: since ~ average. to 1764 
1893. ° ° 
March, . . 3°7 1882 4°2 UL 
Aprile; sin» cs 3-1 1870 4-1 11 
May, . 3 : 4°0 1848 5°5 5 
Tuned. TIRE 29 1858 3:3 10 
August, . - 3°8 1819 4°9 3 
December, .  . 3°9 1865 bel 11 
Taking the mean temperature of the spring months, March, 
April, and May, we find that it exceeded the average by 3°°6, 
being absolutely the warmest during the past 130 years. 
The nearest approach to this remarkable spell of vernal 
warmth was in 1779, when the mean for these three months 
was 3°°2 above the average. The spring drought in Edin- 
burgh was far from being remarkable, a fall of 3:89 inches 
of rain being spread over 27 days, while in 1883 the rainfall 
for these three months was 3°83 inches, and in 1875 2:05 
inches. The longest period without rain was from April 1st 
to 12th, whereas in some parts of the south of England no 
rain fell for over seven weeks. The mean barometric pressure 
