374 Weather at Florence 
Art. XU. Notes on the Weather at Florence during the past 
Winter. By W. SPENCE, Esq. 
Aw account of the weather at any place for a single season 
can seldom be of much value ; but as some of your readers who 
attend to meteorology may like to compare the weather in 
England this last severe winter with that at Florence, I send 
you a summary of the imperfect register which I have kept at 
the latter place, without other instrument than a Fahr enheit’s 
thermometer, and that usually observed but once daily, adding 
from my memoranda a few rough notes on different heads, not 
susceptible of being condensed into a tabular form. 
|Nov. 18.) : 
to 30. Dec. peers Feb. March. 
1829, ad 
Mean: petahe of thermometer in the shade a 490 | 370 349 390 4g0 
Highest point of thermometer at 8 A.M. - |(25.) 53°\(3.) 490 (24.) 459)/(28.) 50°} (26.) 57° 
Lowest point of thermometer at8 A.M. - - |(22.) 30° (30.) 220 (12.) 249)(1.) 269] (6.) 350*| 
Days of bright sunshine - - - 5 11 17 12 23 
partially sunny and fair - - - 2 5 4 5 S 
cloudy and fair - - - 1 5 | 5 5 5 
rainy = ~ - - = 5 10 | 5 5 = 
snowy - - - - = — Ell 1 — 
Wind north = - number of days — 15 6 a — 
north-east - - - - 5 8 9 6 3 
east - - - - - a 1 5) 2 1 
south-east - - = a _ Q 2 2 4 
south - - - 5 4 _— _ — — 
south-west - = - a J 5 4. is 99 
west - - - - < 2 f —_ 2 = 
north-west - - - _ tS i 5 8 1 
Frost. — During the winter there have been four distinct 
yeriods of continued frost, as under : — 
I Is of t 1 frost, | 
1. From Noy. i8. to Nov.23. ice on ponds 2 to 3 in. thick. 
2. — Dec. 26.— Jan. 18. -— 6 to 7 
3. — Jan. 27.— Feb. 10. — 3 to 4 
4. — Feb. 14.— Feb. 18. -- 1 to 2 
In all, 48 days of frost. Between these periods the weather 
was open, but with slight frosts occasionally. ‘The second 
and longest period of twenty-three days was interrupted by 
one day. of rain on the 8th of January. Though the cold was 
once 22° (and probably lower in the night), no material injury 
was sustained by the bitter orange trees, Nérium Oleander, 
Agave americana, Yécca aloéfolia, one or two species of the 
hardier palms, &c., which are planted in the open ground with- 
out protection. ‘The variety of Agave americana with yellow 
* The following account of the height of the thermometer in the shade, 
at different hours of one day, March 28., will serve to give an idea of the* 
average daily Nee of temperature towards the end of the month. 
Thermometer at 64 A.M. 45°; at 9, 57°; at 4 P.M. 71°; at 7,65°. Inthe 
full sun, March 29, at 83 r. M. 102°. 
