ON THE METEOROLOGY OF SYRIA AND PALESTINE. 283 



almost in sheets, accompanied by violent wind, and those 

 more favourable winters in which the showers are gentle, 

 penetrating, and unaccompanied by violent tempests. The 

 velocity of the wind has reached 8. In such a wind, occur- 

 ring the 18th of November, 1874, the dome of the Lee 

 Observatory, in Beirut, where the accompanying tables were 

 made up, was blown off. 



The thermometer is far steadier than the rainfall or the 

 wind. The variations of the mean of temperature for any 

 given month are slight, more particularly during midsummer. 

 Thus, with the one exception of 1878, when it reached 88*34°, 

 the mean temperature of August only varied from 82° to 85*60° 

 for eleven years, and was generally about 84°. July is almost 

 as regular ; September and June hardly less so. 



The difference between the maximum and minimum of the 

 thermometer is greatest during the rainy season, particularly 

 in March, when the temperature rose in 1877 during a sirocco 

 (east, south-east, or north-east wind) to 90°, and fell during 

 the subsequent storm to 43°; or in April, when in the same 

 year the maximum reached 97*2°, while the minimum fell to 

 48*9°. The average difference during the rainy season is 

 neai'ly 40°, whereas for the summer months it is from 25° to 

 30°. The highest temperature recorded for all these years was 

 100°, and the lowest 35-1°, and the highest solar maximum 

 was 160°. Thus the difference between the hottest day of 

 the hottest summer, and the coldest day of the coldest winter, 

 is only 65°. The writer has known a change as great as this 

 to occur, within twenty-four hours, in the northern part of 

 New York, the thermometer being one morning 35° below 

 zero, and the next morning the roofs dripping from the 

 thawing of the snow. In summer especially the temperature 

 is very steady. Day after day the temperature registers the 

 same at a given hour, in the same place. Between day and 

 night the variation is often not more than 10°, sometimes less. 

 The rise of temperature from midwinter to midsummer is 

 usually very steady and gradual, as is also the fall to the mid- 

 winter temperature again. Such an even climate is peculiarly 

 favourable to pastoral labours, hence Syria and Palestine have 

 always been noted for their flocks and herds. 



The barometer partakes of the steadiness of the thermometer. 

 For the whole year 1884, the difference between the maximum 

 and minimum was only 0*880 in.; and in 1885, 0*819 in. 

 The highest barometer is always during the months of the 

 heavy rains, and the lowest usually just after the rainy season 

 is over. The barometer is so constant as to enable a traveller 

 to use the aneroid with far more advantagfe than in a more 



