Aug. 11, 1870] 
NATURE 
307 
temperature of the British Isles was published in the Society’s 
journal in January 1864, and it has been frequently referred to 
by meteorologists as the only one existing. That chart was con- 
structed on returns obtained during a period of five years; the 
new charts which Mr. Buchan is now constructing are founded on 
observations for thirteen years, ending December 1869. These 
charts, besides giving the mean temperature of the year for the 
whole British Islands, give also the mean temperature of each 
month, The Council anticipate that, when these charts are pub- 
lished, with the tables explanatory of them, they will be found to 
afford valuable aid in the discussion of many important questions 
of a practical nature.”—Mr. Mohn, Professor of Meteorology in 
the University of Christiania, and director of the Norwegian 
Meteorological Institute, who was at the meeting, presented a 
work entitled the ‘‘Storm Atlas,” referring to various storms 
which had passed oyer the north of Europe. The Swedish 
returns were from twenty-five stations, where the observations 
were made three times a day, and were sent gratuitously by the 
Swedish Institute. 
A paper “* On the Temperature of the British Islands,” by Mr. 
A. Buchan, was read; thirteen charts illustrating the tempera- 
ture of the British Islands in each month of the year being ex- 
hibited. The author said that the investigation, the results of 
which were now exhibited on the walls, was one of the most 
important of all that the Society had undertaken. An early 
attempt was made to partially solve the problem about seven or 
eight years ago, and a chart was constructed showing the mean 
temperature of different parts of Britain in July and in January. 
These observations had two inherent defects. They were based 
only on five years, evidently too short a period to yield such 
results as were quite trustworthy, They were also defective in 
respect of number of stations, there being some parts of the 
country very badly represented. Now, however, an investiga- 
tion had been completed for thirteen years, which must be a 
yery close approximation, indeed, to the solution of the problem, 
The real temperature of the various months could differ very 
slightly from what was now exhibited. Further, the number of 
stations now brought under review was four times what the 
Society had at first. The observations were upon a mean of 
thirteen years of 68 Scotch stations, 54 English stations, and 11 
Trish stations—Ireland being yet very badly represented. To 
enable him to draw the lines on the outskirts of the British Isles 
with greater accuracy than could otherwise have been attempted 
he had calculated the mean temperature for Faroe. Several 
Norwegian stations he had obtained from Professor Mohn’s pub- 
lications, and he had also ascertained the mean temperature of 
places in Belgium and France. The temperatures had been 
reduced to sea level by the ordinary method of allowing a degree 
for every 300 feet of elevation, and the lines were drawn upon 
the charts to show each difference of a degree of Fahrenheit. 
Among the results brought out, it appeared that in January 
there was as high a temperature in the north of Shetland as there 
was in‘-London. As soon as the westerly winds crossed the 
high mountain ridge that was on the west of the British Isles, 
they deposited their vapour, radiation took place, and the tem- 
perature rapidly fell. In the same way, in Ireland, the lower 
temperatures were found inside, the higher temperatures outside. 
Another very marked result was the effect of Ireland upon 
Britain in increasing the summer temperature and lowering the 
winter temperature opposite to that island. In regard to the 
influence of the Irish Sea, Mr. Tennent, a member of Council 
of the Society, who had fora year or two given a good deal of 
attention to the direction of winds in different parts of the British 
Isles, is of opinion that the winds of the Irish Channel were not 
so much westerly as in Scotland and Ireland, but flowed to a 
great extent through the centre of the Channel. Now, on look- 
ing at the charts, it would be seen that the effect of this current 
in the winter months was to push up the isothermal lines over 
the Irish Sea. Through the whole of the months, the observa- 
tions all showed the marked effect which that open space of 
water had upon the temperature of the British Islands, as clearly 
as the effect which Ireland had upon the part of Britain oppo- 
site. Questions of temperature had an important bearing upon 
agriculture. Many agriculturists believed that if the night tem- 
perature fell to 40°, there was no growth for twenty-four hours, 
If the night temperature fell to 40°, the mean temperature might 
be expected to be about 46°. Thus, then, by observing the 
charts for the various months, and taking note of those parts of 
Britain whose temperatures were less than 46°, one would 
ascertain the places where during certain months there was little 
growth, a very important question in discussing the crops of the 
British Islands. The next important temperature for agriculture 
was that required to ripen cereals. It had been proved by ob- 
servations made by persons competing for prizes offered by the 
Marquis of Tweeddale, President of the Society, that for the pur- 
pose in question, with the ordinary range of temperature in 
Scotland, there must be an average of 56°. If it fell below that, 
there was a deficiency in the crop; if it rose, the crop was so 
much the better, provided there were rain and other necessary 
conditions. Accordingly, with the charts for the different 
months, one could point to those parts of the British Islands 
where there was some hazard in rearing cereal crops—the places, 
namely, where the necessary temperature was scarcely to be ex- 
pected, or where it occurred so seldom that the risk was too 
great. It was generally supposed that the temperature fell one 
degree for every 300 feet of elevation, so that supposing at the 
sea level there was a temperature of 58°, at an elevation of 600 
feet the temperature would be 56°, or a temperature sufficient to 
ripen cereals. In reference to this point, however, it was in- 
teresting to compare the station of Braemar on the Dee-side with 
that of Wanlockhead in the Leadhills, which were among the 
best equipped stations of the Society. It was well known by 
experience that on Deeside oats could ripen up to about 1,500 
above the sea; but at Wanlockhead, which was only 1,300 feet 
above the sea, oats were sown only for the straw. Here, then, 
were very marked differences in the effects of temperature, as 
shown in the growing crops. Taking the month of June, he 
found that, adding a degree for every 300 feet of elevation, he 
got a mean temperature at Wanlockhead of 549°, while at 
Braemar, applying the same correction, he got a temperature of 
56°8°. The cause of the difference between the two places he 
was not prepared to hazard an opinion upon, but it had an im- 
portant bearing on the produce of the country. He thought that 
if this question were a little inquired into at some other stations, 
they might get some general law for guidance in reference to 
such matters. 
DUBLIN 
Royal Irish Academy, June 23.—The Rev. Professor 
Jellett, B.D., president, in the chair, Mr. Frith read a 
very interesting paper on arterial drainage in the west of 
Ireland. Mr. W. Andrews mentioned the second occurrence on 
the coast of Ireland of the rare Cetacean Avphis sowerbii 5 it 
had been found in May last, in Brandon Bay, Co. Kerry. It 
was seventeen feet in length, the back of head and fins were of 
a velvety black colour with lines of white. Although sadly 
mutilated by the fishermen, yet several important parts had been 
obtained sufficient to enable him to supplement his (Mr. Andrews) 
provious paper on this very rare whale.—A paper was read by 
the secretary on the Book of Clonenagh.—The last part of the 
proceedings was laid on the table, and the receipt of a MS. 
index to the volume from the Rey. Dr. Reeves was acknowledged 
with many thanks and ordered to be printed. 
Paris 
Academy of Sciences, August 1.—A note was read by 
M. G. Rayet, on the spectrum of the solar atmosphere, in which 
the author noticed the variability of the bright lines, in con- 
firmation of Mr. Lockyer’s observations. M. Berthelot com- 
municated some thermo-chemical investigations upon the sul- 
phurets, in which he described the action of the alkaline sul- 
phurets upon metallic salts in solution, the action of acids upon 
the alkaline sulphurets, that of sulphuretted hydrogen upon 
various metallic salts, and of acids upon the metallic sulphurets. 
A note by M. L. Henry, on the action of pentachloride and penta- 
bromide of phosphorus upon various zthers, was read. M. F. 
Pisani presented an analysis of nadorite, a new mineral from the 
province of Constantine. This mineral was supposed to consist 
of one equivalent of oxide of antimony, and two equivalents of 
oxide of lead ; the author gave as its formula (Sb? O?, Pb O) + 
Pb Cl. A note by Mr. F. C. Calvert, on the evolution of pure 
nitrogen from nitrogenous organic matters was communicated 
by M. Chevreul. The author described the evolution of nitro- 
gen from animal matters, by the action of hypochlorite of lime, 
and gave a tabular view of the quantities produced from gelatine, 
albumen, calcine, wool, and silk ; these amounted in each case, 
to rather more than one-third of the Whole quantity contained 
in the substance operated upon. A note was read by M. 
Contejeau, on themaximum of temperature at Poitiers, on the 24th 
July, 1870. The maximum observed was at 1" 10™ P.M. when 
the thermometer suspended under the shadow of a tree showed 
