TRANSACTIONS OF THIS SECTiONS. 55 



Ico is rarely seen iu Patras, aud suow very solclom. Geraniums continue to 

 flower all the winter. But all the winter there is an horizon of snow-capped 

 mountain to the E. half of the compass, which suow is not entirely gone iu the 

 middle of July. The heat is great in July and August : last summer there were 

 twenty days running when the maximum was never less than 00° nor the miuimum 

 than 70°. For further particulars see Tables. 



Clouds. — In the year 1871 there were 



29 days on which no clouds of any sort were seen. 

 113 „ „ no clouds were seen excepting those which clung about the 



mountains — days, that is, of uninterrupted sunshine. 

 182 „ „ clouds were seen in the skj', most of which would be counted 

 as decidedly fine days in England. 

 41 ,, „ the sky was entirely overclouded, so that no blue sky was 

 seen all day long. Thirty-tive of these were in January, 

 February, November, and December. 



The extreme clearness of the atmosphere deserves attention. A mountain in the 

 island of Cephalonia, 5.300 feet high, forms the western horizon, and is visible 

 certainly half the days of the year. So is the Parnassidi range (8000 feet), distant 

 forty miles ; and this, when white with snow, is discerned by moonlight. The 

 neai-er mountains, ten, fifteen, and twenty miles away, are frequently quite distinctly 

 seen by moonlight without the aid of snow. 



Earthquakes are disagreeably common. The author has felt about thirty himself, 

 none of which have done more serious damage than to bring down flakes of plaster. 

 Patras was once entirely destroyed, 540 a. d; but since then the severe shocks 

 have been confined to the shores of the Gulf of Corinth and to the islands of Zante, 

 Cephalonia, Ithaca, and Leucadia. 



The author has seen two brilliant Auroras (October 25, 1870, and February 4, 

 1872), both of a deep red colour. 



On the Advantages of Iceeping Records of Physical Phenomena connected with 

 Thunder-storms. By W. de Fonvielle, 



The author begins by referring to the importance of the records of luminous meteors 

 made by the Association, and which have given rise to a great science, the future 

 influence of which on astronomy it is impossible to determine. After having 

 reviewed the work of the Committee for Luminous Meteors, he shows that thunder- 

 storm phenomena are practically far more interesting for us, as being_ more inti- 

 mately connected with our personal welfare and security. Only in few disconnected 

 cases do falliu» stars produce fatal results, while thunder-storms may have an 

 important influence on our property, our health, and our lives. Captive balloons 

 are spoken of by Arago as tending to enlarge the system of protection inaugurated 

 by Dr. Franklin, so that an immense field may be said to be opened for inventions 

 in this direction. 



The author showed, by quoting his correspondence, that in this very land the 

 efUciency of lightning-conductors had been questioned, and that in Manchester a 

 conference, held on the occasion of Kersall Church being struck, had arrived at the 

 conclusion that lightning-conductors were worse than useless. 



The author referred to the use of the electric telegraph for giving warning to 

 shipping, as practised by the Board of Trade. He alluded also to the steps taken 

 hy the French Government for having ma]is drawn of the course followed by 

 thunder-storms. The author showed that, if the question is limited to the observa- 

 tion of phenomena when places are struck by lightning, it is of great importance 

 and magnitude. Quoting several newspapers, the author finds that not less than 

 five or six cases of great scientific interest had occurred within a month in the 

 county of Sussex, all of these being- lost for science and forgotten for ever, if not 



{roperly recorded. He is advocating no novelty, as a Committee of the French 

 nstitute had officially advised the French Government in 1823 to establish a 

 record of these cases, where a building had been struck by lightning when supplied 

 with a lightning-conductor. He explained how prevalent superstitious had pre. 



