ON SUNSPOTS AND RAINFALL. 



235 



Here we have a remarkable parallelism, both the sunspots and the 

 rainfall attaining their maximum and minimum in the same years, and 

 rising and falling together with considerable regularity. 



The mean of the mean cycle is 25*6 inches, and the mean rainfall is 

 257 inches. 



19. The next table gives the results of the converse arrangement for 

 the rainfall of Edinburgh. 



"We have here also a remarkable parallelism, but not quite so much so 

 as in Table V. 



The rainfall reaches its minimum in the year before that of minimum 

 sunspots. 



The mean of the mean cycle is 26'0 inches, and the mean rainfall is 

 also 26*0 inches. 



The variation range is about 6 inches, the rainfall being 33 inches 

 above the mean in Table V., and 2 - 6 inches below it in Table VI. 



20. Similar results might be given for the rainfalls of other individual 

 stations in Great Britain, but it is unnecessary to do so. For the present 

 it is sufficient to know that the annual mean falls at fifty-four stations, 

 virtually obtained at haphazard, as well as the mean annual falls at 

 Mr. Symons's ten stations, which were selected by him for a different 

 purpose, show, on the whole, a well-marked rainfall cycle corresponding 

 with the sunspot cycle. 



21. The rainfall of Greenwich, although greater in the maximum than 

 in the minimum years of sunspots, is not nearly so favourable as the 

 rainfalls of Edinburgh and other stations. 



III. — Rainfall of the Continent of Europe corn-pared toith the Sunspots. 



22. Through the kindness of Mr. Estourgies and the Directors' of 

 various Observatories, I obtained some time ago returns of the rainfalls 

 at forty-five stations dispersed over the Continent of Europe. The re- 

 sults, according to the method adopted on this occasion, are given in the 

 next two tables. 



As at Edinburgh, the year of maximum rainfall coincides with the 

 year of maximum sunspots. 



