ON SUNSPOTS AND RAINFALL. 



251 



It will be seen that the variations for Great Britain and the Continent 

 are nearly alike, and that those for America and India show a tendency 

 to a double oscillation. 



55. Taking now the sunspot period 1833 to 1844, we get the follow- 

 ing table : — 



Table XXXVI. — Comparison of rainfall with sunspots from 1833 to 

 1844.— Maximum year (1837) in fifth line. 



The years of the mean cycle are 1834 to 1843. 



The mean rainfall for the cycle is 38'8 inches, and for the years 1833 

 to 1844 it is 38-9 inches. 



The rain increases from the first to the third year of the cycle, 

 but in the fourth decreases, rising again till the eighth year, and then 

 falling to the tenth. This indicates a double oscillation, as in Table 

 XXXIV. 



The general results of the comparison, however, are unfavourable, the 

 maximum rainfall coinciding nearly with the minimnm sunspots in the 

 ninth year, and the minimum rainfall with the maximum sunspots in the 

 fourth year of the cycle. 



It will be seen by inspecting the columns for the mean rainfalls of the 

 several countries that these unsatisfactory results are mainly due to the 

 rainfalls of America and India, which are represented by ten and three 

 stations respectively. 



56. Taking Great Britain and the Continent of Europe alone, the 

 results as given in next table are obtained. 



The mean for the cycle and also for the years 1833 to 1844 is 

 28-2 inches. 



The maximum rainfall occurs two years after the year of maximum 

 sunspot. 



The minimum rainfall occurs, first, in the year of minimum sunspot 

 at the commencement of the cycle, and, again, nearly in the year of 

 minimum sunspot at the end of the cycle. 



There is a tendency to a small second minimum about the time of 

 maximum sunspot. 



