280 



a Seat's Meatijer. 



The following letters relating to the weather in the neighbour- 

 hood of Truro during a period of twelve months, contributed to the 

 press of the western counties from time to time by Mr. Henry 

 Crowther, Curator of the Royal Institution of Cornwall, and 

 received with considerable favour, the Council think deserving of a 

 permanent record. They have therefore had them reprinted for 

 issue in the present number of the Journal. 



To those who have to take the state of the weather, as is done 

 at the Royal Institution, Truro, and elsewhere, the rainfall of these 

 last few days and other periodic rains are very interesting, though 

 not unusual in hilly countries. Ordinary observers oft-times 

 measure the rainfall by its inconvenience to their business ; but to 

 the regular observer who — as is the case at this Institution — measures 

 and tabulates it day by day, such a rainfall, as is now falling, is 

 worth a passing notice. One often wonders if it be possible to get 

 the general public to understand what all this trouble means about 

 the weather ; it is such a come-and-go thing, apparently, that 

 during heavy falls is perhaps as good a time as any to attract the 

 public to what observations of rainfall mean. 



By regular observations we learn that in Truro it rained in 

 twelve days, in October, 1887, 4'45-inches (nearly four and a half 

 inches), and that during last month it rained 2"04-inches, or a little 

 over two inches in sixteen days ; this decrease is in part explained 

 by the beautiful October we have had. 



In November, 1887, it rained in twenty days 4"44-inches, and 

 this month it has rained every day. In its six first days we have 

 had 2,'33-inches of rain in Truro. An inch of rain is equal to a little 

 over 100 tons to the acre ; if we take the Truro district, as including 

 Probus, St. Just, St Agnes, St. Clements, Kenwyn, and Kea, there 

 have fallen on it in these six days over 21,042,000 (over twenty-one 

 millions) tons of rain. 



