JOURNAI. AND PROCEEDINGS. 1 
CLOUDS. 
Read before the Astronomical Section of the Hamilton Scaentific 
Association, March 15th, rgo4. 
BY SENECA JONES. 
When the Rev. Dr. Marsh asked me to supplement the reading 
by Rev. Mr. Howitt of Rev. Dr. Beavis’ paper on Colorado clouds, 
by my observations of Northwest clouds, I was taken, to use a 
familiar political expression, in a moment of weakness, with the idea 
that I might tell you something interesting of what I observed on 
one occasion at least, as it was certainly, to me, a very remarkable 
phenomenon. ‘The moment I began to get my thoughts into shape, 
however, which I regret was put off till the last moment owing to 
pressure of other matter, it dawned on me that I could say, in about 
two and a half minutes, all there was to say of this remarkable 
appearance, and then, unless I had developed a severe enough 
cough with which to fill up the balance of my time, I would have to 
sit down. There is one thing certain, and that is, in looking up the 
subject of clouds I have found it a very fertile and interesting 
theme, and well worth all the time which might be devoted to it. 
It is so extensive, however, that the difficulty is to know how to do 
anything with it in the few minutes at my disposal. 
There is no part of the world, I believe, without clouds, and for 
the reason that there is no part which is not more or less influenced 
by the sun. It is a mere truism to say that without the heat of the 
sun there could be no clouds. We learn that clouds are composed 
of extremely minute particles of water, called water dust ; that is, 
the composition more nearly resembles dust than anything else. 
The interest, therefore, seems to centre in the varied cloud condi- 
tions and manifestations which we observe. One time they are very 
high, another quite low. Sometimes they are dark and dense, other 
times light and vapory. Abercrombie has divided them into ten 
principal classes, with numerous sub-divisions, as follows : Cumulus, 
pure rocky cloud ; Stratus, pure sheet cloud ; Cirrus, pure wispy 
cloud; Cirro-Stratus, thin, high, wispy or striated sheet cloud of all 
