Meteorological Observations. 271 



" Remarks.— St. Johns is in lat. 47° 34' 3'' N. and Ion. 52° 38' 

 30" W. The height of the barometer above the level of the sea 

 is 140 feet. From the foregoing table it will be observed that in 

 the peculiar climate of this Island the mean temperature of the 

 month of September is very little below that of July, whilst that 

 of October is nearly equal to that of June. 'The first fortnight in 

 February is usually the severest part of the winter — in which pe- 

 riod the thermometer in some seasons sinks to from 10° to 20° 

 below the ze?^o of Fahrenheit. It will also be seen that in the 

 year 1836 there was only one month (August) in which frost did 

 not occur. The temperature above shown is the mean of the 

 maximum and miaimura of every 24 hours commencing at 9 a. m. 

 It generally happens, therefore, that the greatest degree of cold 

 occurs on the morning folloiving the date here shown. Where 

 two dates are mentioned, it shows, of course, that the same extreme 

 occurred on both days. 



" As regards the barometer, it may be observed that it is scarcely 

 ever steady for 6 hours together. Its oscillations are often great 

 and sudden, sometimes as much as from IJ to 2J inches, in the 

 course of 36 hours. These are greatest and most frequent in the 

 winter months — during which period almost every variety of 

 weather is experienced in the course of every four days. The 

 barometer attains, during that interval, to the height of from 30.20 

 to 30.40 inches, the weather being calm and serene and the cold 

 severe — the mercury soon indicates a change — a breeze springs 

 up from the S. E. and increases to a gale with snow and drift. 

 This is most frequently, although not always, succeeded by 

 heavy rain from S. W. (the temperature, which in the morning 

 was perhaps near or below zero^ rising to above 40 degrees) and 

 in a few hours the wind, which generally subsides after the rain, 

 suddenly shifts to the N. W., with a strong breeze. The barom- 

 eter (which on these occasions falls rapidly and almost always 

 sinks to several lOths below 29 in.) then begins to rise again, as 

 rapidly as it had before fallen. At the turn of the barometer, the 

 gale increases for a few hours, and then gradually subsides. The 

 barometer very rarely rises above 30.50 inches, and has never, 

 except on one occasion, during the above period of five years, 

 fallen as low as 28.50 inches." 



