34 Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society. 



Judge Hopkinson deposited with the Society, the Log Book of the first 

 voyage in a steam vessel across the Atlantic, by Captain Rogers, in the 

 year 1819 ; an account of which was given in the Proceedings of the 

 Society, No. 2, p. 14. 



In a written communication. Judge Hopkinson stated, amongst other 

 matters in reference to Captain Rogers's priority, that he was on board 

 the steam-ship lying at the city of Washington, after her retm-n from the 

 voyage. She was built and rigged like one of the Liverpool packets, and 

 her wheels were made to fold up at her sides when the wind permitted 

 her sails to be used. 



The Log Book states, among the occurrences usually noted, the days 

 when the steam was used. 



April 17. — The committee, consisting of Prof. Bache, Dr. Patterson 

 and Mr. Walker, to whom was referred a paper entitled " On the Storm 

 which was experienced throughout the United States about the 20th of 

 December, 1836, by Elias Loomis, Professor of Mathematics and Natu- 

 ral Philosophy in Western Reserve College," reported in favor of publi- 

 cation in the Society's Transactions, which was ordered accordingly.* 



The memoir of Prof. Loomis first describes the sources of information 

 to which he has had access, consisting of various published or private 

 meteorological journals. The principal phenomena occurred in the east- 

 ern states, within the period recommended by Sir John Herschel for 

 hourly meteorological observations; and were, of course, accurately no- 

 ted at the stations where these observations were made. From various 

 sources. Prof Loomis has obtained observations of the barometer at 

 twenty seven different stations in the United States and the neighboring 

 British possessions, and records of the thermometer and weather from 

 twenty eight military stations of the United States, from forty two acade- 

 mies of the State of New York, and from five other stations within the 

 probable limits of the storm, besides others beyond it. In some cases, 

 two sets of observations were made at the same station. 



The phenomena are discussed by the author under the following heads. 

 I. A remarkable oscillation of the barometer. 2. A sudden depression 

 of the thermometer. 3. The amount, and the time of beginning and 

 ending of the rain. 4. The direction and velocity of the wind. 



1. The observations of the barometer show that during the storm there 

 was a sudden depression of the barometer immediately succeeded by a 

 sudden rise; that the minimum of pressure occurred first in the western 

 states, and passed in a wave over the United States, moving eastwardly. 

 The curves drawn to represent the heights of the barometer illustrate this 

 fact in a very striking manner. Prof Loomis has attempted to determine, 

 from the observations, the amount of depression of the barometer, the 



* We are indebted to Prof. Loomis for a copy of his elaborate paper. — Eds. 



