Proceedings of the British Association. 395 



land, with the toind at the several points of the compass.' 1 '' The instru- 

 ment employed in these observations, (made at Toomavara in the coun- 

 ty of Tipperary, and at Monk's Eleigh in Suffolk, by Rev. T. Knox 

 and Rev. H. Knox,) was contrived by the Rev. T. Knox, for the pur- 

 pose of registering the amount of rain which falls at a given place with 

 the wind in different points of the compass. The observations embrace 

 a period of one year, and the results, expressed in inches, are given in 

 the following table. 



It appears, that while the total amount of rain which falls in Tipperary is 

 nearly double of that which falls in Suffolk, there is likewise a wide dif- 

 ference between the two stations as to the quantity which falls with dif- 

 ferent winds. In fact, nearly one third of the whole amount falls at the 

 Irish station during the prevalence of southwesterly winds ; while, at 

 the English station, there is a much nearer approach to equality in the 

 amount of rain borne by different winds. This prevalence of rain with 

 the southwesterly wind, is distinctly marked in every season of the year 

 at the Irish station ; while in Suffolk each season is characterized by an 

 excess of rain from a different point of the compass, producing a near 

 approach to uniformity in the results of the entire year. These results, 

 it is to be observed, are integral effects; and a comparison of them 

 with the times of continuance of the respective winds, gives the raini- 

 ness (if it may be so called) of the several winds. 



" An Account of an extraordinary Tide at Arbroath" by Mr. 

 Brown. The ordinary neap tide at Arbroath rises from eight to nine 

 feet, but on July 5th, 1843, an extraordinary phenomenon occurred. 

 The moon was in perihelion at 2 o'clock, and the evening tide was sud- 

 dedly raised, at the time of high water, to nine and a half or eleven 

 feet — again sunk for about ten minutes, and was raised again, there be- 

 ing a series of fluxes and refluxes. It was not known whether the phe- 

 nomenon commenced with a rising or a depression, or with the horizon- 

 tal length of the wave. The sea was perfectly calm, but vessels which 

 were entering the port perceived a current stronger than usual. In the 

 evening there was a violent thunder storm. Persons who had observed 

 the appearance before, accounted for it on the supposition of a storm in 

 the Atlantic from the southwest. — Mr. Scott Russell thought the phenom- 

 enon at Arbroath was not tidal at all. Similar phenomena had been 

 observed elsewhere, on the coast of Scotland, and are described in the 

 same manner. It is supposed by some that they are the consequences 

 of the subsidence or elevation of the coast ; others think that they arise 

 from submarine volcanic explosions, and the undulations of the atmos- 



