408 METEOKOLOGICAL COERESPONDENCE. 



that this result is produced by a storm or an abnormal disturbance of the air 

 -travelling in this latitude eastward, and drawing, as it were, the air towards it, 

 and thus changing the direction of the arrow. 



From Francis L. Capen, Chicago, Illinois. 



August, 1859. 

 I have stumbled upon the discovery of the meteorological system of the 

 globe, and will furnish a programme of the weather in advance for Washington. 



Remarks. — The discovery of a single scientific fact may be the result of a 

 happy accident, but a scientific principle can never be stumbled upon. It must 

 be the result of reflection and investigation, and is generally arrived at by the 

 successive efforts of a number of minds, each making a step in advance, while 

 in general the popular credit is given to the one who finally presents it to the 

 world in its simplest form. Even important scientific facts are at the present 

 day rarely discovered by accident, and only, when the accident happens, to one 

 intimately acquainted with the latest developments of science, and who is well 

 qualified to recognize the value of the facts thus presented. We are, therefore, 

 not disposed to place much reliance on the meteorological system which has been 

 stumbled on by our correspondent. 



From A. Fendlcr, St. Louis, Missouri. 



October 2, 1860. 

 I have reduced my half-hourly barometrical observations made at Oolonia 

 Tovar, in 1S57, to the freezing point, in order to find out whether the mean maxi- 

 mum and minimum of the whole differs much in point of time from the maxi- 

 mum and minimum of the not reduced observations. The result shows that 

 there is a slight difference. The time of maximum as well as that of minimum 

 in the reduced observations is found to be somewhat earlier, having the maxi- 

 mum at 10 a. m., instead of 10.30 a. m., and the minimum between 4 and 4J p. 

 m., instead of 4^. These reduced observations I have also sent along with the 

 register for September. 



From Spencer L. Hillier. 

 \ 



September 5, 1861. 



I am reminded of an incident that occurred in Red Wing, Minnesota, when I 

 resided in that State, which may be of interest to you. A man was lathing in 

 the second story of a new brick house, when a discharge of electricity took 

 place, which, passing through the first and second floors, taking his body in its 

 course, killed him instantly ; and, strange as it may seem, it carried his cap up 

 to the ceiling, there wedging it fast among the laths, where it remained till taken 

 down the next day. 



Remarks. — This is by no means a very uncommon incident, since there are 

 many cases on record of similar occurrences. 



The late L)r. Carnahan, president of the college of New Jersey, a man df re- 

 markable precision of observation and truthfulness of description, informed me 

 of an accident by lightning which fell under his notice near Princeton. In this 



