ManrEN.— Comparative Atmospherie Pressure. 215 
descending to latitude 80? in the North Pacific Ocean, rising to 55? in North 
America, descending again to 40? in the North Atlantie, then rising very 
gradually to latitude 65? in Asiatic Russia, next descending again suddenly 
to 80? at the starting point. 
11. The point, however, is not material to the present argument, 
excepting so far as it goes to show the existence of such large barometric 
curves in the Northern Hemisphere where numerous observations have 
been taken, so that it would not have been an unreasonable hypothesis to 
suppose the existence of similar curves, if less extreme in degree, in the 
Southern Hemisphere, where observations are but few. Thus even had 
New Zealand been in the same latitude in the south as Great Britain in the 
north, and granting the diminished pressure of the latter hemisphere, it 
would not have been at all impossible that this colony nevertheless might 
have enjoyed an atmospherie pressure as large as that of Great Britain. 
12. Fortunately, however, authentie observations made in both countries 
are accessible, and being made under known conditions and with trust- 
worthy and verified instruments are readily intercomparable. Those taken 
in New Zealand under the auspices of the Meteorological Department, 
(superintended by Dr. Hector,) comprise the barometric records of four- 
teen stations, distributed with tolerable evenness over the entire length 
and breadth of these islands, from Mongonui in the north (latitude 35? 1’) 
to Southland (latitude 46? 17^), and from Napier in the east (longitude 176? 
55’) to Hokitika in the west (longitude 170° 59’), and extending over an 
average period of about ten years. 
18. In order to constitute a fair comparison between the two countries, 
I have selected the same number of stations (fourteen) in England, Scot- 
land, and Ireland, so distributed as to embrace all parts of the kingdom. 
Thus in England I have taken Greenwich (London) Liverpool, York, 
Durham, Clifton, Worthing (Sussex), Stonyhurst (Lancashire), and Hel. 
ston (Cornwall), at all of which places observations have been made and 
recorded by the Meteorological Society of England, from whose published 
returns I have compiled the averages shortly to be quoted. In Scotland I 
. have taken Glasgow, Elgin, and Culloden, where observations are taken 
similarly for the Seottish Meteorological Society, and published in the 
journals of that body. The stations in Ireland are Dublin (observations 
made by Captain Wilkinson, R.E., at the Ordnance Survey Office), Delfast 
(observations taken at Queen's College), and Armagh (observations by Dr. 
T. R. Robinson at the Observatory). All these observations are, like those 
in New Zealand, for a period of about ten years, and in both cases are 
reduced uniformly to a temperature of 82? Fah. at sea level. The results 
thereof are entirely comparable. 
