1876.] H. F. Blanford — Synoptical Weather Charts. 219 



The charts exhibited were the first of the kind which had ever been 

 constructed for India, or indeed which it had ever been possible to construct. 

 They showed the distribution of pressui'e, and the direction of the wind over 

 the whole of India at 10 o'clock in the morning of each day ; the jiressiu-e 

 being shown by isobars, or Hues of equal ^iressure at the sea level, for each 

 twentieth of an inch of the barometer, and the winds by arrows, certain 

 marks on which indicated the aj)proxunate mean velocity of the wind on the 

 day in qiTestion. The first series of charts extended over twelve days, wz'^. 

 from the 20th July to the 1st August ; and the second over eight days, from 

 the 2nd to the 9th September.' The general character of the phenomena 

 illustrated was similar in the two cases. A barometeric depression was appa- 

 rently generated in Orissa or possibly in the North-West corner of the Bay : 

 (there was no direct evidence pointing to a marine origin, and although, in 

 the absence of any observations at sea, it could not be positively afih-med 

 that the formation took place over the land, such was at least the more 

 probable view) . Ai"0und this depression, the winds blew sj^ii-ally inwards, 

 forming what may be termed a land cyclone. The velocity was in no case 

 very high, and the barometric gradients were in general moderate, but in other 

 respects the conditions were similar to those of a cyclone. From Orissa, 

 the depression moved westwards towards Nagpore, and then somewhat 

 northward. That which was formed in Orissa on the 25th July, entered 

 the Gangetic valley, and coalesced with the depression which had its seat 

 in that region throughovit the rainy season ; and on the 30th and 31st 

 the depression became very intense over Allahabad, and api^arently lasted 

 for at least a day after the heavy fall of rain, which was registered at 13 

 inches. 



The depression in the early i^art of September moved rather to the 

 North-West, and on the 8th and 9th was very intense on the i^lateau be- 

 tween the Narbada and the Ganges, and in the upjier part of the latter 

 valley, especially over Sagar and in the neighbourhood of Delhi. 



Mr. Blanford thought it probable that these land cyclones Avere not ex- 

 ceptional featm'es of the meteorology of the rainy season, but were only 

 somewhat exaggerated instances of the state of things that accomjxanies 

 every general burst of rainfall at that season. If so their further study 

 would certainly throw much light on the conditions that determine the dis- 

 tribution of the rainfall. 



The Hon'ble E. C. Batlet exhibited the folloAving silver coins : 

 No. 1. A coin of the city of Tarsus in Cilicia, struck under the Dy- 

 nasty of the Seleucidan kings : according to the Due do Luyncs, a coin of 

 the birthplace of St. Paul. In bad jnx'scrvation, but rare. 



Obverse. A seated figure of the god " Baal-Tars", with a defaced 



