392 
that the trading spirit and skill in navigation which had been then im- 
parted by the Northmen to the inhabitants of Ireland of the Celtic race, - 
had exercised a much greater, and perhaps more beneficial, influence on 
the subsequent destinies of this country than had been usually supposed. 
Mr. Smith further intimated an intention of submitting to the Aca- 
demy, on some future occasion, the results of his investigation of the Norse 
geography of the Faroe and Shetland islands, and other islands on the 
western coast of Scotland and the Isle of Man. 
The Rev. Joseph A. Galbraith communicated an abstract of the 
‘‘Barometrical Observations made at the Magnetical Observatory, Dublin, 
before and during the Storm of the 7th and 8th February, 1861.” 
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 1861. 
Rev. Grorce Satmon, D. D., Vice-President, in the Chair. 
The Rev. J. A. Garsrarrn laid before the’ Academy the following 
TABLES AND DIAGRAMS RELATIVE TO THE RAIN-FALL AS OBSERVED IN THE 
MAGNETIC OBSERVATORY GF TRINITY COLLEGE. 
Table I. gives the annual and monthly rain-falls for the last ten 
years, 1851-1860. 
Table IT. gives the monthly rain-falls of the ten years (1841-1850) 
as compared with those of the last ten years (1851-1860). 
The numbers for the first ten years are taken from Dr. Lloyd’s ac- 
count of the Meteorology of Ireland, vol. xxii. of the Transactions of the 
Academy. . 
From this Table it appears that the mean rain-fall at Dublin for 
twenty years (1841-1860) = 29-02 inches. 
Table ITI. gives the distribution of the rain-fall, according to the 
seasons, for ten years (1851-1860), from which the following mean va- 
dues are obtained :— 
Spring (March, April, May), . . . . . 6°33 
Summer (June, July, August), . . . . . 7-81 
Autumn (September, October, November), . 7°78 
Winter (December, January, February),. . 6:76 
Yn computing these mean values, the rain-falls for January and 
February, 1861, as taken from the day-book of the Observatory, were 
used as follows :— 
Janwanys ser U erode OATS 
Hebrusnyy ahi Shae Oy, 
It may be observed that the month of February, 1861, has been the 
wettest February for the last twenty-one years, the rain-fall being more 
than double the average amount. 
Table IV. gives the number of dry days in each month for the last’ 
ten years (1851-1860). In this Table a day is counted dry if the rain- 
fall is less than a hundredth of an inch. 
Average number of dry days in the year = 191-6 
Average number of wet days in the year = 173-4 
