400 MR. JOSEPH BAXENDELL 



inevitable consequence, from what is known of the grada- 

 tion of temperature in the atmosphere^ that some effect of 

 this kind must necessarily take place/' 



Now, although it must be admitted that the tempera- 

 ture of falling rain is generally below that of the air 

 near the ground, yet if we proceed to determine the 

 temperature of a rain-drop at the commencement of 

 its descent, from its known rate of augmentation in fall- 

 ing, and from its temperature when it arrives at the 

 surface of the ground, we shall obtain a result wholly 

 inconsistent with known facts, and therefore fatal to the 

 hypothesis. 



The most complete series of observations with which I 

 am acquainted, of the quantities of rain falling at different 

 heights, is that made at York, in the years 1832-5, by Mr. 

 Gray and Professor Phillips at the request of the British 

 Association, the results of which are given and ably dis- 

 cussed by Professor Phillips in the volume of Transactions 

 of the Association for the year 1835. Three gauges were 

 used in these observations : the first was placed on a large 

 grass-plot in the grounds of the Yorkshire Museum ; the 

 second on the roof of the Museum, at an elevation of 43 

 feet 8 inches -, and the third on a pole 9 feet above the 

 level of the battlements of the great tower of the Minster, 

 at an elevation above the ground gauge of 212 feet 10^ 

 inches. The total quantities of rain received by these 

 gauges during the three years of observation were as 

 follows : 



I st gauge 65 "430 inches. 



2ud „ 52-169 „ 



3rd „ , 38-972 „ 



From these numbers it appears that the ratio of increase 

 of size of a rain-drop is 0-679 for the last 213 feet of its 

 fall, and 0*254 for the last 44 feet. 



A very able discussion of the whole series of observa- 



