14 



METEOROLOGY OP THE 2nd QUARTER OP 1854. 



[1854. 



membrane -while efifecting osmotic propulsion may possibly, therefore, 

 be of a reparable kind. — In other respects chemical osmose appears to 

 be an agency particvilarly adapted to take part in the animal economy. 

 It is seen that osmose is peculiarly excited by dilute saline solutions, 

 such as the animal juices really are, and that the alkaline or acid 

 property -which these juices always possess is another most favourable 

 condition for their action on membrane. The natural excitation of 

 osmose in the substance of the membranes or cell--walls dividing such 

 solutions seems therefore almost inevitable. In osmose there is, fur- 

 ther, a remarkably direct substitution of one of the great forces of 

 nature by its equivalent in another force— the conversion, as it may be 

 said, of chemical atfinity into mechanical pcwer. Now -what is more 

 ■wanted in the theory of animal functions than a mechanism for obtain- 

 ing motive power from chemical decomposition as it occurs in the 

 tissues ? In minute microscopic cells the osmotic movements being 

 entirely dependent upon extent of surface may attain the highest con- 

 ceivable velocity. May it not be hoped therefore to iind, in the 

 osmotic injection of fluids, the deficient link which certainly intervenes 

 between muscular movement and chemical decomposition ? 



Meteorology of tlie Second ^uai-ter of 1854; at tlie Higlifleld 

 Hoiisc Obger-vatoi-y; Nottingliainsliire; Kiiglaud, 



■safefe 



■S.- 



% fc o 



"S 



O 





g^ «<: 















la 



of: tofe 



§1 



£ 



a 



1 sc'S 



S o 



iSaS 



"s 



S-2 



(D 





go 



go sS 



§5 



^ o 



gs 



Inch. 



S 





Inches. 



ij 



IS 



Inches. 



Inches. 



Inches. 



Inches. 



0-261 



29-758 



30-009 



30-437 



29-120 



1-317 



0-330 



29-310 



29-640 



30-141 



28-879 



1-262 



0-387 

 0-323 



29-326 

 29-466 



29-713 



30-071 



29-316 



-0765 



29-787 



30-437 



28-879 



1-568 



April. 



May 



June 



Mean 



The elastic force of vapour in April was slightly less than the aver- 

 age; in May an eleventh of an inch above the amount of 1853 and 

 •021 inch above that of 1852; and in June "029 inch above that of 

 1853, and nearly equal -with that of 1852. The pressure of the 

 atmosphere in April was a quarter of an inch greater than the average 

 of the last seven years ; in May 0-183 inch less, and in June 0-033 

 inch less than the average of the past seven years. 



Month. 



April 

 May . 

 June. 



Mean 



1 



II 



o 



t 



^1 





o 



3^ 



P4i 



^O 





















29 



2-3 





;t: =,» . 





-3 P 





II 



13 



-1° = ^ 

 a S g 



ean Add 

 Weight re 

 saturate 

 Foot of Air 





< 



(^ 



g 



Decrees. 



Gr.iins. 



Grains. 



a 



Decree. 



Det;i-ee. 



(1-000) 



4C-4 



43-0 



38-5 



1-S9 



1-00 



0-742 



50-0 



49-1 



46-7 



8-82 



0-67 



0-851 



55-3 



63-3 



51-1 



4-39 



0-87 



0-834 

 0-809 



60-3 



48-7 



45-4 



3-33 



0-85 



:, BBS 



g'SS'! 



Inches. 

 3-47 

 6-66 

 6-35 



The mean temperature in May and June has been exceedingly low. 

 In April it was below that of 185.3 by 0-4°, above that of 18-52 by 

 0-1°, and below the mean of 42 years by 1°. May was 0-4° below that 

 of 1853, 1-5° below that of 1852, and nearly 6° below the mean of the 

 last 42 years. June was 3° below that of 1853, and 1-7° below June, 

 1852, and 3 J° below the mean of the last 42 years. It is to be feared 

 that this great cold will aifect the yield of the wheat crop. The mean 

 temperature of the dew point was in April \° below, in May 1 J° above, 

 and in Jxine \\° below the mean of the past seven years. The mean 

 weight of vapour in a cubic foot of air was, in April, 1-2 grains 

 below, in May 0-2 grain above, and in June 0-4 grain below the aver- 

 age of the past six years. The whole amount of water in a vertical 

 column of the atmosphere was about equal to the average in April and 

 June, but 1-7 inches above the average in May. 



April 

 May . 

 June. 



Mean 



'o o 



g 



■s 



^ o 





-CJ 



too 



3; 



& 



-3.. 



is 



It 



%6'< 



M_d 



gS 



s 



s 



o 



Grains. 



Degrees. 



Degrees. 



563-0 



74-8 



29-4 



63-2-4 



73-0 



31-4 



528-1 



79-0 

 79-0 



41-0 



537-8 



29-4 



O 



a 



3 



Cm 



O 











C 3 



3. 3 



.§ ^ 





<^1 



gg 



n -^^ 



5i 



















5 a 

 gS 



g 



£e4 



§1 



ia 



a 



a 



Decrees. 



o 



Degrees. 



Degrees. 



Degrees. 



45-4 



59-2 



35-1 



24-1 



41-6 



62-8 



37-7 



26-1 



3S-0 



66-2 



46-8 



lS-4 



49-6 



62-4 



39-9 



22-5 



The mean weight of a cubic footof air was in April 13 grains more than 

 the average of the past six years. May, two grains less, and June two 

 grains more than the mean. The greatest heat in shade was in April 

 5° more than in 1853, and 1° less than in 1852 ; in May 9° less than 

 in 1853 and 6° less than in 1852 ; and in June 3° less than tn 1853 

 and 2° more than in 1852. The greatest cold of night in April and 

 May was about the average, and in .June 4° warmer than in 1853, and 

 1° warmer than in 1852. The mean of all the maximum readings of 

 the thermometer in April was 2° above that of 1853, and sUghtly 

 below that of 1852 ; in May about equal to the average temperature; 

 and in June 6° below that of 1853, and about 4° below that of 1852. 

 The mean of all the minimum readings of the thermometer in April 

 was 3° below that of 1853, and slightly above that of 1852 ; in May 

 2° below that of 1853, and 5° below that of 1852 ; and in June 1 J° 

 below ftat of 1852 and 1853. 





a 



o 



Q 

 11 



g-J 

 O 



rt i a 



5-S g 2 



jaSo 



Mean Ma.xiraura 

 Heat of a Ther- 

 mometer in the 

 Sunshine. 



la 

 < 



Amount of Rain. 



11 



Month. 



2 feet 



above 



the 



ground 



25 feet 



above 



the 



ground. 



a 0=3 



Z 



April - 



Degrees. 

 18-4 

 26-2 

 34'2 



18-4 



Degrees. 

 36-3 

 34-2 

 43-8 



Degrees. 

 7>2 

 71-9 

 74-1 



Inches. 

 4-703 

 4-685 

 6-028 



Inches. 

 0-480 

 2-176 

 1-002 



Inches. 

 0-457 

 1-952 

 0-965 





May 



19 





14 









38-0 . 



73-1 



4-772 



1-219 



1-121 



13 







1 



In April there were 15 nights' frost on the grass, and in May 14. 

 The amount of evaporation for the quarter was 14-316 inches'. The 

 amount of evaporation in April was an inch above the average of the 

 last six years, in May half an inch less, and in June about equal to 

 the average. The amount of rain in April was 1-2 inches less than the 

 average of the last 10 years, in May 0-2 more, and in June 2-0 inches 

 less than the average. April, 1844, was 0-1 inch drier than in 1854, 

 and April 1850, equal to that of 18.54; in 1846 the amount was 11 

 times that of April, 1854; in all other years the fall was from 0-8 inch 

 to 3-8 inches more than in April, 1854. 



April 

 May . 

 .Tune. 

 Me.an 



General 



direction of 



^vind. 



E.N.E. & N.E. 



iB.W 



N.E. & S 



S.W. & NE. . 



Ji 



o 











o 





a^ • 



s . 

























1* 



(0-6J 



(0-10) 



0-3 



4-9 



0-2 



6-6 



0-7 



8-4 



0--4 



6-6 



i 4 



P 



Sa 



Eh Cm . 

 o B 



Degrees. 

 42-9 

 47-6 

 62-1 



~47-5~ 



^3 A 

 O 1. g 



Days. 

 3 

 11 

 4 



Days. 



Days. 

 1 

 5 

 



A violent gale for this season of the year occurred on the 26th of 

 June from the S., and afterwards from the S.W. The average amount 

 of cloud for April (from seven years' observations) is 6-7, for May 

 6-0, and for June 6-6. This j'ear, April was very free from clouds, 

 one-fifth of the sky being less cloudj^than usual. May was in a slight 

 degree more overcast than the average, and .Tune was much more over- 

 cast, one-fifth part of the sky being more overcast than the average of 

 that mouth. The Chiif-chaff arrived on the 1st of April, four days 

 earlier than usual ; Ribes sanguineum came into bloom on the 1st of 

 April, one day earlier than usxial ; the Swallow arrived on the 14th o 

 April, its average time ; Daphne cneorum was in bloom on the 16th of 

 April, 11 days earlier than usual; the Landrail arrived on tlie 2nd of 

 May, 17 days earlier than usual ; the Cuckoo on the 8th of May, 11 



