TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. 



15 



On certain Meteorological Phcenomena m the Ghats of Western India. 

 Btj Col. Sykes, F.R.S. 



In the proceedings of the Physical Section at the meeting at New- 

 castle, the incidental mention of the annual fall of very many feet of 

 rain in certain localities of India, instead of a few inches, as is the case 

 in Europe, caused, I was told, some surprise, and the expression of a 

 doubt whether the fact had been ascertained with sufficient precision, 

 and by competent persons. I was not present on the occasion alluded 

 to, but the doubt having been brought to my notice subsequently, I 

 lost no time in applying toafriend to procure for me the official meteoro- 

 logical records kept by order of the government of Bombay at the 

 convalescent station of Mahabuleshwar, which records I knew would 

 afford sufficient evidence to remove all doubts, at least so far as related 

 to one locality ; and I have now the pleasure of submitting the abstract 

 of the Meteorology for 1834; the observations being made by Dr. 

 Murray, the medical officer in charge of that station. The station is 

 situated lat. 17° 58' 53" N. and long. 73° 29' 50" W., near the western 

 scarp of the Ghats, or mountain chain extending from Surat to Cape 

 Comorin, and varying from 1000 to 8000 feet in height. The eleva- 

 tion of the table-land at Mahabuleshwar averages 4500 feet. The tem- 

 perature of a spring is 65*5 Fahr., and the mean temperature of the 

 air for three or four years is nearly the same. There is a good deal of 

 forest along the Ghats, but in belts and patches, so that the wood can 

 have little effect on the phasnomena which I am about to describe. In 

 this table-land is the soui-ce of the celebrated Kistnah river, which 

 runs across the peninsula. 



The following table shows the state of the thermometer, fall of rain, 

 &e., at the station : 



Months. 



i 



if 



if 



if 



il 

 ^1 



Fall of 

 Rain in 

 Inches. 



Direction and force of the Wind. 



January ... 

 February... 

 March 



65-7 

 67-5 

 74-0 



74-4 



73-9 

 66-3 

 64-9 



65-3 

 65-0 

 65-5 

 63-5 

 62-3 



71-2 

 73-7 

 81-7 

 82-2 



80-6 

 69-3 

 66-6 

 66-9 

 66-4 



69-4 

 69-5 

 68-4 



60-2 

 61-3 

 66-4 



66-7 

 67-3 

 63-4 

 63-2 



63-8 



63-6 

 61-7 



56-2 



12-4 

 15-3 

 15-5 { 

 13-3 



5-9 

 3-4 

 3-1 



2-8 



77 

 12-0 

 13-2 { 



0-25 



Two light \ 

 showers J 

 0-16 

 32-03 

 118-60 

 75-91 

 65-97 



One light; 

 shower J 



A.M. 



E. light. 



E.N.E. light. 



N.E. light. 



N.E. light. 



rW.N.W.&S.W. 



i fresh. 



S.W. high and fresh. 



S.V^^. strong. 



S.W. high. 



S.W. fresh. 



N.E. fresh. 



E.N.E. high. 



E.N.E. fresh. 



P.M. 



E.N.E. & W. light. 



W.N. W. light. 

 W. & N.W. fresh. 



W. light. 



W.N.W. & S.W. 



fresh and strong. 



S.W. high and fresh. 



S.W. strong. 



S.W. high. 



S.W. fresh. 



/ N.E. & S.W. light. 



i E.N.E. fresh. 



E.N.E. fresh. 

 E.N.E. & W. light. 



May. 



June 



July ... . 



August 



September.. 

 October ... 

 November . 

 December . 



Mean... 



67-3 



72-1 



62-6 



9-5 



302-21 



