1904.] C. Little — The Himalayan summer storm of Sept. 24th, 1903. 165 



for a very good reason. Neither the United States of America, nor at 

 least the British Isles, afford favourable conditions for the early steps in 

 settling the part played by the different currents or strata of the atmo- 

 sphere. In the United States the '* highs " and " lows " on which 

 weather variation largely depends, cross the west coast from the Paci- 

 fic and usually follow an easterly course towards the Atlantic. There 

 is but little of that variation which is indispensable for successful 

 analysis. In Britain the actions are more variable but their beginnings 

 and their endings are both unknown. It was only at the last meeting 

 of the British Association that Dr Shaw, Secretary to the Meteorolo- 

 gical Committee of the Royal Society, told his audience how unreliable 

 the depression is as guide to weather changes, and his difficulty ap- 

 peared to me to be as regards the origin of the depression. 



In India, and more especially in Lower Bengal and over the north 

 of the Bay, circumstances are much more favourable. We have clearly 

 defined currents, which undergo considerable variation from season to 

 season, and even from year to year ; we have depressions forming over 

 the north of the Bay during the monsoon and pre-monsoon months, 

 with a great variety of subsequent occurrences as regards recurvature 

 and rainfall distribution ; in fact all that variety which may fairly be 

 expected, on analysis, to yield the orderly sequence of cause and effect. 

 But until the upper currents are made the subject of systematic obser- 

 vation any satisfactory solution is unlikely. 



To take a simile from well-sinking, they appear to be boring for 

 water in the United States where there is no water, and probably also 

 in Europe ; while here, where water exists and is much needed, the bor- 

 ing has not been begun. As soon as observation, such as was outlined 

 by Mr. Blanford, is begun in Lower Bengal and adjacent tracts, results 

 of the utmost value to meteorology may be confidently expected. 



In my previous papers on these Himalayan storms I gave brief 

 tables — one set arranged to show the progress of the disturbance south- 

 ward from the part of the Himalayas where it first affected the weather, 

 and the other set to show the progress westward. I give similar tables 

 for the Himalayan storm now under discussion, and I will call it the 

 storm of date September 24th, because that was the date on which it 

 appeared, although the heaviest rainfall in North Bengal appears under 

 date 25th, having been measured at 8 a.m. of the 25th. 

 {For table see next page). 



