290 William Stevenson. By Professor Duns. 



you a Corresponding Member of the Society. Trusting that you will 

 make us acquainted with any of your future discoveries that you may 

 consider important, I am, Sir, 



Yours most truly, 

 Nov 3rd. D. BEEWSTEE. " 



St. Leonard's St Andrews 

 Sir David was quick to see tlie value and importance of the subject 

 little more tlian hinted at here. Mr Stevenson's observations 

 indicated a new line of research which has yielded richer results 

 than he could have anticipated. In October 1841 he forwarded 

 a long letter to Sir David on "The Electricity of the Atmos- 

 phere and the indications of Clouds of the nature of Cirri and 

 Cirr-stratus." This, and another in December of the same year 

 on " A Eemarkable Auroral display on the 19th November," 

 were read by Sir David before the same Society. Other articles 

 followed, namely, " On some interesting Meteoric phenomena," 

 November, 1844, and " On an Aurora," December, 1845. The 

 same subjects led to a communication from Mr Airy, the 

 Astronomer Eoyal ; an interesting correspondence with Mr 

 Glaisher, of the Greenwich Observatory, ranging from 1841 to 

 1852; a letter from Mr Temple Chevallier, Durham College; 

 and to an intimate acquaintanceship with Dr. Dick, Broughty 

 Ferry. In 1853, Mr Stevenson published an elaborate Article in 

 the Philosophical Magazine in which he stated his maturest views 

 on the connection believed to subsist "between the Aurorae 

 and the formation and modification of clouds, particularly of the 

 cirrus and cirro-stratus types." In this paper he also refers to " the 

 connection between the variations of the solar spots and those of 

 the terestrial magnetic forces." His-contributions to Meteorology 

 at this period were many and important. Of these the f ollowin g 

 may be mentioned, — " On the general character of storms which 

 pass over the British Isles," (Liverpool Lit. and Phil. Soc). " On 

 the probable connection between the Solar spots and the Aurorse," 

 {Royal Society). " Comparison of the Progressive Motions of 

 Cyclones with the Motions of the Cirri," " Lecture on Meteor- 

 ology," " Aurorse Boreales." The wide range of his knowledge 

 of phenomena, the comparative freshness of his observations, the 

 modesty with which he stated his views, and, withal, the 

 thoroughly scientific method employed in his researches, drew to 

 him the attention of the foremost workers in this department. 

 The notes which follow may be taken as illustrations of the 

 communications which reached him. — 



