﻿SOLAR 
  PHYSICS 
  AND 
  LOCUST 
  INCREASE. 
  67 
  

  

  the 
  year 
  1870, 
  another 
  epoch 
  of 
  maximum 
  sun-spots, 
  no 
  such 
  disturb- 
  

   ances, 
  if 
  i)revalent 
  on 
  the 
  continent, 
  intruded 
  themselves 
  into 
  notice 
  in 
  

   this 
  country; 
  but 
  on 
  the 
  nights 
  of 
  the 
  24th 
  and 
  25th 
  of 
  October 
  a 
  very 
  

   fine 
  display 
  of 
  crimson 
  flashes 
  broke 
  over 
  the 
  roofs 
  and 
  spires 
  of 
  Lon- 
  

   don, 
  showing 
  that 
  the 
  earth 
  condenser, 
  according 
  to 
  M. 
  De 
  la 
  Eive's 
  

   theory, 
  then 
  shot 
  its 
  discharge 
  currents 
  into 
  the 
  higher 
  atmosphere* 
  

   Other 
  auroras 
  were 
  observed 
  on 
  the 
  5th 
  of 
  April, 
  1870, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  15th 
  

   of 
  April 
  and 
  13th 
  of 
  May, 
  1869, 
  the 
  former 
  being 
  noticed 
  in 
  America. 
  

   (There 
  is 
  a 
  good 
  chart 
  showing 
  the 
  agreement 
  of 
  the 
  Magnetic 
  Diurnal 
  

   Eange 
  and 
  Sun-Spot 
  Curves 
  between 
  the 
  years 
  1841 
  and 
  1877, 
  by 
  Mr. 
  

   Elhs, 
  in 
  the 
  Philosophical 
  Transactions 
  for 
  1880.) 
  

  

  Turning 
  from 
  electricity 
  to 
  meteorology, 
  a 
  subject 
  more 
  immediately 
  

   affecting 
  the 
  present 
  inquiry, 
  we 
  find 
  that 
  Prof. 
  Piazzi 
  Smyth, 
  the 
  As- 
  

   tronomer 
  Eoyal 
  for 
  Scotland, 
  as 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  observations 
  made 
  from 
  

   1837 
  to 
  1869, 
  with 
  thermometers 
  sunk 
  in 
  the 
  rock 
  at 
  the 
  Eoyal 
  Observ- 
  

   atory, 
  Edinburgh, 
  came 
  to 
  the 
  conclusion 
  that 
  a 
  great 
  heat 
  wave 
  occurs- 
  

   every 
  eleven 
  years 
  and 
  a 
  fraction, 
  its 
  maximum 
  slightly 
  lagging 
  behind 
  

   the 
  minimum 
  of 
  the 
  sun-spot 
  cycle. 
  Previously 
  Professor 
  Balfour 
  Stew- 
  

   art 
  had 
  found 
  that 
  the 
  winter 
  temperature-range 
  at 
  Kew 
  apparently 
  de- 
  

   pends 
  on 
  the 
  sun-si)ot 
  period, 
  being 
  greatest 
  at 
  times 
  of 
  maximum 
  sun- 
  

   spots, 
  and 
  least 
  at 
  times 
  of 
  minimum 
  sun-spots. 
  At 
  the 
  epoch 
  of 
  maxi- 
  

   mum 
  sun-spots 
  wind 
  disturbances 
  are 
  most 
  frequent, 
  as 
  is 
  shown 
  in 
  a 
  

   wreck 
  chart 
  by 
  Messrs. 
  Jeula 
  and 
  Hunter, 
  and 
  coupling 
  this 
  observa- 
  

   tion 
  with 
  the 
  previous, 
  I 
  think 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  fairly 
  argued 
  that 
  we 
  about 
  

   this 
  time 
  (and 
  at 
  the 
  minimum 
  epoch?) 
  have 
  our 
  open 
  winters. 
  Accord- 
  

   ing 
  to 
  the 
  observations 
  of 
  Schwabe 
  and 
  some 
  recent 
  mean 
  temperature 
  

   statistics 
  from 
  the 
  Times 
  newspaper 
  I 
  have 
  by 
  me, 
  this 
  is 
  a 
  wet 
  as 
  well 
  

   as 
  a 
  windy 
  conjuncture, 
  and 
  according 
  to 
  Herr 
  Gustav 
  Wex 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  

   time 
  when 
  there 
  is 
  most 
  water 
  in 
  the 
  European 
  rivers. 
  (The 
  river 
  inun- 
  

   dations, 
  due 
  often 
  to 
  local 
  causes, 
  do 
  not, 
  nevertheless, 
  follow 
  this 
  law 
  ^ 
  

   take 
  for 
  exam])le 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  Garonne 
  that 
  have 
  occurred 
  in 
  1425, 
  1537^ 
  

   1599, 
  1727, 
  1772, 
  1790, 
  1827, 
  1835, 
  and 
  1875.) 
  Still, 
  with 
  all 
  this 
  instru- 
  

   mental 
  work 
  indicated 
  or 
  accomplished, 
  there 
  remain 
  over 
  and 
  above, 
  in 
  

   the 
  experience 
  past 
  and 
  present, 
  many 
  strongly 
  marked 
  features 
  in 
  the 
  

   climate 
  of 
  Europe 
  that 
  might 
  repay 
  the 
  trouble 
  of 
  erudite 
  tabulation 
  on 
  

   the 
  one 
  hand 
  and 
  of 
  scientific 
  investigation 
  on 
  the 
  other. 
  Thus 
  while 
  

   some 
  winters 
  have 
  been 
  intensely 
  cold 
  (those 
  of 
  401, 
  554, 
  800, 
  821, 
  1116^ 
  

   1213, 
  1234, 
  1432, 
  1433, 
  1434, 
  1579, 
  1683, 
  1708, 
  1716, 
  1739, 
  1753, 
  1762, 
  

   1766, 
  1776, 
  1784, 
  1795-'6, 
  1797, 
  1813, 
  as 
  would 
  seem), 
  others 
  have 
  been 
  

   as 
  inordinately 
  warm 
  (those 
  of 
  1183, 
  1288, 
  1572, 
  1621, 
  1658, 
  1685, 
  1703, 
  

   1760, 
  1858, 
  1865, 
  1868, 
  1876, 
  1880^ 
  might 
  be 
  examined 
  in 
  this 
  respect), 
  

   and 
  late 
  and 
  early 
  winters 
  and 
  springs 
  are 
  quite 
  as 
  much 
  a 
  matter 
  of' 
  

   comment 
  as 
  warm 
  (the 
  summers 
  of 
  763, 
  1333, 
  1556, 
  1651-'56, 
  1766, 
  1783, 
  

   1788, 
  1811, 
  are 
  alleged 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  hot) 
  and 
  cold 
  summers. 
  

  

  Within 
  and 
  towards 
  the 
  tropics, 
  as 
  has 
  ever 
  been 
  the 
  opinion, 
  the 
  solar 
  

   phantasmatography 
  presents 
  its 
  i^hases 
  with 
  greater 
  regularity 
  before 
  

  

  