1837.] On the Revolution of the Seasons. 305 



nearly 9 years. Still, on considering the many causes, both natural as 

 well as produced by human means, which must operate in determin- 

 ing the price of corn, we could not believe it probable that the indica- 

 tion of one, or even of a few lists, were to be depended upon. To 

 obviate, therefore, local irregularities of every kind, it was thought 

 necessary to procure lists of prices from as many places as possible, — 

 lists specifying in detail the prices of four of the principal varieties of 

 corn grown in the neighbourhood (two of the summer, and two of the 

 winter crops), and, as in the Chinsurah list in the Gleanings, the num- 

 ber of seers sold for one rupee was to be mentioned in each case. 

 Lists of this sort were obtained from twenty-two of the principal 

 towns within 200 miles on each side of Delhi, Lodiana, and Hansi ; 

 Bareilly and Agra being the extremes. They all agree very nearly in the 

 principal maxima and minima, and, as they were furnished by differ- 

 ent persons who had no communication with each other, their joint 

 result cannot well be ascribed to the errors of copyists, or, indeed, to 

 incorrectness of any kind. The average of all these was taken (four 

 kinds of corn at each place) for each year ; the mean price for the 

 season being thus settled by 88 items. 



The series thus obtained we shall call our north-west line. Three 

 lists (four kinds of corn in each) were obtained from Bengal, and the 

 average of them taken for the Bengal line. Two lists (also four kinds 

 of corn) were obtained from the neighbourhood of Benares, and the 

 average of them taken for the Benares line. The average, then, of the 

 three lines thus formed was taken for a general line. 



To connect the variations in this general line with the declination of 

 the moon, we must have recourse to the supposition that the varia- 

 tion is for a series of years direct with the declination, and then for a 

 series, inverse with it, — a supposition for which no reason can be 

 assigned, but which will appear the less improbable, if we recollect a 

 circumstance stated in a previous paper, viz. that the variations of 

 the barometer, either in excess or defect of the mean, increased with 

 the increase of declination. 



This connection, or assumed connection, may be most readily shewn 

 thus. Let us first trace upon paper the progress of the moon in de- 

 clination in different years in this manner. Draw a number of verti- 

 cal lines at equal intervals (Plate XXII.) to represent the years in suc- 

 cession from 1810 to 1835 (both inclusive). Take out of the Nautical 

 Almanack the highest declination to be found in the month of July in 

 each year, and mark that height upon the vertical line corresponding 

 to the year at any fixed rate, (as 0. 1 inch) for each degree that it is above 



