REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 21 



observations for long series in this country as well as in Europe, 

 and has been attributed to some cosmical influence affecting the ab- 

 solute amount of heat received by the earth at this time. 



The deductions relative to the elevating and depressing influence 

 of the wind upon temperature, show that in Baffin's bay the south- 

 east winds are the warmest, and the southwest the coldest, and that 

 the temperature is lowest during calms. 



They show, also, that at Port Kennedy the east winds are the 

 warmest, and the north winds the coldest; there, also, calms are at- 

 tended with a depression of temperature. 



Observations were made upon the temperature of the soil, by sink- 

 ing a brass tube two feet two inches vertically into the ground. A 

 padded thermometer was inserted in the tube, and the whole was 

 covered with snow. The temperature in the external air was lowest 

 about the 19th of January, and that in the tube about the 10th of 

 March, when it reached -f- 5°. Hence the greatest cold in the ground 

 at a depth of a little more than two feet occurred fifty-seven days 

 later than at the surface. 



In discussing the observations relative to the winds, the whole 

 period, as in the case of the discussions of temperature, is divided 

 into two parts — the first when the Fox was in Baffin's bay, and the 

 second when she was at Port Kennedy. The number of daily obser- 

 vations varied from six to twelve; in all cases, however, at regular 

 intervals. The method of reduction is that of Lambert, improved by 

 Herschel and others, so as to include the velocity of the wind, and 

 not merely the relative frequency. 



The amount of wind, as estimated by the continuance and velocity 

 from all directions, was resolved, plus and minus, into two direc- 

 tions — one, that of the meridian, and the other at right angles to it; 

 and from these two components a resultant was deduced for each 

 month, giving the average direction from which the wind came. In 

 this discussion Mr. Schott assumes the south point of the horizon as 

 the zero point, because azimuths in astronomy are read in this way, 

 and he prefers reckoning from the south to the west, rather than from 

 the south to the east, because the wind-vane is found to rotate more 

 frequently in the former direction. 



The great variation in the direction and force of the atmospheric 

 currents renders the calculation of resulting values for shorter in- 

 tervals than a month unnecessary. At Port Kennedy the resulting 

 direction of the wind is remarkably constant for different seasons. 



