Attempts to Foretell the Weather. 105 



fancy they explain how the changes are produced. Their asser- 

 tion is that Uranus, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Venus, and Mer- 

 cury are chiefly concerned in determining terrestrial weather, 

 and that ' ' they are more potent when they are on the equator, 

 (in other words, crossing the line) ; when at their extreme 

 declinations ; when in conjunction with, and in opposition to 

 the sun (analogous to new and full moon) ; and when at 90° 

 distant from that body, answering to the moon's quarter.''''* 



Now it would seem, at first sight, a very easy thing to settle 

 the merits of the rival systems of the Lunarians and the Astro- 

 meteorologists. It is easy to ascertain from the Nautical 

 Almanack when the moon and the planets were in certain 

 positions in times past, and to look at the weather records for 

 the same periods. It is also easy to see when the celestial 

 bodies alluded to will be in positions that, according to Saxby 

 or Pearce, ought to produce wet, cold, storms, or calms, as the 

 case may be. But it is far from easy for one not belonging to 

 the school of the weather prophets to agree with them as to 

 the mode of investigation. Both the Lunarists and the Astro- 

 meteorologists appeal to certain cases in which the facts coin- 

 cided with their predictions ; but the latter, who are the most 

 daring in their assertions, often think themselves right when 

 other folks might consider them wrong. If rain is predicted 

 in a weather prophecy published for London, and a fall takes 

 place in Cumberland, while London remains dry, the weather 

 prophet is satisfied, although his information has not helped the 

 Londoner in the least degree. If he predicts heat, and it turns 

 out that the days are not warm, but that the nights are so, and 

 thus the average temperature is high, he thinks he has caught 

 a "coincidence/'' and makes the most of it. Next time, his pre- 

 diction of warm weather is, according to his belief, equally ful- 

 filled, although the circumstances are different, and the days 

 are really hot. We mention these things to show how necessary 

 it is that the prophets should be tied down to a very definite 

 statement. If they prophecy heat or cold, they should tell us 

 exactly what they mean ; and as hot days may be followed by 

 cold nights, or cold days by warm nights, they should be called 

 upon to distinguish between these two very different modes by 

 which a similar average temperature may be obtained. With 

 respect to rainfall, thunder, etc., to say there will be one or 

 the other, without specifying the exact portion of the globe in 

 which they are expected to occur, is to be wanting in precision ; 

 and if the motions of the earth and planets determine the march 

 of weather changes, the prophets should inform us of the order 

 in which the alleged astral influences will affect given zones. 



* The Weather Guide, a Concise 'Exposition of Astro- Meteorology. By Alfred 

 J. Pearce. Simpkin. 



