Meteorological Journal for July. 157 



between the parts of the Moors which are now burning, that 

 the causes of the fire may be discovered in the extraordinary 

 dryness of the season, and in the lightning which we have 

 before alluded to." — Sheffield Independent. 



The occurrence of so many cases of combustion of the 

 earth's surface at so many points distant from each other, 

 during the same season, will probably lead to some general in- 

 quiry into the subject. With this view we have thus briefly called 

 the attention of our readers to it ; and shall further refer them 

 to some instances probably of similar phaenomena in former 

 times, recorded in the Saxon Chronicle, to which our atten- 

 tion has been directed by a friend. 



" A.D. 1032. This year appeared that wild fire, such as 

 no man ever remembered before, which did great damage in 

 many places." 



" A.D. 104-8. The wild fire in Derbyshire and elsewhere 

 did much harm." 



"A.D. 1077. This year also was the dry summer: and 

 •wildfire came upon many shires, and burned many towns ; and 

 also many cities were ruined thereby." 



Results of a Meteorological Journal for July 1826, kept at 

 the Observatory of the Royal Academy, Gosport, Hants. 



General Observations. 



The first part of this month was dry, but during the latter 

 part we had frequent showers of rain, which were very re- 

 freshing and beneficial to the fruits and vegetation after so 

 long a drought. Dry and hot weather has not only been ex- 

 periencad in this country for the last two months, but in several 

 more northerly parts of Europe, as Denmark, Sweden, &c, 

 also in America. Although we have had several hot sultry 

 days and nights this month, yet the heat in the sun's rays has 

 not been so great as at the close of last month : but from the 

 dryness of the spring and summer so far, we do not recollect 

 having seen the roads more pulverized than they are at pre- 

 sent. The 8th was the warmest day, when the maximum 

 temperature in the shade, with light airs from the South, was 

 81 degrees. On the 23rd the maximum temperature in the 

 shade was only 60 degrees. This difference of 21 degrees in 

 the temperature of these two days, was occasioned by the fall- 

 ing of three quarters of an inch of rain in the night of the 22nd, 

 which had cooled the surface of the earth ; also by the then 

 condensing state of the atmosphere, and the setting in of a 

 strong gale from due North. 



The mean temperature of the external air this month, is 1\ 



degrees 



