318 Meteorological Journal for September. 



Results of a Meteorological Journal for September 1826, kept at 

 the Observatory of the Royal Academy, Gosport, Hants. 



General Observations. — From a review of the weather this 

 month, we find that it has been alternately wet and dry, it 

 having rained on 15 days, on some of which heavy showers 

 fell here ; and the depth at the ground is half an inch more 

 than fell in the three preceding months. The rain was often 

 accompanied with early equinoctial gales, but in general it was 

 so warm as to be very beneficial to vegetation, and to the 

 rapid growth of grass ; insomuch that the grass-lands in this 

 neighbourhood are now clad with verdure equal in appearance 

 and quantity to that in the middle of a warm spring. Early 

 in the mornings of the 11th, 12th, and 13th, there were slight 

 hoar frosts ; the temperature of the external air, however, has 

 been pretty uniform throughout the period, and the mean is 1^ 

 degree higher than the mean of September for the last 10 years. 

 The temperature of spring water is nearly at its maximum 

 height, and, as usual at this time of the year, almost at a stand, 

 but warmer than it has been since the autumnal equinox in 

 1822; consequently the ground is warmer than it has been 

 since that year. 



The last dry and hot summer has produced greater crops 

 of grapes throughout the country, than has been seen for many 

 years past : the best white and black grapes have been sold in 

 our market at two-pence per pound ; and good apples at six- 

 pence per gallon. 



The swallows have congregated here since the middle of 

 the month, and the last bevy migrated on the 27th instant, for 

 a more genial climate, making their stay this year 23 weeks. 

 As an instanceof the remarkable instinct of swallows to change- 

 their situations at the beginning of autumn, we shall state the 

 days on which they have migrated from this neighbourhood 

 for the last eight years, namely, in 



1818, Sept. 29th. 



1819, Oct. 1st. 



1820, Oct. 10th. 



1824, Sept. 24th. 



1825, Oct. 11th. 



1826, Sept. 27th. 



1821, Oct. 8th. 



1822, Sept. 19th. 



1823, Sept. 25th. 

 The greatest deviation in the time of their departure for 



this period is only three weeks, which may be considered as 

 regular as the falls in those years. Much gossamer, the sub- 

 stance of spiders' webs, has prevailed this month in the gar- 

 dens, fields, and about the houses. 



The atmospheric and meteoric phenomena that have come 

 within our observations this month, are one lunar and two 

 solar halos, eight meteors, three rainbows, lightning in the 

 evening of the 24th ; and eight gales of wind, or days on which 

 they have prevailed ; namely, three from the N., three from 

 M.E., and two from the N.W. 



