Meteorological Observations. 239 



SIR JOHN F. W. HERSCHEL's NEW RESEARCHES ON THE SOLAR 

 SPECTRUM AND IN PHOTOGRAPHY. 



The following are some of the points of novelty which occur in a 

 paper by Sir John Herschel, now in course of reading before the 

 Royal Society : — 



1 . Detection of luminous rays, and a new prismatic colour beyond 

 the extreme violet. 



2. Discovery of a chemical spectrum beyond the extreme red rays. 



3. Assumption, according to circumstances, of either an oxidizing 

 or a de-oxidizing action by the chemical rays at either end of the 

 spectrum. 



4. Formation of photographic impressions of the spectrum, ex- 

 hibiting the prismatic colours in imitation of the colours of those 

 rays by which they are produced ; and a variety of other tints. 



5. Photographic effects produced by the simultaneous action of 

 two rays differing in refrangibility, which neither of them, acting 

 alone, are capable of producing at all. 



6. Action of the spectrum on vegetable colours. 



7. Discovery of a process of secret photographic painting, in which 

 the image may be preserved ad infinitum in an invisible state, ca- 

 pable of being at any moment rendered visible. 



8. Account of a process for fixing photographic pictures on glass 

 plates. 



9. Analysis of the absorbent action of various media on the 

 chemical rays. 



10. Account of a self-registering photometer for meteorological 

 purposes. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS FOR JAN.j 1840. 



Chiswick. — Jan. 1. Overcast: fine. 2. Very fine. '3. Fine: slight rain. 4. 

 Rain. 5. Cloudy and fine: frosty at night. 6. Frosty, 7. Clear and frosty : 

 severe frost at night. 8. Severe frost. 9. Overcast: fine. 10. Overcast : frosty 

 at night. 11. Sharp frost. 12. Frosty: fine. I3. Clear. 14. Hazy. 15. 

 Drizzly. 16. Fine. 17. Foggy. J 8. Frosty and foggy : rain. 19. Boisterous, 

 \vith heavy rain. 20. Rain : fine: boisterous at night. 21. Very boisterous with 

 rain. 22. Cloudy: clear at night. 23. Rain : windy at night. 24. Boisterous. 

 25. Overcast : rain : fine. 26. Stormy and wet. 27. Clear and cold- 28. Rain : 

 boisterous. 29. Very fine. 30. Hazy. 31. Very fine. 



The frost was, for a short time, very intense between the 7th and 8th, being 

 20° below freezing. 



Boston. — Jan. 1. Cloudy. 2. Fine. 3, 4. Cloudy. 5. Fine. 6. Fine : 

 little snow p.m. 7. Fine. 8, 9, 10. Cloudy. 11, 12, IS. Fine. 14, 15. Cloudy. 

 16. Fine. 17. Rain. 18. Cloudy. 19,20. Cloudy: stormy with rain p.m. 

 21. Stormy : thunder and forked lightning with rain a.m. 22. Cloudy. 23. 

 Rain. 24. Stormy : rain p.m. 25. Fine : snow a.m. 26. Rain : rain early a.m. 



27. Fine. 28,29. Rain. 30. Fine. 31. Cloudy: rain early a.m. 

 Applegarth Manse, Dumfries-shire. — Jan. 1. Fine morning: rain p.m. 2. Very 



wet A.M. : showery all day. 3. Quiet day with slight showers. 4. Fine day and 

 fair : aurora borealis. 5. Clear day : hard frost. 6. Fine frosty day. 7. Dull 

 and cloudy. 8. The same : thaw. 9. Frost again. 10. Still frosty but cloudy. 

 11. Wet and stormy. 12. The same all day. 13. Fair, but threatening rain, 

 14, 15, 16. Wet and boisterous, 17. Clear and tending to frost. 18. Rain 

 again and wind. 19. Heavy rain a.m. : showery all day, 20. Frequent show- 

 ers. 21. Wind very high. 22, 23, 24. Boisterous weather. 25. The same : 

 slight showers. 26. Moderate but showery. 27. Succession of snow showers. 



28. Frost A.M. : snow : thaw p.m. 29. Frost a.m, : fine winter day. 30, Frost 

 early A.M. : change f.m, 31. Slight showers a.m, ; fine day. 



