Meteorological Observations. 343 



arsenical appearance ; dissolved in boiling nitric acid, they gave no al- 

 liaceous smeU when put on red-hot charcoal ; in fact, they possessed 

 none of the characteristics of arsenic. These spots were, however, 

 very numerous ; submitted for nearly twenty days to a current of sul- 

 phuretted hydrogen gas, they gave no indication of arsenic. It is pos- 

 sible that they were a mixture of arsenic and animal matter, and that 

 the muscular flesh of two or three bodies might yield some by ana- 

 lysis ; lastly, other processes may discover it in the same quantities 

 as those employed, by occasioning less loss; therefore, addsM. Orfila, 

 I will not conclude, positively, that arsenic does not exist in nauscu- 

 lar flesh. 



IV. It is possible to ascertain that the arsenic which may be dis- 

 covered does not come from the organic substance itself, but that 

 it has been combined with it by absorption. For if it be found in 

 the bones, it will not be removed by long boiling in water, unless 

 it had been introduced ; and the same holds good with respect to the 

 blood and the organs which have been examined. 



Lastly, if the muscles yield spots, some of which resemble arsenic 

 at first sight, the distinctive characters which have been stated 

 must be remembered; and if the subject had taken arsenical re- 

 medies, this circumstance ought to be particularly attended to.— 

 Journal de Chim. Med., Dec. 1839. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS FOR FEB.j 1840. 



Chiswick, — Feb. 1. Cloudy : rain. 2. Very fine. ,'5. Rain. 4. Boisterous 

 with rain. 5. Rain : clear. 6. Rain : cloudy. 7. Rain. 8. Heavy showers, 

 9. Fine. 10. Heavy showers: clear and very fine at night. 11. Fine. 12. 

 Rain. 13. Very fine. 14. Foggy. 15. Frosty : rain. 16. Hazy and mild. 

 17. Dense fog. 18. Dry cold haze. 19. Clear and cold. 20. Cloudy, with 

 some snow-flakes falling. 21. Bleak and cold. 22. Overcast. 23. Cold and 

 dry. 24. Fine but cold. 25. Frosty haze. 26. Cold haze. 27. Cloudy, cold 

 and dry. 28, 29. Fine but cold. 



Boston. — Feb. 1. Cloudy: rain p.m. 2. Fine: rain early a.m. 3. Stormy: 

 rain early a.m. 4. Stormy : rain early a.m. : rain p.m. 5. Cloudy: rain p.m. 

 6. Cloudy. 7. Cloudy : rain early a.m. : rain p.m. 8. Fine: rain and snow p.m. 

 9. Fine. 10. Rain. 11. Fine. 12— 15. Fine : rain p.m. 16, 17. Cloudy. 18. 

 Fine. 19. Cloudy: snow a.m. and p.m. 20. Cloudy : snow a.m. 21. Cloudy: 

 now melted. 22. Cloudy. 23—27. Fine. 28. Cloudy. 29. Fine. 



ApplegarLh Manse, Dumfries-shire. — Feb. 1. Frequent showers. 2. Frequent 

 showers : snow gone. 3. Frequent showers. 4, 5. Shower a.m. : fair rest of 

 the day. 6. Rain very early : fine day. 7. Heavy rain a.m.: stormy p.m. 8. 

 Occasional showers of rain and hail. 9, 10. Occasional showers of rain and hail 

 with high wind p.m. 1.1. Fine day : a few drops of rain. 12. Storm of wind 

 and rain P.M. 13. Fine day : no rain. 14. Fine day, but cloudy. 15. Wet 

 morning: cleared up p.m. 16. Calm, cloudy, and mild. 17, 18. Fine a.m.: 

 grew cloudy and sharp. 19. Cold eastei-ly wind, but fair. 20. Cold easterly 

 wind with slight frost and anow showers. 21. Cold easterly wind; frost: 

 threatening snow. 22 — 24. Cold easterly wind: still frosty : sprinkling snow. 

 25. Cold easterly vnnA. 26. Beautiful sunny day, but still frosty. 27. Beau- 

 tiful sunny day : frost very keen. 28. Cloudy all day : but still freezing. 29. 

 Fine frosty day. 



Sun shone out 25 days. Rain fell 13 days. Snow 2 days. Frost 10 days. 



Wind north-easterly 6 days. Easterly 3§ days. South-easterly 7 days. 

 Southerly 34 days. South-westerly 83 days. West 1 day. 



Calm 14J days. Moderate 8 days. Brisk IJ day. StTong breeze 2 days. 

 Boisterous 3 days. 



