10 Opening Address. 



during tlie summer half of the year (from October to March), 

 from W. to S.W. during the autumnal and winter months (April 



to October) The sea breeze from N.E. during 



summer sets in gently in the early forenoon, preceded by a calm, 

 with a hot, sultry atmosphere. It gradually freshens towards 

 noon, and about the middle of the afternoon is at its height, 

 blowing a stiff double-reefed topsail breeze, and always accompa- 

 nied by a moisture in the atmosphere which is very disagreeable. 



During the prevalence of N.E. winds ozone is 



manifested in great intensity They nearly always 



lull about sunset, and if not, may be expected to blow till mid- 

 night, and then drop suddenly calm. If the barometer has been 

 observed to fall during the previous twelve hours, they are 

 almost certain to be followed by a " southerly burster." . . . 

 "When the glass stands high and steady at from 30'20 to 30'40, 

 about the fall of the north-easter, little fear may be entertained 

 of a " burster." The wind in this case falls light, veers round to 

 N.W. and "W., and blows gently off the land during the remainder 

 of the night." 



The south-easterly wind that occasionally blows for a day or 

 two with fine weather in summer is probably the trade-wind 

 coming farther south than usual ; but the violent easterly gales 

 that sometimes interrupt the normal winds for a few days, belong 

 probably to cyclones. Evidences of this may often be seen in 

 the telegraphic reports of winds and weather, published daily in 

 the newspapers. 



The well-known " hot wind " is one of the most curious of our 

 metereological phenomena. Lieutenant GowUand says of it^ 

 " The wind usually commences in the forenoon, and blows more 

 or less violently until evening, sometimes lasting for two days,, 

 after which heavy black banks of clouds, charged with electricity, 

 will be observed rapidly rising from the S.W. and southward. 

 The wind will then veer suddenly from the hot N.W. quarter in 

 a squall to S.W., accompanied with thunder, lightning, and heavy 

 rain, which will continue more or less violently from three to 

 twelve hours, finishing up from the southward, and clearing up 



on the following day to the S.E. and eastward The 



temperature has been known to fall from 110 degs. in the shade 



