94 



DR MILLER ON THE METEOROLOGY OF 



Table XVII. — Deductions relative to the Humidity of the Atmosphere at the 

 Mountain Stations, in the year 1852. 

















Weight of 

 Vapour. 



■« 2 



3 a 





Station 







pa 



Q 



"3 



a 

 'S 



Q 



a 

 o £ 



'3 <| 



a 



CS ° 



e 



Required for 



Saturation of a 

 cubic.ft.of Air. 



Degree of Ilim 



(complete Satu 



1-000.) 





h. m. 













Grains. 



Grains. 





Wastdale Head, 



7-42 a.m. 



, 247 above the Sea, 



46-5 



43-7 



40-6 



312 



0-70 



0-818 



Do. do. 



4-50 p.m. 







48-1 



44-8 



41-3 



317 



•85 



•788 



Brant Rigg, 





924 



>> )» 



45-8 



43-2 



40-6 



310 



•64 



•828 



Stye Head, 





1448 



M >) 



42-7 



40-9 



38-5 



2-95 



•43 



•873 



Lingmell, . 



. 



1778 





41-4 



39-9 



37-8 



2-90 



•34 



•896 



Sprinkling Tare 



, 



1900 



)) >) 



40-3 



38-8 



36-6 



2-79 



•33 



•894 



Great Gabel, 





2925 





36-5 



35-8 



340 



2-60 



•16 



•945 



Sea Fell Pike, 



• 



3166 



>J ?J 



34-6 



33-8 



31-5 



2-40 



•18 



•933 



In addition to the above systematic readings, I find the following casual observations dispersed 

 through the Registers : — 



September 5, 1845. — The thermometer on the summit of Skiddaw, at noon, stood at 41°; sky 

 overcast, sun gleaming out at intervals. Temperature of a strong spring, about 2 miles from the 

 summit, also 41°. Air at foot of mountain, 3 h 30 m p.m., 58°. 



May 6, 18 47-— Temperature of air at foot of Sea Fell, at 10 h 40 m a.m., 52°; on the summit of 

 the Pike, at 1 p.m., 37°, and intensely cold. Extensive drifts of snow on the cast side of the moun- 

 tain. Temperature of a spring near Sprinkling Tarn, 37'. Between 4 h and 5 h 30 m , p.m., whilst 

 passing over Stye Head in the direction of Borrowdale, there occurred one of the most dreadful storms 

 of thunder and lightning which it has been my lot to witness. The electric discharges were frequent 

 and extremely dazzling, and many of them followed, almost instantaneously, by deafening peals 

 of thunder reverberating from hill to hill. A large quantity of hail fell, (unaccompanied by rain,) 

 quite sufficient to give me a thorough drenching. The storm was confined to the mountains, and the 

 hail did not reach the valleys. I made two attempts to ascend the Gabel, and on both occasions was 

 obliged to retreat before the fury of the elements. 



September 9, 1847- — Ascended Snowdon in Wales, and found the temperature at the Farm- 

 House on the Beddgelert side, to be 56°-7 ; at the summit, 46°8, a difference of only 9°9 in 3571 

 feet, or a descent of 1° in every 357 feet of elevation. We ascended Snowdon through an exceed- 

 ingly dense mist, which enveloped the mountain nearly to its base. The fine white vesicles composing 

 the cloud settled upon our garments, and long before arriving at the summit, they appeared as if 

 covered with minute particles of snow. I am inclined to think that the latent heat evolved by the 

 vapour during its conversion into mist (Cirrostratus) tended to equalize the temperature between the 

 top and bottom of the mountain, and that a much greater difference would be found in a clear, or 

 even a moderately clear atmosphere. 



