RAIN IN CARLISLE AND THE NEIGHBOURHOOD. 



317 



the several Journals, beginning with the driest month, and proceeding to the 

 wet months : — 



Dr Caelyle's 



Journal. 



Mr Golding's 



Journal. 



Mr Pitt's Journal. 



Dr Barnes' Journal. 



27 Tears Mean. 



19 Years Mean. 



24 Years Mean. 



19 Years Mean. 





Inches. 





Inches. 





Inches. 





Inches. 



April, . 



1-262 



April, 



1-964 



April, . 



1-56 



February, 



. 1-391 



March, . 



1-309 



June, 



1-972 



June, 



1-96 



April, 



1-414 



January, 



1-458 



March, . 



2-006 



January, 



2-128 



March, . 



1-552 



May, 



1-625 



May, . 



2393 



March, . 



2-209 



May, . 



2-037 



February, 



1-751 



February, 



2-697 



February, 



2-308 



July, 



2-078 



December, 



1-812 



November, 



2-942 



May, . 



2-355 



January, 



2-236 



June, 



. 1-899 



January, 



3-05 



November, 



2-797 



December, 



2-256 



November, 



2-403 



December, 



3-27 



December, 



. 2-809 



November, 



2-272 



August, . 



2-486 



July, . 



3515 



September, 



2-827 



June, 



2-303 



July, . 



2-616 



September, 



3-537 



October, 



3-061 



September, 



2-767 



October, 



2723 



October, 



3676 



August, . 



3-24 



August, . 



2-843 



September, 



3-052 



August, . 



3916 



July, . 



3-317 



October, 



2-9 



From the averages it appears that about twice as much rain falls in each of 

 the latter months of the Table, as in the month of April ; and about one-third 

 less rain falls in the first six months of the year, than in the last six months. 



This distribution of rain answers wise and important purposes in the economy 

 of nature. Were the reverse the case, i.e. did more rain fall in spring than in 

 autumn or winter, very disastrous consequences would ensue. The great benefit 

 of dry weather in spring to agriculture is obvious ; the value of an ounce of March 

 dust is proverbial. The great fall of rain in the latter months of the year may, 

 I think, in some measure be accounted for by the cold increasing as the sun 

 recedes from us in autumn, and the vapours, which had been raised by the heat 

 of summer, are then condensed and precipitated in the form of rain. 



Mr Golding, whom I had the pleasure of numbering among my friends, on 

 seeing the comparative Table I had drawn up of the mean quantities of rain for 

 the several months of the year, made the following remarks : — 



"This mode of exhibiting the subject is both curious and useful; and not- 

 withstanding the great attention which I formerly paid to the phenomena of 

 the weather, I confess that till now I never knew that April was the driest 

 month of the year. April showers are so frequently mentioned as to give a 

 general idea that it is rather a wet month than otherwise ; but it may be remarked 

 that the showers in April are seldom stormy, or attended with great falls of 

 rain, as some of the summer months are after the solstice is turned. This dryness 

 of April is most probably occasioned by the less development of the electric 

 fluid at that particular season of the year ; for when by means of the summer 

 heats the air begins to be more strongly electrified, then it is that the showers 

 become heavy, and often send down immense quantities of rain in a very short 

 space of time. This it is which makes July and August generally the wettest 

 months of the year; and happy it is for us poor mortals, that such is the 



VOL. XXVI. PART II. 4 N 



