COMPLETION OF THE NEW ROCK THERMOMETERS. 643 
—I felt obliged, when republishing on the matter in our volume XIV. in 
1877, to say,—that both the coming cold, and the coming hot, seasons before 
alluded to, would each of them arrive a year earlier than previously stated. 
Fatal mistake! For when the thus erroneously amended date for the then 
approaching cold season, or the winter of 1877 and 1878 arrived, and was not 
a cold one; and the similarly amended date 1879 for the following warm 
season, and was not warm ;—how instant every one was then to cry out 
against the error, to be scandalized at it, and to point the finger of scorn, not 
only at me, which would have been excusable enough, but at the whole sub- 
ject of Solar physics, and at the Royal Observatory on the Calton Hill too! 
One prominent patron of Science had even gone so far as to say :—“ There 
is no evidence to show, that there is any more connection between Sun-spots 
and famines, than there is between comets and wars, or planets and the death 
of kings.” 
That was darkness indeed,* and looked then as if it was going on to 
* In Mr Grorce F. Cuampers’ “ Handbook of Astronomy,” 3d edition (Clarendon Press, Oxford), 
there is an immense amount of well-collected, useful information, in the course of the first chapter, on 
the Sun-spots and their influence, first on the magnetism, and then on the Auroras of the weather of 
the earth, as determined by a positive crowd of fiyst-rate and honourable observers, mathematicians, 
astronomers, and physicists. 
Closely following on M. Scuwase’s announcing the periodicity of Sun-spots, there were published 
in 1850 to 1852 a series of almost simultaneous but independent discoveries and demonstrations by 
Professors Lamont of Munich, Gautier of Geneva, Wotr of Zurich, and General Sanrne of London, 
of the close connection between Sun-spots and the earth’s changes of magnetism, so that, not only were 
the periods the same in the whole, but the maxima and minima were conformable also. While still 
more pointedly, when in 1859, a terrestrial magnetic storm of unprecedented magnitude occurred from 
August 28 to September 7, it was shown by Professor Batrour Stewart (“ Philosophical Transactions,” 
1861, p. 423), that this was synonymous with the period of maximum activity of one of the largest 
Sun-spots ever observed. (See a Physical Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism, by J. E. H. Gorpon, 
B.A., 1880, vol. i. p. 197.) 
Whereupon Mr Cuampers quotes the shrewd and far-seeing Manchester scientist, Mr BaxEnpELL, 
as considering,—“ That diversities of solar activity are to be regarded as causing changes in the 
magnetic condition of the Earth, and so producing changes in the directions and velocities of the great 
currents of the atmosphere, and in the distribution of barometric pressure, temperature, and rainfall.” 
And he expressly lays down further on, that “the future progress of meteorology must depend, to a 
much greater extent than has generally been supposed, upon the knowledge we may obtain of the 
nature and extent of the changes which are constantly taking place on the surface of the Sun.” 
Mr Cuampers quotes also Professor Batrour Stewart for proving that a bond of connection 
exists between Sun-spots and these three terrestrial features—magnetic declination, ‘earth currents,” 
and Aurora; also Professor Loomis of America, as having well remarked through long periods, the 
connection between Sun-spots, magnetic declination and Aurora, and given an effective map of them. 
Also M. Pory, for the connection of tropical storms with the maxima of Sun-spots through more 
than a century. 
Also Mr Exvirs of Canada, for connection between Cycles of Sun-spots and rainfall frequency. 
Also the Oxford Observatory, for connection between Sun-spots and the mean direction of the 
wind ; the westerly element increasing with the amount of spots. 
Also Mr Stone, at the time Astronomer Royal at the Cape of Good Hope, and equally M. Ant 
of Cincinnati, but then discussing Munich observations ; for they were each led to a connection between 
Sun-spots and terrestrial temperature. 
Again, since the date of 1872, Mr Norman Looxyer, F.R.S., Dr W. W. Hunter (Statistician 
