ABSTRACT OF PROCEEDINGS. Xlll. 



erupt at sunspot minima, and (2) those which tend to 

 become violent at sunspot maxima. The latter are shown 

 to consist mainly of volcanoes situated in an artesian or 

 subartesian basin. The author discusses the problem of 

 the influence of sedimentation on the stability of a region. 

 Volcanic chains are situated chiefly near oceans which are 

 or have up to Post-Tertiary time been suffering great sedi- 

 mentation. Curves are given which show that both seismic 

 and volcanic activity are at a maximum during a sunspot 

 minimum, and that there is a very good agreement between 

 the earthquake and eruption curve and the inverted sun- 

 spot curve. Of the lunar influences to which Elmer J. 

 Still and others ascribe the main share of causing earth- 

 quakes, Perigee is shown to be the only one worthy of con- 

 sideration. In the second part of the paper various sun- 

 spot and meteorological theories are considered. . . The 

 author disagrees with the conclusions which Dr. Halm 

 infers from his solar theory. The apparent inconsistency 

 of the temperature curves of different latitudes, and their 

 want of agreement with one another and with the sunspot 

 curve, are only to be expected. Temperature at the earth's 

 surface is to a greater extent a function of cloudiness, 

 evaporation and general humidity of the atmosphere than 

 of solar heat received by the earth. With proper allowance 

 for latitude and general atmospheric movements it is not 

 astonishing that in years of sunspot maximum the mean 

 annual temperature is lower in tropical regions and higher 

 in temperate regions. The observations and curves of 

 Koppen, Norclmann, and Alex. McDowall are shown to be 

 quite consistent with one another, if we admit that the 

 earth receives its maximum annual allowance of heat at a 

 sunspot maximum. The author considers the disagreement 

 of rainfall curves for different regions inter se, to be like- 

 wise the result of latitude, the prevailing air currents, and 



