476 



MR ROBERT COCKBURN MOSSMAN ON 



APPENDIX OF REMAKKABLE ATMOSPHERIC AND CELESTIAL 

 PHENOMENA AND EPIDEMICS. 



In Part II. of "The Meteorology of Edinburgh" [Trans., vol. xxxix., part i. pp. 

 93--108) I gave a catalogue of phenomenal atmospheric vicissitudes observed in 

 Edinburgh from 1575 to 1895. The following list brings the catalogue down to the 

 end of 1900, and also contains a considerable number of notices of unusual phenomena 

 collected since the publication of the above memoir. As before, except in those cases 

 where the phenomenon was of a very remarkable character, the extracts from news- 

 papers, books, and observers' manuscript notes appear in a highly condensed form. 

 A list of all the more important epidemics is also given, the information being largely 

 derived from Dr Creighton's exhaustive History of Epidemics in Britain. In order 

 to keep the catalogue within reasonable limits, notices of phenomena that can be readily 

 perceived from an inspection of the tables in the paper have been excluded. 



1574 



1585 



1587 

 1598 

 1602 



1604 



Year. 



Phenomenon, 

 or Epidemic. 



1133 



Eclipse 



1185 



Eclipse 



1330 

 1433 



Eclipse 

 Eclipse 



1497 



Epidemic 



1541-42 



Severe Winter 



1545 

 1562 



Plague 

 Influenza 



1568 



Plague 



Plague 



Plague 



Plague 

 Dearth 

 Plague 



Plague 



REMARKS. 



August 2. Total solar eclipse. In London nearly nine-tenths of the 

 sun's disc were obscured. 



May 1. In Scotland, Tycho Brahe says this solar eclipse was total. In 

 London, between eight and nine tenths of the sun's upper limb covered 

 soon after 2 o'clock. 



July 1 6. Eclipse of the sun, total for a very short time across Scotland. 



June 17. This eclipse was total across Scotland, including Edinburgh, 

 also in Northumberland. The total phase occurred about 3 p.m., and was 

 referred to for generations afterwards as the "black hour." 



"A contagious sickness callit grangore " breaks out; the infected are 

 sent to Inchkeith. 



"And this same yeir ane storm callit the evill stoorme began the 

 fourteine day of Yuill, and continued untill the tenth day of Appryll thair- 

 efter." Lindsay's Chronicles of Scotland, vol. i., Edinburgh, 1814. 



Prevalent in the town previous to June 24. 



An epidemic of very characteristic influenza was prevalent towards the 

 end of the year, which was known as " the newe acqayntance." 



Great plague, probably the most severe that Edinburgh experienced, 

 commenced 8th September, having been brought by " ane called James 

 Dalgleish, merchant." The infected families were compelled to remove out 

 of the town, and were lodged in wretched huts hastily erected on the 

 Burgh-moor. Plague continued until February 1569, and carried off 

 2500 of the inhabitants. 



Plague came to Leith on October 14, and was first observed in Edln- 

 bui-gh on October 24. 



The infection broke out in the Flesh Mercat Close on May 1, and con- 

 tinued through the winter until January 1586. Trade greatly depressed. 



Plague in Edinburgh about November 4. 



June 6. Oatmeal sold for 6s. the peck. 



Plague from February 4 to end of April. The sick were removed to 

 temporary lodgings in the land of Sciennes, belonging to Napier of 

 Merchiston. 



In April a case was recorded, the infection spreading rapidly in May. In 

 July the epidemic became so severe that people fled the city. The infection 

 reappeared towards the end of July 1605. 



