THE METEOROLOGY OF EDINBURGH. 



479 



Year. 



1782 

 1783 



1786 

 1787 



1803 



1807 

 1807-8 



1808 



1809 



Phenomenon, 



or Epidemic. 



Influenza 

 Meteor 



Gale 

 Meteor 



1788 Influenza 

 1793 , t Eclipse 

 1803 i Influenza 



Meteor 



1804-5 i Scarlet Fever 



Snow 

 Measles 



Meteor 



Snow and Frost 



1811 , Lightning 

 1817-18 ! Smallpox 

 1817-19 Relapsing Fever 



REM Alt KS. 



1820 



Eclipse 



1825 



Meteor 



1826 



Fog 



1826 



Aurora 



1826 



Meteor 



1826 



Meteor 



The epidemic appeared about the middle of May, and was at its height 

 in July during the haymaking. 



August 18. A round, well-defined meteor seen at 9 p.m. in zenith. It 

 was of a greenish colour, and cast a shade upon the ground of a similar 

 tint. A tail of considerable length attended it. 



July 27. Between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. it blew almost a hurricane. It 

 was so violent as to unroof houses, root up trees, and to destroy the fruit 

 in the gardens. " So severe a storm has seldom happened here at this 

 season." 



September 17. At 8.30 large meteor seen. Brightly luminous, larger 

 than apparent magnitude of the sun, and of an elliptic figure. It was 

 seen for two minutes travelling from west to east, when it burst behind a 

 cloud. 



The epidemic in Edinburgh, but apparently not of a virulent type. 



September 5. Solar eclipse, annular about the Shetlands and Orkneys. 



Epidemic in April, there being a considerable increase in the burials 

 in Greyfriars Churchyard. 



November 13. Equal to moon in size. Travelled from E.S.E. to 

 W.N.W. Also seen in London 23 miles high when first observed. 

 Velocity 8 miles a second. 



Broke out in 1804 among the boys in Heriot's Hospital, and in the 

 city generally in 1805. 



April 16 and 17. Ground covered with snow to the depth of several 

 inches, and long icicles hanging from the roofs of houses. 



Began at Edinburgh in the winter of 1807 and lasted till the summer 

 of 1808. An observer remarked, "I believe that the present epidemic 

 has been more general in this place aud its vicinity than ever happened 

 within the remembrance of any medical man at present living, and I am 

 sorry to say it has been very fatal." A feature of the epidemic was the 

 number of adults attacked. 



October 17. A large and bright meteor was seen about 8.15 p.m. 

 Its course was nearly from S.E. to N.W. When first observed, it 

 appeared to descend obliquely, but when near the earth seemed to fly off 

 in a horizontal direction, increasing in brilliancy and of a red colour. 



April 16. Heavy showers of snow and hail, with steong easterly wind. 

 Blossom of the apricot, peach, and plum trees destroyed. Hard frost 

 continues nightly till the 21st. 



December 4. Several flashes of lightning were observed in the evening. 



Epidemic in the spring of 1817, and again in 1818. 



During these years a severe epidemic of relapsing fever continued in 

 Edinburgh. A special fever hospital was opened at Queensberry House, 

 the cases admitted to December 1, 1819, together with the fever cases 

 at the Royal Infirmary, numbered 3110, of whom 138 died, or 4"4 per 

 cent. The epidemic was attributed to the destitution occasioned by the 

 failure of the 1816 crop, and subsequent high prices. 



September 27. Great solar eclipse. (In Trans., vol. xxxix. p. 101, 

 the date is wrongly given as January 7.) 



November 14. Travelled from E. to W., quick motion. Tail long and 

 large. 



January 15. Thick fog. Moisture congealed in beautiful ice pellicles 

 on every object. At 10 a.m. the temperature was 15° - 5. 



January 21. Beautiful auroral display, "somewhat resembling the 

 famous arch of 19th March 1825." The moon was extremely bright, but 

 the aurora was of such tenuity that stars of the sixth and seventh 

 magnitude could be seen through it. 



April 9. At 8.25 p.m. a meteor was observed to move through an 

 arc of 7° to 10°. 



April 29. Brilliant meteor observed at 9.35 p.m., and another at 11.13 



P.M. 



