THE METEOROLOGY OF EDINBURGH. 



481 



Year. 



Phenomenon, 

 or Epidemic. 



. 1833 



Whirlwind 



1835 



Scarlet Fever 



1836 



Eclipse 



1836-39 



Typhus Fever 



1839 



Lunar Rainbow 



1839 



Meteor 



1841 



Lunar Rainbow 



1843-44 



Relapsing Fever 



1844 



1848 

 1848 



1848-49 



1852 

 1853-54 



1855 

 1870 



Meteor 

 Meteor 

 Cholera 



Influenza 



Meteor- 

 Cholera 



Meteor 

 Mirage 



REMARKS. 



July 29. The temperature about 4 p.m. was about 75° in shade, and the 

 atmosphere felt sultry. Suddenly, about 5 p.m. the thermometer fell 20°, 

 and immediately there rose a violent wind, which for a brief time blew 

 furiously, the dust rising above Arthur's Seat like a brown-coloured haze. 



This epidemic was remarkable for the large number of malignant 

 cases. 



May 1. An annular eclipse of the sun was observed at 3 p.m. The 

 day being Sunday, the greater number of the churches in the city had no 

 afternoon service in consequence. Henderson states that previous to the 

 formation of the annulus an arc of faint reddish light was seen. 



Epidemic of typhus, culminating in 1838, when 2244 cases were 

 admitted into the Infirmary. This was the highest number of cases 

 admitted in the period 1831-1840, the next highest being 1394 in the 

 year 1832. 



August 20. Lunar rainbow at 8 p.m. 



November 8. Twice size of moon, motion N.W. to S.E. Travelled 

 downwards. Increased gradually from size of Venus. 



October 30. Lunar rainbow. 



The fever was first observed in February 1843; it increased rapidly 

 until October, when the number of cases admitted into the Infirmary 

 amounted to 638. During several months from 30 to 50 cases were 

 daily refused admission. The total number of cases in Edinburgh, 

 according to Alison's calculation, was 9000. The fever abated about the 

 end of February 1844. 



April 11. Large dark-red-coloured fireball observed, travelled from N. 

 toS. 



January 9. Meteor, one-third diameter of moon, travelled slowly from 

 north to south, and burst while expanding itself. 



The disease broke out almost simultaneously at Newhaven and 

 Edinburgh on the 1st and 2nd of October, and at Leith on the 9th. The 

 epidemic lasted until the 18th of January 1849, the number of persons 

 attacked being 801, of whom 448 died. A cholera hospital was opened in 

 Surgeon Square on the 28th of October, and 248 cases admitted up to 

 14th December, of whom 154 died. "Of the whole 248 cases, the Grass- 

 market sent 42, the Cowgate 37, the Canongate 33, College Wynd 16, 

 High Street 14, and numerous scattered localities of the New and Old 

 towns one or more cases each." 



Severe epidemic, no less than 15 per cent, of the total cases admitted 

 to the Royal Infirmary suffering from this disease. 



July 12. Meteor, two-thirds diameter of moon, travelled towards N.E. 



On the 16th September 1853 the old Cholera Hospital in Surgeon 

 Square was opened, but only 45 cases were received until it was closed 

 at the beginning of June 1854. The real epidemic began in the autumn 

 of 1854 ; the hospital was again opened on 24th August, the number of 

 admissions up to the end of November being 198. 



December 11. Round meteor of a violet colour seen. Tail, and sparks 

 thrown off. 



July 22. Remarkable mirage seen in the Firth of Forth. The day was 

 very hot and sultry, and there was a peculiarity about the atmosphere 

 which is seldom observed in this country. About midday a thin, clear and 

 transparent kind of vapour, through which the surrounding objects began 

 to make their appearance in the most fantastic and grotesque shapes 

 imaginable, settled over the sea. The phantasmagoria were principally 

 confined to the mouth of the Firth, but at one time the phenomena 

 embraced the whole of the Fife coast, the towns and villages being high 

 up on the horizon with remarkable distinctness. Though the whole coast 

 seemed at least half way up the horizon, the appearances presented by the 

 towns were very different, some of them having the houses inverted, while 

 others appeared in their natural position. The Bass Rock, the Isle of May, 



