Meteorology of Whitehaven. 49 



Swallows were seen at St Bees on the 9th, and in the immediate 

 neighbourhood of this town, on the 20th. On the 23d, the Cuckoo 

 was heard in various parts of the Lake District. 



On the 18th, at 6.30 p.m., a magnificent triple rainbow with 

 gorgeous colours. On the 27th, about 10.5 p.m., being in the Ob- 

 servatory, my attention was attracted by a sudden blaze of light 

 illuminating the sky, and on reaching the open air, I perceived a 

 very large comet-shaped meteor proceeding from the head of Draco 

 through Cassiopeia, but I did not see it more than a couple of 

 seconds. The meteor greatly resembled a rocket ; its body might 

 be 1^ degrees in length, and it was followed by a long and brilliant 

 train of bluish coloured sparks. I am told that when first seen, it 

 resembled an ordinary shooting-star. The light of the meteor ex- 

 ceeded that of the full moon, and I feel assured, moderate sized 

 print might have been read by it. It was seen at 10 p.m. in the 

 neighbourhood of Manchester, Rochdale, and other places. "It pro- 

 ceeded in (query ? from) a south-easterly direction, and, to the eye, the 

 luminous appendage appeared to be twenty yards in length ; it was 

 followed by repeated flashes of lightning. 1 ' 



Frequent showers of hail and snow during the latter part of the 

 month ; and on the 28th, the Ennerdale mountains were as thickly 

 covered with snow as at any time during the winter. 



May. — A fine and dry, but ungenial month. Temperature, 

 2°'13 below the average of the previous eighteen years. On the 

 3d and 4th, the ground was covered with hail. 



June. — Cold and wet till the 26th, which, with one exception, 

 was the first really warm and summer like day in 1851. On 

 the 27th, the maximum of the thermometer rose from 65° to 77°; 

 and on the 28th, 29th, and 30th, it reached 82°, 83°'5, and 79°, 

 respectively ; and these were the three hottest days during the 

 season. Temperature, 1 0, 52 under the average. On the morning 

 of the 5th, there was frost in Gosforth, and snow on the Enner- 

 dale mountains. All the mountains visible from Keswick were 

 likewise covered with snow. On the 5th, at 4 p.m., there was a 

 smart hail shower at Whitehaven, which measured *04 in the Plu- 

 viometer. 



During the month, five parhelia and four solar halos were seen. 

 On the 11th, between 7 and 7-30 p.m., a solar halo and two par- 

 helia were seen at Whitehaven. The sun was surrounded by a ring 

 or halo of a reddish tinge, which intersected two bright spots or 

 discs, one to the right, the other to the left. The parhelion to the 

 left or west side of the sun was somewhat fainter than its com- 

 panion, the cloud being more dense in that direction. Altogether, 

 the phenomenon was visible twenty minutes or upwards. 



On the evening of the 1 3th, about half-past 6 o'clock, two very 

 beautiful parhelia were seen by Isaac Fletcher, Esq., from the village 

 of Eaglesfield. The parhelia appeared on each side of the true sun 



VOL. LIV. NO. CVII. — JANUARY 1853. 1) 



