90 H. C. RUSSELL. 
controls our weather, and a search for the cause has not been 
forgotten. : : 
THE CAUSE OF DROUGHTS. 
As my investigation proceeded, the weight of evidence gradually 
converged upon the moon as the exciting cause. I have never 
had any sympathy with the theory of lunar influence upon 
weather, and received, rather against my will, the evidence that 
presented itself, but the logic of facts left no alternative, but to 
accept the moon as prime motor. There has not been time to 
complete this investigation, and when finished it must form 
another paper. Meantime I may say that so far the comparison 
of the moon’s positions in relation to the sun and earth and 
droughts shews that when the eclipses congregate about the 
equinoxes, that is in March and September, they do so in the 
years which give us great droughts, the As and Ds of our series. 
Further that when the eclipses accumulate in February and March, 
that is at the vernal equinox, and the month before it, and Septem- _ 
ber the autumnal equinox, and the month before it, August, we 
have the more intense and relatively shorter D droughts, with 
heat, gales and hurricanes ; on the other hand, when they accu- 
mulate about March and April, that is the month of equinox, 
and the one following, and about September the month of 
equinox, and October following it, we have A droughts, that are 
less severe, but much longer than the D droughts, But I must 
stop for the present. 
I have already pointed out the use of the diagram, and a few 
words in reference to it will close what I have to say to-night. 
I have spoken chiefly of droughts, but so far as our own history 
is concerned it would have served the purpose just as well if I had 
taken up the periodicity of wet years, but outside Australia it 
would have been very difficult to get the necessary data, for 
history has much more to say about the horrors of drought than 
the abundance of wet seasons. The diagram presents one fact 
that will be of interest to many in this droughty time, it is the 
forecast of good seasons in 1897 and sitet 
