PERIODICITY OF GOOD AND BAD SEASONS. 105 
(6) Whether the cycle of nineteen years be accepted or not, I 
» consider that Mr. Russell’s investigation has brought many 
interesting points to light, and that the method of comparing 
evidence collected from all parts of the world, exhaustively 
employed, can not fail to advance our knowledge of meteor- 
ology, and that Mr. Russell is to be complimented on having 
made such a plucky attack on a difficult subject. 
Mr. Carmenrt said that he would like to ask Mr. Russell whether 
his contention was that droughts prevailed over the whole of the 
world at once in accordance with the nineteen years’ cycle; and 
whether or not he contended that the eclipses of the moon had 
any real connection with the atmospheric changes which were 
concernea in producing droughts. He would also like to ask why 
the vertical red lines in the diagram were drawn after the end of 
the first year of each of the A droughts, seeing that the successive 
intervals would have been just the same if they had been drawn 
at the commencement of the drought in each case. Again, it was 
not at all clear from the paper what had induced the author to 
construct precisely five different series of droughts and neither 
more nor less. It was clear that with a sufficient number of 
different series, each of which might last for several years, any 
previously recorded drought would fit into one or other of the 
given series. Further, the author had not given any data in his 
Paper which would enable an indeperdent observer to come to a 
conclusion as to the propriety or otherwise of any given year being 
classed as a good year or a bad year ; and as regards the various 
historical droughts cited, one would require much more extensive 
information, as to the nature and value of the evidence available 
™m support of the alleged facts set forth, before being able to accept 
them as a foundation on which to base any theory of periodicity. 
In regard to the question of chronology alone and with respect to 
“vents which happened in prehistoric times, Mr. Russell had him- 
seni admitted that the dates were quite uncertain, and yet pro- 
ceeded to found conclusions upon them in support of his theory. 
se Professor Dayrp said that, with regard to Mr. Russell’s nine-— 
es year weather cycle he had collected some statistics as to the oe 
