28 T. W. KEELK. 



had their counterparts in India, and that the great and con- 

 spicuous droughts of history all drop into the cycle, not 

 only those that happened before the birth of Christ, but 

 those that have occurred in our era; also, that great hurri- 

 canes, the great frosts of history, all the red rains, and all 

 droughts that history records, with very few exceptions, 

 are likewise included in the cycle ; and that the levels of 

 the great lakes in Palestine, South America, and New 

 South Wales, are subject to the same mysterious influence 

 that controls our weather. 



With regard to causation, Mr. Russell said that, as his 

 investigation proceeded, the weight of evidence gradually 

 converged upon the moon as the exciting cause. He said 

 he had never had any sympathy with the theory of lunar 

 influence upon weather, and received, rather against his 

 will, the evidence that presented itself; but the logic of 

 facts left no alternative but to accept the moon as prime 

 motor. He explained that lie had not had time to complete 

 his investigation, nut when linished it would form another 

 paper. 



For convenient reference, he had put on the diagram the 

 maxima and minima of sun spots, and it would be seen that 

 the recurrence of the period is very far from being the 

 regular eleven years' cycle which many persons supposed 

 it to be, and it was equally far from being in accordance 

 with the cycle that he had endeavoured to demonstrate. 



In the discussion which followed the reading of this paper, 

 Mr. Russell was complimented on the very able manner in 

 which he had tackled a very difficult question. It was, 

 however, generally held that he had not successfully 

 demonstrated that a nineteen years' cycle exists in the 

 weather of the world, and by one member, at least, the 

 paper was subjected to very adverse criticism, Mr. 

 Russell's reference to B.C. droughts, and their dates, par- 

 ticularly the biblical droughts, being ridiculed. 



