298 



Messrs. Scott and Galloway on the Connexion [Apr. 18, 



the barometer, unusually violent though it was, did not extend beyond the 

 southern stations, and was very transient in its character. 



At the end of February the weather was again much disturbed, the 

 barograms reaching their lowest points on the 1st of March, when we find 

 two explosions. Two more followed on the 11th, while the depression of 

 the 17th caused three. Slight disturbances, accompanied by one or two 

 explosions, occurred up to April 4th. 



A sudden period of warm weather appears on the 10th of April, the five- 

 day mean for the period from April 11th to April 15th, at Stonyhurst and 

 Glasgow, being nearly 10° warmer than those which preceded and followed 

 it ; so that we consider ourselves justified in referring seven of the explosions 

 during this period to temperature. 



Another oscillation of the barometer occurred on the 16th, which was 

 most serious in the north of England, and we find three explosions. The 

 batch of four accidents on the 26th and 27th of April we refer to tempe- 

 rature. From this till the 7th of June we find only one accident referable 

 to atmospherical causes ; but on that day, as well as on the 24th and the 

 2nd of July, we find several explosions coincident with great warmth of the 

 weather. 



The storm of June 15th seems to have caused four explosions. The 1 7th 

 of July was a very hot day, and so were the days immediately succeeding 

 it ; and we find six explosions close to each other, the last, that on July 21st, 

 being the " Haydock " accident, which cost fifty-nine lives. 



The first serious disturbance of pressure in the autumn was on Sep- 

 tember 1 1th, when a heavy gale swept up the Channel ; and we find at this 

 time a batch of accidents, which we attribute to barometrical causes. 



On the 16th of October we had another serious disturbance, and seven 

 explosions occurred within four days. The depression of the 29th caused 

 three, and after that date there was nothing to call for special remark till 

 the 21st of November. On this day a most extensive and sudden diminu- 

 tion of pressure was observed, the account of which, as given in the Quarterly 

 "Weather Report, is as follows : — 



"The actual fall of the barometer, within twent}~-four hours, had 

 exceeded 0'9 in. over the entire district, stretching from Dover to Valencia, 

 and from L'Orient to Shields. The superficial extent of this area is about 

 200,000 square miles." 



This oscillation was marked by four accidents. 



At the beginning of December the barometer ranged very high ; but 

 from the 13th to the 18th a period of violent oscillation is observed, the 

 absolute minimum for the year being recorded in Scotland. Between the 

 13th and 15th seven explosions are registered, five of which were in the 

 Scotch coal-fields. 



The year closed with a fall of the barometer, and three accidents in the 

 North-Staffordshire district. 



On the whole, we have in 1869 192 explosions (47 of which were fatal); 



