291 



EEVIEWS AND NOTICES OF BOOKS. 



Journal of the Scottish Meteo7^ological Society, Neiv Series, 

 No. I. William Blackwood and Sons, Edinburgh and 

 London. January 1864. 



The Council of the Scottish Meteorological Society having 

 recently resolved to publish their proceedings in the form of a 

 quarterly journal, the first number of the new series, got up in a 

 handsome form by the Messrs Blackwood and Sons, has just made 

 its appearance. The Society will now be better able to carry out 

 the important objects it has in view, and which cannot be better 

 stated than in the words of the prospectus, namely, — " to investi- 

 gate Scottish meteorology, and particularly to ascertain the leading 

 features of the climate of different districts of the country; to 

 point out the bearings of meteorology on public health, and on the 

 prevalence of diseases affecting crops and live stock ; to investigate 

 the origin, progress, and recurrence of storms in Scotland ; to 

 point out the difference between the climate of Scotland and that 

 of other countries ; to ascertain the peculiar causes of the climate 

 of Scotland in summer as well as in winter; to investigate the 

 general laws regulating atmospheric changes, the discovery of 

 which may lead to a knowledge of the coming weather ; and to 

 disseminate meteorological information by the circulation and 

 publication of interesting papers." 



For the first few years of the Society's existence, its efforts were 

 almost exclusively devoted to the collection and reduction of 

 meteorological data, and to the establishment of observatories over 

 the country, of which there are now seventy-two. As it is now 

 eight years since the Society began its operations, a sufficient time 

 has elapsed to warrant conclusions being drawn regarding the 

 climate of Scotland in its relations to pressure, temperature, 

 humidity, rain, and wind. Accordingly, various papers have of 

 late appeared in their proceedings, some of which we noticed in 

 this Journal at the time of their appearance, giving a resume of 

 these elements of the weather, and pointing out the influence they 

 severally exercise on the health of the people and on vegetation. 

 In these papers the chief principles have been educed that give its 

 peculiar character to the Scottish climate, and in this way an 

 amount of reliable information respecting its advantages and dis- 

 advantages in the different seasons of the year has been dissemi- 

 nated among the people. The good services thus rendered to 

 science and the public service are now, we are happy to see, begun 

 to be recognised and appreciated, as evinced by the comparatively 



