Reviews and Notices of Books. 



295 



year a markedly high teinperature for their position on the globe, 

 being no less than 26°'0 above their normal winter temperature. * 

 The winter temperature, 39°- 0, of the west coast of Great Britain 

 is the same from the most northern of the Shetland Isles as far 

 south as North Wales ; and the winter temperature, about 37^"0, 

 of the east coast, from Kinnaird's Head in Aberdeenshire to the 

 mouth of the Thames. Hence in winter the west coast is gene- 

 rally advantaged at least 2''*0, and the south-west of Ireland as 

 much as 6°-0 of mean winter temperature, as compared with the 

 eastern parts of England in the same latitude ; whereas the eastern 

 coast of Great Britain receives no benefit whatever, as regards its 

 mean winter temperature, from the North Sea, since the cold of 

 winter is quite as low in these as in the central parts of the 

 island. Does not the higher winter temperature of the west coast 

 of Ireland, as compared with that of Great Britain, supply addi- 

 tional proof of the Gulf-Stream reaching our shores, as it would 

 be difficult to account for the decrease in the temperature of the 

 Atlantic as we proceed from luest to east, unless on the supposition 

 of a slow gradual translation of its whole waters eastward, under 

 a cold wintry atmosphere ? The higher winter temperature of 

 the west coast in winter is owing to these causes: — (1.) The 

 warm south-west wind, which loses some of its heat before reach- 

 ing the east coast. (2.) The larger amount of vapour deposited 

 in rain on the west coast — being nearly double that in the east — 

 which thus liberates a very large quantity of latent heat. (3.) The 

 larger amount of vapour in the west, which obstructs radiation, 

 not only when in a visible state in the form of clouds, but also 

 when dissolved through the atmosphere in an invisible state, in 

 which state, as shown by the recent researches of Professor Tyn- 

 dale, it serves as a covering to the earth both from its own radia- 

 tion by night, and from the sun by day, which would otherwise 

 burn up everything in the fierceness of his heat." 



The next paper is an " Address on the Importance of Medical 

 Climatology," by Dr Scoresby-Jackson, the convener of this de- 

 partment, lately added to the Society's operations. The address is 

 judicious and able, and contains mnch useful information, and 

 many suggestive practical remarks. The subject is one of great 

 importance and complexity, and will require for its elucidation 

 the active and willing co-operation of medical men and meteoro- 

 logists for a series of years. The little that is yet known of the 



* The excess of the actual temperature of January over the normal tem- 

 perature is even more striking in the case of Shetland. Thus Lerwick 

 should only possess a January temperature of 3°-0, if it received no more 

 heat than is due to its position on the globe in respect of latitude, whereas, 

 owing to the causes mentioned in the text, its temperature for that month is 

 39°-0, or 36° 0 higher than it would otherwise be. 



