OCT.— mar. 1859-60.] Scientific Intelligence. 



381 



of iEther equal to a depression of 60° below the temperature of the 

 air. A Wet bulb fell to 62, equal to a dew point of 29°*, but it 

 is probable that with a more delicate Thermometer it might have 

 fallen to 61 ° equal to a dew point of 24 °f, a degree of dryness of 

 itself almost sufficient perhaps to produce congelation of the drops 

 of rain before they reach the ground. 



13. Kaemptz adverts to instances of the fall of hail in the 

 lower strata of the atmosphere, whilst ram only fell in the more ele- 

 vated regions of the same locality, and adds " these observations, 

 " which seem to establish a presumption that hail is formed or 

 " increases in the lower regions of the atmosphere, are difficult of 

 " explanation." Yet passing through any considerable depth of 

 so dry an atmosphere as that of Oyacaud would probably materi- 

 ally promote by evaporation if it did not originate the congelation 

 of the drops of rain. 



Humboldt " Cosmos" Note No. 203, Vol. I., observes that " the 

 " drops of rain as they pass through the lower and warmer strata 

 " of air have their temperature somewhat raised but which is again 

 " compensated by the loss of heat which the drops undergo from 

 a evaporation from their surface." 



14. Nor is the instance at Oyacaud a very extreme one, for 



Feb. 1 



Tempr. 



Dew 

 Point. 



Saus- 

 sure. 

 air. 



Dry. | 



| Wet. | 



3 



a 



O 



T3 

 OQ 



rQ 



o 



5 



89 



69 



99 



58 



47 



55 



9 



NO 



65 



94 



48 



42 



X 



10 



90 



66 



24 



50 



42 



X 



11 



94 



67 



27 



49 



48 



51 



18 



94 



70 



24 



56 



49 



57 



19 



99 



99 



24: 



55 



49 



58 



22 



97 



99 



35 



27 



47 



52 



95 



99 



67 



31 



45 



44 



48 



27 



99 



6d 



24 



48 



43 



47 



;8 



95 68 



27 



51 



47 



49 



depressions of the Dew Point from 

 45° to 50° (equal to Wet bulb de- 

 pressions 30° to 35°) are common 

 throughout the months of February, 

 March, and April. I subjoin a few ob- 

 servations for the immediately pre- 

 ceding month of February 1851, all 

 taken nearly in the middle of the 

 Palghat opening. 



15. Humboldt in his " Asie Centrale" notices a depression of 

 50 degrees of Fahrenheit in the steppes of Siberia as *' 1-aplus 



* Or by Lloyd 31° 8. 



t 27° 5. 



Vol. xx, o. s. Vol, ytt. n. s. 



