It)  On  the  Climate  of  the  British  Islands 
Table  VI. — Showing  Hie  Annual  Fall  of  Rain  on  the  Lake  District  of 
Cumberland  and  places  contiguous. 
Place. 
Mean  of 
Years. 
Height 
in  Feet. 
The  Mountain 
Gauges  for 
21  Months. 
Annual 
Amount 
in  Inches. 
jg^5  f Whitehaven  . 
4 
90 
, , 
47-1 
l s an  1 Cockermouth 
4 
• . 
• • 
48*5 
Keswick  .... 
4 
25S 
• • 
63-6 
, n ,,,  I Gatesgarth  . 
4 
326 
• • 
121-4 
(Seathwaite  . . . 
4 
• . 
. . 
146-4 
The  Valley  Seathwaite 
21  months 
242 
223-64 
127-8 
Wastdale  Valley  . 
160 
170-55 
97-5 
Sparkling  Tarn  . 
1900 
207-91 
118-8 
Top  of  Stye-head  Pass 
1290 
1S5-74 
106-1 
Summit  of  Sea  Toller 
1334 
180-23 
103- 
Summit  of  Sca-fell  * 
i 9 
3166 
128-15 
73-2 
the  western  coast.  Tiie  whole  of  the  north-west  of  Scotland  and 
all  Wales  (except  Swansea)  have  hilherto  furnished  few,  if  any, 
meteorological  records. 
The  observations  taken  on  and  near  Dartmoor  tend  to  confirm 
this  view.  In  the  year  1841  72  inches  of  rain  fell  at  Princetown 
on  Dartmoor,  at  an  elevation  of  about  1500  feet.  At  Tavistock, 
on  the  western  side  of  these  hills,  the  yearly  average  is  53'6  inches  ; 
and  observations  made  at  Good-a-moor,  under  Dartmoor  on  the 
south,  give  57'5  inches  for  the  annual  mean.  Thus  the  same 
general  effect  is  produced  as  by  the  Cumberland  hills.  It  is, 
therefore,  highly  probable  that  the  intervening  high  land  of  Wales 
(which  in  geological  structure  and  altitude  is  similar  to  the  moun- 
tains of  the  lake  district)  receives  the  same  abundant  supply  of 
rain.  The  geographical  outline  of  the  country  appears  in  favour 
of  an  increased  quantity  on  the  Welsh  hills.  The  rain-clouds 
from  the  Atlantic  yield  many  a passing  tribute  to  the  Irish  hills 
before  they  reach  the  Cumberland  mountains;  but  Wales  is  quite 
exposed  on  the  south-west  to  the  ocean,  and  the  clouds  reach  the 
hills  with  their  contents  undiminished. 
The  Western  Highlands  of  Scotland  arc  also  similarly  situated 
with  respect  to  the  sea,  nor  can  it  be  inferred  that  a more  northern 
latitude  would  much  decrease  the  quantity  of  rain,  for  on  the  iron- 
bound  coast  of  Norway,  at  Bergen,  from  80  to  90  inches  falls 
annually.  The  numerous  rivers  and  lakes  of  Scotland,  and  the 
destructive  land- floods  which  have  occasionally  occurred,  show 
that  large  quantities  of  rain  fall  on  the  hills. 
The  Kerry  mountains  in  the  south-west  of  Ireland  rise  to  an 
altitude  of  above  2000  feet, f and  are  fully  exposed  to  the  moist 
winds  of  the  Atlantic  ; as  far  inland  as  Limerick  and  Toomevara, 
* Highest  point  in  England, 
f Mangerton  near  Killarney  is  2552  feet  high. 
