118 
THE WEATHER, NATURAL HISTORY, AND COUNTRY OPERATIONS, 
sugar-cane in full luxuriance. The gourds 
and melons mentioned in the foregoing month, 
continue with the Momordica charantia. 
Fruits and Flowers in Season. — The 
after part of the month. Longans, much 
esteemed and plentiful, now begin to show 
themselves at table. Plums continue, but 
disappear towards the close of the month. A 
small green fruit, which the natives call Yew 
kang, is seen on stalls, (from Amoy). The 
Indian shot, very common here, is now in 
flower, as is also a species of mirabilis. Pears 
may be seen upon the trees in here and there 
an enclosure, but they are small, hard and 
tasteless. A large kind serves to adorn the 
greengrocer's board, which, it is said, are 
from the South, but they are scarcely to be 
eaten by a foreigner. Towards the end of 
the month guavas are gathered green and 
ripen on the benches. 
Animal Kingdom. — The middle of the 
month. A black silky ant, with its thorax 
armed with spines, and the free midriff joint, 
with three prongs, like a Chinese halberd, is 
seen coursing over the shrubs and bushes in 
search of glandular juices, or the cutaneous 
excretion of the coccus. Its nest, made of 
paper, compounded of mashed fibre, saliva 
and leaves and sticks, hangs on trees and 
fences. The white crane, very common, with 
several of a veined plumage. The former 
amuses itself by catching the flies, which 
settle upon the cows while at pasture. 
Events and General Remarks. — Early 
in the month. During a storm, a house, 
ignited by the falling down of a lantern, spread 
the flames till thirty shared the same fate. 
The buildings being of wood, no small effort 
on the part of the military, who comprise a 
fire-brigade, to extinguish the flames, was 
required. Fires are unfrequent ; a remarkable 
fact, as the houses are chiefly timber, the air 
dry, and the people crowded. Visited the 
highest hill within the bason-like valley of 
Foo-chow, and observed that the rock is por- 
phyritic, chiefly of felspar, which, disintegrat- 
ing, crumbles into a fine red clay. The 
" Gazelle," sent by Capt. Gribble, to inquire 
of our welfare, arrives. She had experienced 
very heavy weather, and witnessed great fluc- 
tuations in the barometer during the gale. 
" Gazelle" starts. The Chinese spinsters pray 
"New Lang" to bestow on them ingenuity, I 
and in order to know whether the divinity I 
listens to their vows, each strives to thread a I 
needle behind her head. If she chance to hit 
the eye of the needle, her parents and friends 
congratulate her ; if she misses, they think 
the opening talents of the young maid will fall 
short of their wishes. In Se-chuen young 
ladies put a spider into a box and hold it while 
they recite a prayer to New Lang. If the 
spider has in the meantime begun to spin a 
web, they deem it a good omen. Music and 
processions at night. The " Petrel," belong- 
ing to Messrs. Dent and Co., anchors at the 
Lo Sing Pagoda. Mr. Brain arrives at Foo- 
chow, with a view of making inquiries as to 
the prospects of trade. 
SEPTEMBER. 
Thermometer. — 1st, 82—90 deg. 2d, 82 
—90 ; 3d, 83—89 ; 4th, 86—88 ; 5th, 84— 
88 ; 6th, 84—88 ; 7th, 80— 81; 8th, 78, not 
observed ; 9th, 78 — 89 ; 10th, not at home ; 
I lth, 78; 12th, 74— 78; 13th, not at home; 
14th, 74—80 ; loth, 75—80 ; 16th, 75—85 ; 
17th, 75—83, to 20th, 21st, 75— 82 ; 22d, 
not observed ; 23d, 75 — 89 ; 24th, 75 — 88 ; 
to 27th, 28th, 84—88 ; 29th, 84—88 ; 30th, 
80—84. 
Barometer.— 1st, 29.72 deg. ; 2d, 29.72 ; 
3d, 29.63 ; 4th, 29.60 ; 5th, 29.66 ; 6th, 29.68 ; 
7th, 29.70; 8th, 29.74; 9th, 29.78; 10th, 
not at home; 11th, 29.78 ; 12th, 29.78; 13th, 
not at home; 14th, 29.78 ; 15th, 29.78; 16th, 
29.76 ; 17th to 20th, 29.76 ; 2 1st, 29.78 ; 
22d, not observed; 23d, 29.78; 24th, to 
27th, 29.78 ; 28th, 29.79 ; 29th, 29.79 ; 30th, 
29.79. 
Htgrometric State. — Dry all through the 
month. 
Wind. — 1st, N. East; 4th, A calm, S. 
East ; 5th, S. East ; 7th, Newly calm, S. East ; 
10th, N. East ; 11th, N. and N. East ; 12th, 
N. East ; 16th, S. East ; 17th, N. East. 
Sky, Clouds, Rain, Mists, and Electric 
Phenomena. — 1st, Morning and day clear ; 
2d, Morning clear, in the evening clouds rose 
in the North and followed each other in quick 
succession. Wind at that time easterly. A 
gentleman remarked that it was going to blow 
from the South again. 3d, A fresh breeze 
has been blowing all night from the South, 
which accounts for the Therm, being at sun- 
rise 2 deg. above its usual average, 82. The 
sky bore a nimbose aspect all day. Wind 
gusty in the evening. The night cloudy, but 
not so as to obscure the moon. 4th, Sun 
breaking from between the clouds in the 
morning. In the afternoon, heavy rain with 
thunder and lightning. 5th, Morning, clouds 
dispersing and the sun shining ; in the after- 
noon, a shower ; evening, fine. 6th, Morning, 
fine, at first clouded agreeably, as clouds by 
their interposition screen the earth. 7th, Day 
cloudy. Is the unusual coolness of this day 
owing to the clouds ? Night cool, sky over- 
cast with dark motionless clouds. 8th, Day 
cloudy. This fall in the Therm, and rise in 
the Baroni. betokens a northerly wind. Mois- 
ture fell in the night. 9th, Day throughout 
with sky overcast, but no rain fell. 10th, 
Rainy and cold on the ridge of the hills. 11th, 
No rain at Foo-chow. Sk}' cloudy. The clouds 
