H4 
Mr. Howard on the late 
abruptly, and by 8 a. m. was again on the point of passing 
28 inches. In the 24 hours preceding this time, there had 
fallen eight tenths of an inch of rain ; in the 24 hours follow- 
ing it there fell none, nor was the wind, which blew from 
S."W., at all strong; indeed it was calm all the middle part 
of the dav, with sunshine and cirrus above : evaporation was 
very perceptible, and the night, up to 10 p. m. starlight. 
The barometer, at 8 p. m. the 25th, was at 28.40 in. In the 
early morning of the 27th, not having yet reached 29 in., it 
turned to fall again, with the wind at S. and S.W., after S.E. : 
we had again some heavy rain with hail about noon, and by 
midnight the quicksilver reached 28.07, cr -°6 in., where it 
stood, or rather made minute oscillations, during the 12 hours 
following, a thing I should scarcely have thought possible in 
our climate. 
It was stormy, with much rain, and cloudy during most of 
this interval ; but at noon on the 29th, and from the above- 
mentioned very low point, the decisive rise began ; which 
proceeding in a bold uninterrupted curve into the afternoon 
of the 31st, the quicksilver once more touched upon 30 inches, 
with the winds northerly, and moderate ; and the year went 
out with fine weather. 
Such were the principal circumstances which met my no- 
tice in a depression of the barometer, to which I find no 
parallel, for London, in the whole Meteorological Annals of 
the Society. Let us, however, now advert to a case or two 
which seem to have approached to it. Barker, of Lyndon, 
gives the following monthly minima, viz. 1782, April, 28.09 
in.; 1783, February, 28.08; and March, 27.88 in. (Philo- 
sophical Transactions, Vol. LXXIII., p. 242, and LXXIV., 
