Meteorological Observations, 239 
SIR JOHN F. W. HERSCHEL’s NEW RESEARCHES ON THE SOLAR 
Spectrum and in photography. 
The following are some of the points of novelty which occur in a 
paper by Sir John Herschel, now in course of reading before the 
Royal Society : — 
\ . Detection of luminous rays, and a new prismatic colour beyond 
the extreme violet. 
2. Discovery of a chemical spectrum beyond the extreme red rays. 
3. Assumption, according to circumstances, of either an oxidizing 
or a de- oxidizing action by the chemical rays at either end of the 
spectrum. 
4. Formation of photographic impressions of the spectrum, ex- 
hibiting the prismatic colours in imitation of the colours of those 
rays by which they are produced ; and a variety of other tints. 
5. Photographic effects produced by the simultaneous action of 
two rays differing in refrangibility, which neither of them, acting 
alone, are capable of producing at all. 
6. Action of the spectrum on vegetable colours. 
7. Discovery of a process of secret photographic painting, in which 
the image may be preserved ad infinitum in an invisible state, ca- 
pable of being at any moment rendered visible. 
8. Account of a process for fixing photographic pictures on glass 
plates. 
9. Analysis of the absorbent action of various media on the 
chemical rays. 
10. Account of a self-registering photometer for meteorological 
purposes. 
meteorological observations for JAN.j 1840. 
Chiswick. — Jan. 1. Overcast : fine. 2. Very fine. .S. Fine ; slight rain. 4. 
Rain. 5. Cloudy and fine : frosty at night. 6. Frosty. 7. Clear and frosty : 
severe frost at night. 8. Severe frost. 9. Overcast: fine. 10. Overcast : frosty 
at night. 11. Sharp frost. 12. Frosty: fine. 13. Clear. 14. Hazy. 15. 
Drizzly. 16. Fine. 17. Foggy. 18. Frosty and foggy : rain. 19. Boisterous, 
with heavy rain. 20. Rain : fine: boisterous at night. 21. Very boisterous with 
rain. 22. Cloudy : clear at night. 23. Rain : windy at night. 24. Boisterous. 
25. Overcast : rain : fine. 26. Stormy and wet. 27. Clear and cold. 28. Rain: 
boisterous. 29. Very fine. 30. Hazy. 31. Very fine. 
The frost was, for a short time, very intense between the 7th and 8th, being 
20° below freezing. 
Boston. — Jan. 1. Cloudy, 2. Fine. 3,4. Cloudy. 5. Fine. 6. Fine: 
little snow p.m. 7. Fine. 8, 9, 10. Cloudy. 11, 12, 13. Fine. 14, 15. Cloudy. 
16. Fine. 17. Rain. 18. Cloudy. 19,20. Cloudy: stormy with rain p.m. 
21. Stormy : thunder and forked lightning with rain a.m. 22. Cloudy. 23. 
Rain. 24. Stormy ; rain p.m. 25. Fine : snow a.m. 26. Rain : rain early a.m. 
27. Fine. 28, 29. Rain. 30. Fine. 31. Cloudy : rain early a.m. 
Applegarth Manse, Dumfriesshire. — Jan. 1. Fine morning: rain p.m. 2. Very 
wet A.M. : showery all day. 3. Quiet day with slight showers. 4. Fine day and 
fair: aurora borealis. 5. Clear day : hard frost. 6. Fine frosty day. 7. Dull 
and cloudy. 8. The same ; thaw. 9. Frost again. 10. Still frosty but cloudy. 
11. Wet and stormy, 12. The same all day. IS. Fair, but threatening rain. 
14, 15, 16. Wet and boisterous, 17. Clear and tending to frost. 18. Rain 
again and v/ind. 19. Heavy rain a.m. ; showery all day. 20. Frequent show- 
ers. 21. Wind very high. 22, 23, 24. Boisterous weather. 25. The same : 
slight showers. 26. Moderate but showery. 27. Succession of snow showers. 
28. Frost A.M. : snow : thaw p.m. 29. Frost a.m. : fine winter day, 30, Frost 
early A, M,; change p,m, 31, Slight showers a, m, ; fine day. 
