430 PEOCEEDINGS OF THE SCIENTIFIC ASSOCIATION. 
ways disappointed, still they continue to pin their faith on 
that luminary. Some years ago “ The Farmer’s Almanac,” 
a book extensively circulated in England, contained a sort 
of table or calendar, the authorship of which was incor- 
rectly attributed to Sir William Herschel, by which the 
state of the weather during a whole lunation might be 
foretold by observing the hour of the day or night at which 
the change of the moon might take place. The belief, 
however, in this spurious calendar has probably in these 
days nearly faded away. Others again go further, and 
lay great stress on the effects to be expected from the in- 
fluence of the moon when she is in perigee, or at her 
nearest proximity to the earth, especially if at that time 
she is also in conjunction with, or in opposition to, the sun. 
No doubt an aerial spring- tide, or heaping up as it were, 
of the atmosphere directly under the moon, will take place 
by the force of her attraction when she is in her nearest 
position to the earth ; but when we consider that air is 
more than eight hundred times lighter than water, we 
may rest satisfied that no important atmospheric disturb- 
ance, having 'any special effect on the general atmosphere, 
'will take place' on such occasions. The public mind in 
this part of the world has recently been very incautiously 
alarmed by certain predictions of direful results to be ap- 
prehended about the 6th of October, in consequence of the 
moon being in perigee, and also in conjunction with the 
sun on that day. It may be sufficient to say that such 
apprehensions are utterly groundless. We do not affirm 
that there will not be a gale, nor a flood, nor some other 
such calamity on the 6th of October, nor on the 6th of 
November, nor on any other of the three hundred and 
sixty-five days in the year ; such a prediction would be as 
absurd as that which we have condemned. We simply 
