08 
GEOLOGY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
as well as to the particular section immediately concerned, not to mention 
the wider and higher interests of meteorological science, will lead to the 
«arly filling of these wide gaps and to the resumption of observations at 
other points where they have been intermitted for several years ; for, as 
is sufficiently evident on the slightest consideration, or from an inspection 
of the tabulated results of the observations hitherto made, the value of 
these series is proportioned to the number of years which they represent. 
It is due to the Smithsonian Institution, which has done so much for 
the climatology of the whole continent and for science of meteorology, 
to say that the Survey has, in several instances, availed itself of its ob- 
servers, already secured and instructed and furnished. And after the 
making out of the table of temperatures, here given, for all the stations 
where observations are made for the Survey, or for which they were pro- 
curable from other sources, a number of others have been added from the 
proof sheet of a similar table, kindly furnished by Prof. Henry. 
The stations thus added to the list are Gaston, Murfreesborough and 
Lake Seuppernong. The data for several other stations were obtained 
from the Agricultural Department reports, and from Blodget and from 
private records,— all derived however, I believe, from the records of ob 
servations procured by the Smithsonian Institution ; and the results of the 
computations of these have been in several cases, (Warrenton and Kenans- 
ville, for example), averaged with those of the Smithsonian proof sheet. 
The average for the different sections are tire simple means of the 
averages for all the stations within their respective limits ; that for the 
State is obtained from the sectional averages by giving to them a weight 
proportioned to their geographical extent ; that is, to eastern, middle and 
western, a relative value of 5, 4 and 1, respectively. 
Mean Temperatures. — The table given below, contains the results of 
the computation and discussion of all the accessible data ; and it will be 
seen that they present many features of singular interest, notwithstanding 
the brief term of the observations at a number of the stations. 
A full discussion of these results is reserved for a future occasion and 
a more complete and ample collection of materials; but there are some 
salient points which will not be affected by any amplification of observa- 
tions, that are worthy of note. 
By comparing the averages for the State with the corresponding figures 
for the different regions, it appears that the column for the middle sec- 
tion is almost identical with that for the entire State. These general 
averages are also repeated with notable exactness in the stational columns 
for Oxford, Chapel Hill and Albemarle, and the Charlotte column is but 
little variant. If a line be drawn through the three first named points. 
