xliv 
MISCELLANEOUS NOTICES, &C. 
gregated in the Square at all hours of the day, one half 
would be driven from Singapore by fits of apoplexy 
and the other half would be protracting a miserable exist¬ 
ence by sitting in their offices with damp towels round 
their heads. 
These observations I have made in justice to myself, and 
in consequence of the journal being forwarded to scientific 
Societies. I have been treated in an off hand manner any¬ 
thing but pleasant to my feelings, or I think creditable to 
those who made such assertions without taking the trouble 
to verify them*, and if castles in the air must be built by ima¬ 
ginative Doctors with centre rooms and wooden verandahs, 
let them be built at their expence and not at mine. I was not 
a dilletanti handling a thermometer once a month and then 
thinking I knew all about meteorology. 1 was placed in a 
certain duty by the Government, and if I failed in that duty 
on my head falls the responsibility ,-f* I have but two word3 
more to say to the Doctor before I proceed to my observa¬ 
tions. He says the average temperature for each month at 
6 A. M. and noon, being divided by 2 gives the mean for tho 
month. From what wonderful induction does he deduce this 
law ? If we take the mean of Captain Davie’s observations at 
6 a. M. and noon we find the following 
Captain Davis’ observations. 
1820 1821 1822 1823 1824 1825 
79 5 79.4 80 2 78 8 81 Q 81.4 
and on referring to the tables I now send I find the following 
at the same time 
1841 1842 143 
89.2 80.5 80.5 
• See our previous note.—E d. 
f Neither Dr Little nor we imputed the slightest failure of duty to our 
correspondent. For ourselves we were not even aware that the thermome- 
trical observations formed part of his official duly, and even if we had been, 
surely whatever opinion we may entertain respecting the adaptation of a 
public building for such observations, and whatever that opinion may be 
worth, we have a right to express it. It is quite possible for a building to be 
constructed with great care, and yet the air in it fail to be a perfect index 
to the temperature of the external atmosphere. We may add that a Ther- 
mometrical Observatory which would be free from defects in England, may 
not be adapted for Singapore, where the heat during the day is comparatively 
so great, that the very means taken to prevent its absorption by the screen of 
the thermometer affecting the registered temperature, may prevent thi* tem¬ 
perature falling to that of the external air at night. A screen so thick and 
slowly conductive of heat as to afford the perfection of shade during the day, 
will necessarily, in this climate and latitude, retain a portion of the accumu¬ 
lated heat throughout the whole night. “ The absorption of heat due to 
direct radiation from the sun goes on more rapidiy than the dissipation of it 
