242 
LOWEST TEMPERATURE OF JANUARY, 1838. 
side wall of my house, five feet above the ground. In one hour the mercury of 
this thermometer had disappeared from the tube, which is graduated to eight de¬ 
grees below zero. Some observations which I was making on the rate of cooling 
within doors prevented me leaving this thermometer outside. Next morning at 
eight o’clock the mercury of Dollond’s thermometer was just rising from the 
tube.' I again put out Adie’s thermometer, which had fallen to two degrees above 
zero by nine o’clock, and it then commenced to rise again. From these observa¬ 
tions, I am entitled to say, that in the country within fifteen miles of London, 
the cold was below zero of Faheenheit, and probably continued so for at least 
twelve hours; and that the temperature of four degrees below zero was even 
exceeded in this parish of Thames Ditton. The circumstance of thermometers 
sold by our first makers of instruments of this kind, for the purpose of meteor¬ 
ological observation, not being graduated low enough to indicate the exact 
temperature of this night, is strongly indicative of the unusual severity of the 
cold. Indeed, from the facts stated, it is probable that on the night of the 19th 
of January, we had here a lower temperature than has been recorded in the 
vicinity of London. It may be fancied that the very low temperature is an 
indirect evidence of some inaccuracy in the observations, or in the graduation of 
the instruments. But in regard to the first supposition, I may add that the 
instruments were examined at intervals for some hours, so that there could be no 
mistake in reading the figures ; and the agreement between the two instruments, 
made by different persons, both of whom are of high reputation, is presumptive 
proof of accuracy; beside which they have been compared with other thermome¬ 
ters by the same makers, and have been tried in various ways during several 
years in which they have been in my possession. A third themometer (a 
minimum register, by Adie) also fell below zero, and became useless; but the 
index-pin was left at zero, the oil having adhered to the tube and separated. 
A farmer informed me that his thermometer fell to 14 degrees within doors. 
Hence we must conclude, either that London was many degrees warmer than the 
surrounding country on this night, or that the record at the Royal Society is 
inaccurately kept. Probably both circumstances occurred; at least no one can 
look over the tables published in The Athenaeum without being convinced that 
the minima are incorrectly given; the temperature at a fixed hour being some¬ 
times entered as lower than the loivest degree for the whole twenty-four hours of 
the same day. 
In driving into town, on the morning after nights of frost in spring, I have 
frequently observed that the vegetation has suffered much more in this neigh¬ 
bourhood than has been the case nearer to London, which is presumptive proof 
of greater cold here; and our crops are always a few days later than those of 
Kent and Middlesex, in the parts- near London. I will shortly send, for The 
