regents of the university
stephen van
:a ii r -13 ■3 gt ts ! ■ s ■ 11 ^"i-" I 1^ oooooooe ^Mnetr^ooooe •3iQteSo>ooo«t-t»^»»iot-ooo»«>»t- cn lo ^ ^ c^ bo 00 lO t~ <o o :- CO 09 )0 <o <o n 3Xt- temcofi*' ji^^^kOiAiaiawwiatoiaioioioto Q AOQ 0»0e>3t-e>3 <« IQ 04 00 OO W <M CQ t^ >o f t- ot glllliillliiiilisiii <oc-<»o>o^MMM*9«>a<or-aono^«'- No.M.1 tet o o CQCQ !z;Sz; a «i* s» ^ d - - "• <5 il OB d 0.0 00 0 ^ ^ "- •^5 CO lO o <^co ^^p ^^n ^^^ ^^<p ^^n • • CO coot OQ ^^H ^^^ ^^P ^^P ^^P ^iHOi-lO lOCO CO o 8 1-4 to 00 mt^^iOio S: 8 1 1 2 •a J I I 262 [Sknatk REMARKS. Slst, 6 A. M. Cirri forming in the S; dew fiJIing; misty. 7. A few light cum. clouds; fo^ rapidly forming. 8. Fog increasing, obscuring objects at 100 feet distance. 9. Fog rapidly vanishing; a faint halo visible for a few minutes. 10. Clear in the zenith; mrge cum. clouds in the N. 11. Cloudy in the N and W. 12. Clouds in the E and SE; dense cum. in the N; fresh breese rising. 1 P. M. Clear in the zenith; cloudy N and N£; wind var. fiom NE by N to N, NW. 2. do cum. increasing between the N and E. 3. do cum. clouds in the S and SW. 4. do do NE; cimistratus NW. 6. do few light patches of cum. highly tinged with the lays of the setting sun. 6. Clear; stars of the first magnitude visible. 7. do do 8. Overcast, with vapor; stars of the second and third magni- tude visible. 9. Calm, clear, and serene; a meteor S took a NEly direction. 10. do a small meteor from Ursa Major, NE direction. 11. do light breeze. 12. do 22d, 1. do at 1h. 46m. mist rising. 2. do heavy dew falling. 4. do light cum. passing from N to S. 5. do light breeze from SSW. 6. Sun rising; clouds forming in the E; fog coming on. BAROMETER. Max. on the 21st at 11 and 12 P. M. 30.026) Min. do 6 A. M 29.936) Range of the barometer on the 22d, 0.030 inch. Whole range, 0. 121 inch. THERMOMETER. Max. hourly readings on the 21st at 1 p. M. 61. Mm. Range of thermometer on the 21st, 16.2. Max. hourly readings on the 22d at 1 A. M. 48.6. Mean 46.2 Fk. Range of thermometer on the 22d, 46.2. No. 56.6 Sefecting do. Max. on the 21st on the earth, 60.0. do 4 ft. above, 60.9. No. 30 do 64.0. Min. on the 21st on the earth, 39.8. do 4 ft. above, 45.5. No. 30 do 40.0. Range of max. and min. on the earth, 21.8. No. 30 do 24.0. Max. dew point, Dan Bell's hygrometer, 40°?  On the earth, 40® 4 ft. above, 42 Range of min. and max. on the earth, 18®0. 4 ft. above the earth, 18®0. 30 ft. above the earth, 25®3. Max. dew point, Daniell's hygrometer, 47® Min. dew point, 43 The Barometer (the society's standard,) is placed 48 feet above the high water mark of the river Thames, and the readings corrected for capillarity, &c. The external ther. has a northern aspect, four feet from the earth and one foot from the wall. W. H. WHITE, Secretary. Force of the meteoric shower of May, 13, 1838, at Richmond, England, by Robert Cassell Woods, Esq. member of numerous learned societies. (Commemoration to the Albany Institution.) The night of Monday the 12th Of November, 1838, being the time for the periodical return of an unusual number of meteors, I determined to leave London on account of the obstruction the buildings offer in this crowded city, to locate myself in the delightful village of Richmond, Surrey, which is situated about nine miles west of the metropolis, for the purpose of observing the annual return of the remarkable phenomenon. In the afternoon of the 12th, the sun sank below the horizon as to predicate a clear night. When below the horizon, but on account of the refraction of the atmosphere apparently above it, there was a grand display of a rich profusion of red, orange and rosy-coloured hues. The wind blew fresh from NNE during the day, and as the shades of evening drew on, the breeze increased; the night was consequently very cold. It was one of those clear nights which astronomers in this part of Europe, and in the month of November, but seldom witness. At 10 hours 16 minutes P.M. (dock time) my attention was arrested by these "heavenly precipitates;" a meteor without train fell from the star a Lyra; it was of a beautiful yellow tinge, resembling or mollusk, and took its direction across the Milky Way. At 11 hours another meteor fell from a star north of the Pleiades. At 11 hours 48 minutes a large meteor with train fell from Cassiopeia, and crossed the Galaxy at an angle of near ninety degrees. The appearance of this meteor was very remarkable. Its size was that of a star of the first magnitude, and in colour and appearance equal to the planet Venus when at her maximum brilliancy. Its train was peculiarly marked. At first, it was perpendicular to, and afterwards parallel with the horizon. From twelve o'clock (midnight, 12th,) till 3 hours 20 minutes on the 13th, nine meteors fell, all crossing the Galaxy, at angles of from seventy to eighty degrees; six were without trains and three with trains. Up to this period but little encouragement was held out for expecting a recurrence of the shower, as the number of meteors which had fallen was not greater than on ordinary nights. I therefore began to despair of witnessing the grand display seen in former years. It recurred however to my recollection, that on some occasions the "sheave" did not commence till near four o'clock. I therefore continued to direct my attention to the NN£, whence the greater number of meteors had fallen. There was nothing now to engage my attention to the curtain which is so richly emblazoned with innumerable gems by the Great Architect of the Universe, and which surrounds and covers the earth like a vast tunicle, extending to all parts of the horizon with a beauty and symmetry worthy the miger of Omnipotence. At 3 hours 35 minutes the beauty and grandeur of the heavens could scarcely be exceeded, neither the pencil of the Artist, nor the language of the orator adequately depict the warlike appearance of the heavens. From £N To meteors fell like a shower of bomb-shells in a bombardment, and in such rapid succession as to defy every attempt to watch their particular direction and course among the stars, or to ascertain their precise number. The whole visible heavens were illuminated by the light such a number of meteors diffused in their descent towards the earth; and I felt amply paid for the pain I experienced by being the spectator of one of the most beautiful and magnificent sights as could possibly be conceived. The shower of meteors appeared to take their direction from NNE and N, as if the direction of their trains was occasioned by the wind, which as I before remarked was blowing fresh from the former point. The total number of meteors could not have fallen short of from four hundred to five hundred; the maximum number fell at 3 hours 45 minutes. The colour of the meteors was generally of a lightly tinged yellow; their trains had an azure tint which appeared to become deeper as they approached the earth. We may conclude the meteoric shower of November 13th, 1838, was equal in interest and splendor to any of a former year. At Paris it rained until 11 o'clock on Monday night, and there was a faint aurora which was also seen at the isle of Guernsey, but at Richmond it was remarkably fair and clear; and on Tuesday morning the 13th, 5 o'clock, my thermometer marked 26 degrees of Fahrenheit. We have for some time past observed a return of the shower of the 12-13th of November; and besides the shower of August 11th, there are some others of less importance, whose periodicity will ultimately be proved. It becomes then a matter of inquiry how this phenomenon is produced, and whether it occurs only in the evening and early in the morning? If I am not egregiously mistaken, they may be observed in the day were we advantageously located to notice them. I mentioned to the secretary of the Meteorological Society, that on Tuesday the 13th of November last, I saw meteors fall from the zenith at two P.M. I. Since then I have received an authenticated account of a large meteor which fell into the Swan river last year at noon. Whether the "meteorological shower" is an electric or magnetic phenomenon has not been decided; nor indeed have our observations been directed to this subject. We have simply established the periodicity of the phenomenon. From several experiments during the night when showers have occurred, neither a diminution nor an accession of the electric fluid has been indicated by the collecting apparatus. The atmosphere has been generally positively electrified. The dipping needle has been sensibly affected. Another circumstance connected with this phenomenon is the existence of a meteoric zone; if there be a meteoric zone, it is not the same in both hemispheres; thus, while in America, the radiating point is usually Camelopardalus, in Europe it is Leo. On ordinary nights, I have generally observed meteors to fall in an opposite direction to the wind, and when there has been much humidity in the atmosphere, meteors have not had trains, contrary to a dry atmosphere, the light has been of a brighter yellow color, and their descent (generally perpendicular to the horizon). Severe gales have usually followed a meteoric shower, whose periodicity may be identified with the shower, and their strength or force to approximate in some degree to the number of meteors which have fallen. ROBERT CARR WOODS. London, December 24, 1838 Suggested improvements in the mode of observing meteorological phenomena in a letter from Robert Carr Woods, Esq., of London, registrar and member of the council of the Meteorological Society of London, to M. IL Webster, corresponding secretary of the Albany Institute. (Communicated to the Albany Institute.) I forward you herewith a copy of the observations at the Augusta equinoctial. I do not intend to continue taking the observations at the equinoctial and solstice. It has been recommended to take them monthly in the place of quarterly. Query: Is a calendar or a lunar month intended for the former, may we not inquire what have atmospheric changes to do with a calendar month? Surely it is absurd to suppose that our calendar months are according to the law of nature. If the latter month ( lunar) was intended, we know that the lunar action upon the weather has been denied in toto. It appears to me that the recommendation of hourly observations was precipitate, and for this reason, we are ignorant of the time when changes occur in the atmosphere. How, then, is it possible we can observe the connection of these changes in different parts of the globe, until we have been informed of the time when they really take place. Hourly observations will not give us the time of atmospheric changes, even were they taken monthly or weekly. If the effects of atmospheric disturbances were mechanical instead of chemical, we possibly might use the effects to their sources by regular observations. But since the range of atmospheric phenomena is as eccentric as are the orbits of comets, it is impossible, in the present state of our knowledge, to calculate the amount of irregularities. Would it not then be better to form a committee of observers, who would agree to take it by turns to watch when changes occur in the atmosphere, not at stated hours, but by the cooperation of three observers, one of whom might watch the Barometer and magnetic needle; a second the wet and dry bulb thennometeiS| and an electrical apparatus; and a third the state of the atmosphere and sky, as to clouds, wind, &c. simultaneous every ten minutes or quarter of an hour. As it would not be expected that gentlemen could undertake so laborious a task, and as the advantage would be a national one, let every individual who desires the advancement of meteorological science subscribe towards remunerating persons eligible to perform the duty, and who, in the investigation, would be an interest in the navigation. The committee might apportion to each his respective duty during the day and at night. The results of these observations would be of more real utility to meteorology than the isolated observations of centuries, whether taken quarterly or monthly. The places I would particularly recommend for observations of the above kind, are London, Edinburgh, Dublin, Paris, Brussels, St. Petersburg, Lisbon, Milan, Vienna, Telfis, Cape of Good Hope, Bombay, Madras, the Mauritius and Australia, in the eastern hemisphere, and New-York, Albany, Newfoundland, Mexico, west of North-America. The instruments must, obviously, be of a similar construction, and a well-known method of constructing the observations be adhered to. West India Islands, Panama Canal, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, near Cape Horn, Valparaiso, Lima, Cusco, Port de Beira and Santa Cruz, in the western hemisphere. At most of these places there are persons who would assist in a work of such importance and magnitude. Such as have not the means of obtaining instruments, might be supplied with them from the general fund, or a recommendation to their respective governments. That Something of the kind will ultimately be tried. I have no doubt, but the sooner it is commenced, the better; and if my humble assistance will be of any service, it shall not be found wanting. 