The Sun.
London, England, 1825-08-09 00:00:00

THE WEATHER,

EXTRACT from a METEOROLOGICAL JOURNAL for JULY',
1825, kept at the OBSERVATORY of the ROYAL ACADEDIY,
GOSPORT, HANTS:—
" This has been a remarkably fine and dry
month, as only 0-18 inch of rain has fallen here in the Pluvia -
meter near the ground, the greater part of which was received
in the evening of St. Swithtn, namely, the 15th. Such an
occurrence has for many centuries past been deemed on; i-
nous in this county of a continuance of rain, more or less, t'ot
forty days ; but as none has fallen since, and on looking over
the register for the last ten years, the observation does not ap-
pear to be supported by facts, nor can any satisfactory reason
be assigned for the truth of this popular adage. So small
quantity of rain has not fallen here in any month since April,
1817, when no measurable quantity was received in the rain -
guage. Although we have had very hot weather, the wind has
blown fresh from the N.E. nearly one third of the month, the
point from which the coldest currents of air generally come ;
but for this favourable circumstance both the
tunamaximu anei
medium heat would have been much greater ; and it
rious fact, that the lower wind from that point has veered
round to the S.E. on seven or eight days, for several hours ir.
the hottest part of the day, which tended. materially to increase
the heat; and at the decrease of the diurnal temperature it
again shifted to the N.E., from whence it blew fresh through-
out the nights; thus it appeared to follow the apparent motion
of the sun, and seems to have been influenced by the extensive
heat of the direct solar rays through a rarifyieg atniosphere.
The same circumstance has often occurred here in hot settled.
weather.
" The summer heat of this month commenced on the 11111,
and from the 14th to the 21st the weather was intensely het,
with scarcely any clouds or visible vapours to obstruct the al-
most insupportable rays of the sun—the nights too, were hot
and cloudless, and productive of but little dew, considering the
great evaporation in the day-time, for refreshing the fruits and
vegetation. The hottest days were the 17th, 18th, and Yflth.
At eight o'clock in the morning of the 19th, the thermometer
in a northern aspect in the shade indicated 80 degrees, and by
wood it had risen to 861 degrees (the maximum for the day, and
for the month), when a fresh breeze sprung up from the S.S.,
and gradually lowered it. This was the greatest thermometri-
cal heat in the shade recorded here since the 11th of June, 182te
(when it was 17i degrees), and the hottest day and night at
least during the last ten years, the mean temperature of the ex-
ternal air being upwards of 76 degrees ! and in the twenty-lout
hours, between six and seven-tenths of an inch of water eva-
porated.
At mid-day on the 19th, the heat of the solar rays was as-
certained here with two thermometers on Fahrenheit's con.
struction, which were suspended near each other on a line three
or four feet from a wall, in the direct rays of the sun, and in
a free current of air—the one in a tin case and with a brass
scale shewed 111 degrees ' • the other without a case, and with
an ivory scale, only shewed 95 degrees. On being immediately
removed to a brick wall in the sun's rays, the one in the tin case
indicated 125 degrees, and the other 107 degrees ; so that the
additional heat produced by the confined radiations in the tin
case and from the brass scale in this situation, above the one
with the ivory scale, was 18 degrees, and from the wall in the
free air 16 degrees. Hence arise the great difference the
indications of the thermometers differently made, and as given
by different observers, from their not attending to their proper
construction, and the most eligible situations for escerteining
the real heat of the sun's rays. Even an angle in a brick wall
in the sun's rays is the means of raising a thermometer eight or
ten degrees higher than one placed near it in the front of at.
adjoining smooth wall, arising from the confined radiations.
from the bricks in the angular part ; and if two thermometers
be placed in an airy parlour in very hot weather, a considerable
difference will be seen in their indications if placed two or three
feet above each other, although they may be on the same side
of the room, and correctly made.
" The following were the maximum heights of thermometers
soinveFhaeah rte,nahse igtivs
ecnonbsytroubcstieorn in
ve,
observers
raednet,
pdluarig th
cens,
an esiictateeed-
-1 n different Journals :
July 15—At Hull, Yorkshire - 91
- At Brussels - - 96
July 18—At Gheiit - -91 t
At Weevil Brewery, near Gosport 82
July 19—At Bath - 90
At Cheltenham 86
--
At Dorchester
- At the Royal Exchange,London 861
--
At the Observatory, Gosport 89631
At Hereford
At Romsey - 98
- At Paris - 96
July 20—At Newport, Isle of Wight - 941
" The thermometers at Dorchester and Romsey, no doubt
received powerful radiations from some reflecting objects, as SO
great a heat as is said to have been indicated by them in the
shade, was never registered in any part of England, although
the heat has been greater in some former summers. The greate.st
heat in the shade hitherto recorded in this country, seems to be
that at Plaistow, near London, on the 13th of July, 1808.
when the thermometer rose to 96 degrees ! and here the ther-
mometer in the shade rose to 91 degrees on the 6th of August,
1818, and on the preceding day, at Tottenham, near London, to
93 degrees.
" Heavy thunder storms have occurred in different parts of
the country, from the intense heat of the atmosphere near the
earth's surface ; and die number of valuable horses that have
died on the roads, &c. in England and in France, are said to
be unprecedented.
" During several days of the hot weather, scarcely a bird of
any kind was• seen out before the evening; and but few per-
sons could bear the heat of the sun's rays. The cattle were In-
duced by instinct to seek the most shady places they could find
in the fields, and in general they seemed very languid in etie
day-time. The heat that affects birds and cattle, undoubtedly
affects the human constitution, which has.been proved in seve-
ral instances by the sudden death of those who were exposed to
its powerful effects in their ordinary occupations. Never was
there a finer season for bringing forward quickly the wheat
harvest, which commenced in this neighbourhood on the 18th
instant, The writer has, during the month, been through
Hampshire, Surrey, and Kent, and travelled through Middle-
sex, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Gloucester, Somersetshire, and
Wiltshire, and in these counties the corps of wheat appeared
abundant, and of an excellent quality. The early-sown -barley
and oats are also very good ; but the late crops are short and
thin, and will scarcely make average corps. The beans are
generally blighted, and the hops very indifferent.
" The evaporation here this month is unprecedented ; and
from the dryness of the summer the ponds and springs are sink-
ing rapidly, and many of the wells in this neighbourhood are
already dry. Vegetation seems to be parched from the want of
refreshing rain, and the grass lands appear to be burnt up.--In
France the weather is said to have been, very dry for the last
three months.
" The mean temperature of the external air this month, is
one degree higher than the mean of July for the last eight
years ; and the temperature of spring water has increased one
degree and seven tenths this month.
" The atmospheric and meteoric phenomena that have come
within our observation this mouth, are sixteen meteors in the
night time ; sheet lightning in the night of the 19th ; and one
gale of wind from the N.E.
" Evaporation for the month, 10,370 inches ; rain in the plu-
viameter, near the ground, 1,180 inches; Rain in ditto, 23 feet
high 0,170 inches. Prevailing winds, `North-east.
" Summary of the Weather. —A cleat sky, I 2 ; fine, with
various modifications of clouds, T 5;. an 4Yercast sky without
rain, ?i ; rain, I.—Total 31 days!"

j .i{ :i