The Sun.
London, England, 1825-11-08 00:00:00

THE WEATHER.

EXTRACT from a METEOROLOGICAL JOURNAL for Oct.
1825, kept at the OBSERVATORY of the ROYAL ACADEMY,
Gosport, Hants.
This month has been alternately wet and dry ;
the first part was warm for October, but the latter part very
variable in the temperature and state of the atmosphere. A
sudden fall of the mercury in the barometer took place on the
18th and 19th inst., during a hard gale from the West, accom-
panied with cold rain, which was followed by showers of snow
and hail in many parts of the country to the Northward. It is
remarkable that this transition in the state of the weather oc-
curred soon after the disappearance of the Comet, but we can-
not attribute the change to that circumstance, as the same kind
of weather would have happened had it been present, with the
exception of a little difference in the temperature of the atmos-
phere : besides the minimum. temperature of the external air
was three degrees lower in the months of October, 1817, 1819,
and 1824.

The 20th and 21st were very cold days and nights, the dif-
ference between the maximum temperature of these days and
the 6th, was 26 degrees ! Several nights in the latter part of
the month was frosty, with prevailing strong winds from N. and
N.W. The mean temperature of the external air this month,
is two one-fifth degrees high,cr than the mean of October for the
last nine years. The temperature of Spring water has been
very nearly at a stand this month, having deviated only one-
twentieth of a degree: and it is two degrees higher than at this
time last year, in consequence of the solar heat having pene-
trated many feet below the surface of the earth in July.
At noon of the Ilth inst., the last flock of swallows, about
forty in number, left this place, and in their flight took a S.S.E.
direction. This year they remained 26 weeks, which is longer
than they usually stay by two or three weeks.
The atmospheric and meteoric phenomenon that have come
within our observation this month, and 38 meteors, one of which
was very large, and fell apparently over Portsmouth Harbour,
between eight and nine o'clock in the evening of the 15th; sheet
lightning in the night of the 10th • and eight gales of wind, or
days on which they have prevailed, namely, one from the N.,
one from E., one from S.E. one from S., two from W., and two
from the N. NV.

Evaporation for the month, 2.550 inches ; rain in the pluvia-
meter, near the ground, 3.025 ditto; rain in ditto, 22 feet high,
2.680 ditto.—Prevailing winds, N.W.
Clouds.—Cirrus, 21 : Cirrocumulus, 12 ; Cirrostratus, 31 ;
Status, I ; Cumulus, 20; Cumulostratus, 25 ; Nimbus. a.
Scale of the prevailing Winds.—N. 2. ,• N.E. —;E. ; S.E
2; S. 6; S.W. 5 • W. 5; N.W. 10.—Days 31.
Summary of the Weather.—A clear sky, 3i ; fine, with va-
rious modifications of slouds, 113 ; an overcast sky without rain,
10 ; rain, 6.—Total 31 days.
GOSPORT OBSERVATORY, Nov. 2.

Occulation of the Planet Saturn by the Moon.—At the time
of Saturn's immersion behind the enlightened limb of the Moon
in the evening of the 30th ult., the sky was overcast; but by
half-past eight o'clock it became clear towards the East, and
Saturn was behind the Moon. At Bh. 53m. 16s. mean time
here, Saturn emersed from behind the unilluminated part of
the Moon. The difference between the colour of Saturn with
his ring, and the bright part of the Moon, was remarkable;
the former being a dull red, and the latter a silvery colour.—
The margin of the double ring, and the dise of Saturn during
the emersion, were tolerably well defined through a five feet
achromatic telescope. From the position of Saturn at the time
of the emersion, the line of occultatiOn was through the centre
of the Moon within one-tenth of her diameter, which was at
that time 30, 13. The beginning of the occultation was at 7h.
58m. 475. mean time here, and its duration 54 minutes and 29
seconds.. With the aid of a telescope, this occultation was very
interesting, on account of Saturn's ring.

FATAL DUELS.—In the early part of last
month, two Officers of the Imperial Guards at St.
Petersburgh fought a duel, when both their first
shots took effect, and put a termination to their
earthly career ! The cause of the quarrel was
understood to have been an evasion of a promised
marriage, on the part of one of the officers, with
a lady to whom the other was related.—On the'
17th Sept. according to the New York Gazette
of the Ist October, another fatal duel took place;
the circumstances were briefly as follow :—TheCon-
stellation frigate had arrived at the port of Nor-
folk on the day mentioned from her cruise in the
West India waters. Two of the officers, a Mr.
Shoemaker and a Mr. Wayne, had quarreled
when at sea. No sooner was the vessel moored
than the parties went ashore near the site of Fort
Nelson, a short distance from where the Constel-
lation lay. Upon the tirst fire Mr. Shoemaker
received the ball of his antagonist in the right
side, a little above the hip bone, which he sur-
vived only a few hours. He was interred with
military honours, and being highly respected, a
great number of the navy officers on the station,
besides a numerous detachment of seamen from
the frigate, attended his remains to the tomb.
Alas ! that false notions of honour in this en-
lightened age should annually cut short the days
of so many brave men.
•

A French Paper says, that in clearing out a
well near Argenteuil, a number of valuable ef-
fects were found, amongst other things a small
iron-box of immense thickness, which was open-
ed with great difficulty ; it contained the portrait
of a lady in excellent preservation, surrounded
by 3c2 diamonds of a large size, the latter valued
at 120,000 francs, about 4,800! sterling. It is
conjectured they might be thrown into the well
at the time the Allied Armies entered France,
in 1814. A farmer was the lucky man who found
these valuables.

ENORMOUS PIKE.—A fish of this species,
weighing 9'2 lbs. was recently presented to the
Marquis of CLANRICAHDE, at Porturnna Castle.
Captain► SHEWBRIDGE and - DouLAN,Esq.,
walking one evening on the banks of the Shan-
non, were surprized by a noisy splashing of the
water in a little creek, and found a large num-
ber of perch driven ashore by an enemy, whose
pursuit had been so vigorous, that he was in
shallow water with most of his body exposed;
an oar being at hand they killed him with it,
and when borne across the oar by the two gen-
tlemen, who were rather tall, both the head and
tail touched the ground.
It frequently happens that sixty score of cod
fish are brought to Gravesend from the shores of
Scotland alive, in one fishing smack, for the sup-
ply of the London market.
At the Insolvent Debtor's Court, on Tuesday
week, the release of NATHANIEL STOCKWELL,
called the 64 Fortunate Youth," was successfully
opposed by several creditors, on the grounds that
he had got into their debt by falsely represent-
ing himself as shortly to Come into possession of
property in Gloucestershire, estimated at from
12 to 14,000!. per annum ; arid he was sentenc-
ed to 18 months imprisonment from the date of
filing his petition.