The Sun.
London, England, 1821-06-04 00:00:00

THE WEATHER.

rnteresting extract from a Meteorological Journal for May, 1821,
kept at the Observatory of the Academy, Gosport : ,
The weather this month has been generally cold, stormy,
and accompanied' with blights ;, and the evaporation was slow
forthe season. It is many years since .snow was seen in this
neighbourhood in May ; however, -it fell in pretty thick tufts
and large flakes on the 26th, 27th, and 28th 'inst. at mid-day,
acid on the 27th it actually covered the verdure on the weather-
side of Portsdown-hill, notwithstanding its proximity to the
sea, which certainly moderates the cold air. Much hail and
some sleet'have also fallen with - the heavy s'nowera of rain.
We haste had several hoar-frosts, in one of which the Thermo-
meterwas-brought down to the freezing point. .A great portion
of the fruit blossom, and the young fruit that was setting, par-
ticularly that-of-pears were cut off in the middle of the month;
w the all-fruits, too, have felt the effects of the frost. . •
The mean temperature of this period is upwaids of 3} deg.
lesS than in May last" year,. 3 1-sth deg.i under theMearr of
May for the last four years, and (idly I,4th of a degree higher
than the Preceding. month (April). So cold were the hail-storms
to the earth,- that the mien, temperature of spring,water was
lessened half a degree frora tbe middle to the close of the month.
The maximum temperature of the air this month, (69 deg.)
is 5 deg. Ices than that of last, and- it is remarkable, that the
maximufn temperature for the 23d instant,- was 23 deg. lower
than -that of the 26th ultimo. Such is the Peculiarity. of our
air, that after some days of hot weather, we experience the op-
posite extreme. For the caloric contained in the-collection of
vapours in the atmosphere, being materially dissipated by lo-
cal thunder-storms, chills the air till it is restored again by so-
lar influence.

The barometer has shown bold curves at the time of the
greatest falls.of rain, and the aggregate of the spaces described
by the oscillations is above the mean for the month of May.
The mean diurnal state of the air, as. ascertained by De
Luc's-whalebone • hygrometer, is nearly 5 deg. lower, than in
• May 182% and 7 deg. drier than last month ; so that it is not
affected. in its' motion • towards the driest point by a mere
cold.- dr..' . • . . . • -.

• , The atmospheric and meteoric phenothena: that Nava come
within our ohsarvation this month, are, one anthelion, eight
pa6elia, two lunar and • three solar halos, four lunar coronae,
One double rainbow, two small meteors, liYfitning in,the even-
ing of the 4th, and. nine gales of wind, or days on which they
'
have prevailed ; namely, three from N.., two from N. E. one
from E. one from S. W. and two from N.W.
, .

. .
'There nre already ten ho,zses named to start for his Majesty's
gold. cup, to be run,for ,at Brighton, ariioptcrst which are the
Duke of York's Master Henry, the Earl of ggremont's Little
'John,. Lord H. Cavendish's Allegro, and Sir John Shelley's,l
In congequence of a cl:alleage from the"Canibridge tlnirer-
city Cricket Club to that of. Oxfoid University, to be played at,
either places, a grand Match, it satins, will be played between
them in the cause a the present month.