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VIII.—On the Meteorology of the English Lake District, including the Results of Experiments on the Fall of Rain, the Temperature, the Dew Point, and the Humidity of the Atmosphere, at various Heights on the Mountains, up to 3166 feet above the Sea Level,—for the years 1851, 1852, and 1853

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 January 2013

John Fletcher Miller
John Fletcher Miller
Affiliation:
Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, Associate of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Member of the British Meteorological Society, Corresponding Member of the Literary and Philosophical Society of Manchester, &c.
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Extract

The experiments on the rain-fall in the lake district valleys were commenced in 1844,—the mountain gauges were planted in the spring of 1846,—the hygrometrical observations were instituted at the beginning of the year 1852,—and the entire investigation was brought to a close at the end of the year 1853, when its main objects were considered to have been satisfactorily answered and attained.

The tabular observations and general results of the inquiry up to the close of the year 1850, were communicated to the Royal Society of London in four papers, which are published in the Philosophical Transactions of that body. The fifth and concluding paper (comprising the observations, &c. for the years 1851—53 inclusive) I have now the honour to present to the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

Type
Transactions
Information
Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of The Royal Society of Edinburgh , Volume 21 , Issue 1 , 1857 , pp. 81 - 122
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Society of Edinburgh 1857

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References

page 110 note * From returns recently published by Dr Buist of Bombay, it appears that in Eastern India also, the maximum deposit of rain is found at 4500 feet, at which elevation, the annual quantity amounts (at Cheerapoong) to no less than 610 inches!! At Sylhet, 5000 feet above sea level, the fall is 209 inches; and, at Darjeeling, at 7000 feet, it is 125 inches. At Bombay, on an average of 30 years, the annual rain fall is 76·08 inches, and at Calcutta and Madras, for 8 vears it is 66·59 and 52·27 inches, respectively.

page 111 note * The average fall of rain at Seathwaite for 9 years, is 144 inches, and on the Stye or Sprinkling Fell for 4 years, 159 inches.

page 111 note † Seathwaite, from its position at the head or terminus of the Southern fork of Borrowdale, which is environed by the lofty mountains, Great Gabel, Glaramara, and Sprinkling Fell, is very favourably situated for the retention and exhaustion of the Rain-cloud. But, it is probably to the copious supply of vapour poured into this narrow valley from the “Stye” pass—which trends nearly in the direction of the prevailing aerial current—that Seathwaite is chiefly indebted for the excess of its rain-fall over every other locality in the Lake District.

page 114 note * Whilst I am revising this paper, (April 21, 1854) Evaporation is unusually active for the season. The loss from the gauge in the 24 hours preceding 9 a.m., was 0·30 inch, which is the greatest daily quantity I have recorded in the month of April. During the last 3 days, the maximum temperature has varied from 65° to 73°, and the complement of the dew-point has ranged from 23°·3 to 25°·5—approaching to the extreme of hygroscopic dryness in this climate.

page 115 note * The average annual rain-fall for 20 years, at Whitehaven, is 46·59 inches.

page 116 note * In compiling the paragraph on Evaporation, I am indebted for several interesting facts to an claborate paper “On the Physical Geography of Hindostan,” by Dr Buist, LL.D., which appeared in the last (April) number of the Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal.

page 116 note * An extremely indurated Green slate and Porphyritic slate.

page 118 note * I have only met with one instance of the presence of a strong breeze in the valley, when the air was quite motionless on the top of a mountain. On the 21st of April 1848, I find the following memorandum in the register-book,—“Ascended Sea Fell, &c. There was a fresh breeze and appearance of rain on our leaving the valley at llh 40m a.m., but before attaining the summit of Lingmell (1778 feet) the air became perfectly calm, and so continued till we had again reached the foot of the mountain. We were surprised to find that a strong breeze had prevailed in the valley during our absence on the Fell: and it continued to blow fresh throughout the evening. The clouds (Cumuli) were evidently electric, and generally below the summit of Sea Fell. We passed through one in desending and a distant peal of thunder was heard from the top.

page 118 note † The writer saw a patch of snow on Sea Fell, on the 15th of June 1843.

page 122 note * Philosophical Transactions, Part ii., 1849.