A Letter from Richard Townley, of Townley in Lancashire, Esq; Containing Observations on the Quantity of Rain Falling Monthly, for Several Years Successively: Communicated to the Royal Society

V. Part of a Letter to Dr. Clopton Havers, S. R. S. giving an Account of an extraordinary Hemorrhagia at the Glandula Lachrymalis. SIR, Since my coming to this place I have met with a very strange Case. An Icterial discontented Woman having a desire to dye, wholly rejected the help of Medicine, and within three Months being well nigh her end, there happened an Eruption of Blood out of the Glandula Lachrymalis of one of her Eyes, without any External Injury: There was an Evacuation of this of Blood within the space of Thirty Hours. About a Week after the same Sluce was opened again, and she bled till she dyed. Now, I would fain know what Blood-Vessels come to that Gland, from which such a vast quantity of Blood should be cast forth in so short a time. VI. A Letter from Richard Townley, of Townley in Lancashire, Esq; containing Observations on the Quantity of Rain falling Monthly, for several Years successively: Communicated to the Royal Society. Townley, Jan. 9. 1692. SIR, I Have now compleated this last Year's Observations, which I was very desirous should accompany the others I now also send you; and I hope you will be pleased pleased upon that score to Pardon my delay in obeying your Commands: I wish they had been more exactly made, and should have been so, had they been intended for any thing but my own Satisfaction, and enabling me to give some conjecture at the Proportion of Rain that falls in this County, with that at London, and in other Parts of this Kingdom. But in this I have not yet attained my desired end, not having heard of the like made in any Part of England; though a Friend or two had promised to undertake and afford me an Account of their Observations; but it may be they did not think it worth their while, or that it would prove more troublesome than I have found it: For I only fixed a round Tunnel of 12 Inches Diameter to a leaden Pipe, which could admit of no Water, but what came through the Tunnel, by reason of a part solder'd to the Tunnel itself, which went over the Pipe, and served also to fix it to it, as well as to keep out any wet that in Stormy Weather might beat against the under part of the Tunnel, which was so placed, that there was no building near it that would give occasion to suspect that it did not receive its due proportion of Rain that fell through the Pipe some Nine Yards Perpendicularly, and then was bent into a Window near my Chamber, under which convenient Vessels were placed to receive what fell into the Tunnel; which I measured by a Cylindrical Glass at a certain mark, containing just a Pound, or 12 Ounces Troy, and had marks for smaller parts also. I prefer'd this way of finding the Content of my Vessel for measuring the Water before any other, of Gaging of Small Cubical or Cylindrical ones; where an inconsiderable and almost indiscernible Error in the Dimensions will prove much greater in the Content; whereas in the other way, provided the Cylinder it self be small, or have a very small Neck at the marked place for a Pound, one may easily come to as great exactness as may be wished. wished. By the help of this Cylindrical Glass I thus kept my Account of what Rain fell, and generally twice or thrice a day; when I took several other Observations, both of the Thermometer, Barometer, Winds, &c. what Rain I found in the Receivers, if not more than made what was left in the Cylindrical Glass a full pound, I again left in it; but if there was more than that quantity, I filled it just to the Pound mark, which I threw away, and did the like with the remaining Water, as often as it would allow, still keeping an Account chiefly of the Pounds thrown away, and noting also the parts of a Pound remaining in the Glass; by the help of which latter, and the parts remaining at any time before, by numbring the Pounds, and subtracting the Parts at the end, for Example, of one Month, from the Pounds thrown away, and the Parts remaining at the end of another, I find the quantity of Rain fallen betwixt these two times, and that so as to assure me that I erred no more in the quantity of Rain of another Year, than by the mistake in the differences of the parts of a Pound in the first and last Observation: Whereas should I still write down the Rain that falls between two Observations, I might be subject to make as great a mistake in every one of them, and consequently be much more uncertain of the quantity of Rain fallen in many of those added together: Besides this Addition is longer in performing, and giving the quantity sought, than the Method I make use of. I have added these Particulars to shew you how little trouble there is in this Task; which therefore I hope some of your Ingenious Friends may be persuaded to undertake, and then by continuing my own Observations, I may be further satisfied, than hitherto I have been with them: For all I have yet learnt as to the main Point, is, that here we have almost half twice the quantity of Rain that falls at Paris. This County, and particularly that part of it where I live, being generally esteemed to have much more Rain than other Parts, and in a greater proportion than I thought reasonable to be allowed; however it be, yet by what I have sent you, 'twould be unjust, without further Observations of the like Nature in other Parts, that all England should be esteemed to abound as much in Rain as these Parts do: Whereby reason of the very high Grounds in Yorkshire, and the Eastern Parts of Lancashire, the Clouds driven hither by the S. and S.W. the general Winds in this Part of the World, are oftner stopt and broken and fall upon us, than such as come by an E. or S.E. Wind, which broken by the Hills, are generally spent there, and then little affect us; and this is the reason that Lancashire has often considerably more Rain than Yorkshire. The above-mentioned Method of Estimating Rain by Pounds, to those of my Family, gave a sufficient Idea of the Proportions of the falling Rains, and the wetness of the different Seasons, though they knew not how high it would raise the Water in a Cylinder equal, at the bottom, to my Tunnel; but to inform others of this with little trouble, in the Table I have sent you, the Pounds and Parts are doubled, and these I have rather sent you, than those of the whole Pounds; since the same gives both the quantity of half Pounds, and the height in Inches, according to the general way of Estimating the quantity of Rain, only with this difference; that for the half Pounds only the last Figure is a Decimal Fraction, and the other the number of the half Pounds; and for the Height the two last Figures denote the Decimal Fraction of an Inch, and the remainder the height in Inches, so near the truth, that they only fall short of it one Inch in 200, which defect is easily supplied. To this I need only add, that the Numbers on the right hand are the Sums of all those in the same Line, that is in the first part of several Numbers for Ten Years; so that the last last of them shews the Sum both of the half Ounces that have fallen during that space of time, and the height the Water would have been raised in that time also. To this I shall only add one Example: The Sum of all the Rain in the Ten first Years $41227$, and therefore according to what hath been said, $41227$ is the number of half Pounds that fell in compass of the Tunnel during those Ten Years; and $41227$ the height it would have raised the Water during that time. But if you desire to be more critical, if you add $206$ its $200$th part, you will have $41433$ for the true height, and $41433$ for the mean height by those Ten Years Observations; and $41227$ for the mean quantity of half Pounds. By the same Method you will have the means for the other Five, viz. of height $4178$, and $4178$ for the mean number of half Pounds, which means do strangely agree, and both considered do give for the mean by all the Fifteen Years $41516$ Inches in height, which is about $\frac{1}{4}$ of an Inch more than double to that raised by the Water at Paris, which as set down in the Memoirs for the Ingenious, for February last, is stated about $19\frac{1}{2}$ French Inches, which make $21$ English. I have omitted the Account of the Years $87$ and $88$, which I found faulty, by reason the Person (who had the charge of noting what Rain fell during my absence several times then from home) did not punctually observe the usual Method I had prescribed him. I forgot when I mentioned my way of Gauging by Weight, that it was grounded upon $227368$ Cubical Inches of Rainwater, being equal in weight to one Pound, or $12$ Ounces Troy; so that dividing any Superficies in Inches of a Vessel for receiving the Rain-water by the before mentioned Number, it will give you the Pounds and Parts that will raise the Water upon that Superficies, with upright sides, just an Inch: And thus I found that $41974$ Pounds would fill a Cylinder equal at the bottom to my Tusnel, Tunnel, and one Inch high, which you see is very near five Pound, which you will also find will only raise the Cylinder higher by \(\frac{1}{10}\)th part. But now I have detain'd you so long, and I am afraid needlessly; so that I trust to your Goodness for Pardon in this, and what else you shall here find amiss upon the score of my Eyes, which oblige me to trust more to others, than otherwise I should. I am Your most Humble Servant, Rich. Townley. P. S. In a late Posthumous Book of Mr. Boyle's, I find an Account of some of my Observations of the Barometer, without any hint of the Use intended to be made of them, which make them seem to be very oddly brought in: All that I can remember, is, that he was pleased to lay his Commands upon me, to send him an Account of the several times that I had found the Mercury above or near 30 Inches high, or not much above 29 during the time he mentioned: But I know not whether I did hint to him, or indeed did then really know myself the great Harmony betwixt the Mercurial Standards at London and here at Townley: For by a whole Month's Observations, Mr. Flamstead was pleased to send me, the Mercury still rose and fell both there and here exactly at the same time; I always found it rather more than \(\frac{1}{10}\) of an Inch lower here than at London, by reason that we are seated though in a seeming Valley, in respect of the Neighbouring Grounds, yet we are considerably higher than the other low Lands near the Sea, where the Standard differs little from that at London. I should be very glad to know whether the like Agreement has been observed in France, or other remoter Parts, betwixt their their height of the Mercury and that at London: You would also Oblige me in procuring me some Observations of the Barometer, made this last Year at London, where there was so much Rain for the most part of the Summer, and here so little; as you will find by the Paper I have sent you, and so great a Drought, that we have not above half the Proportion of Hay that less dry Summers used to afford us; for if sometimes the different heights of the Mercurial Standards vary much probably 'twas about that time; though I am inclined they do not alter, except it be in very hot and cold Weather, when the weight of the same Cylinder of Air may much vary in its weight, as well as rarity and density: But in confirmation of what I have said above, I suppose you may not be displeased with two Remarkable Observations, made both by Mr. Flamstead and me at the same time, viz. Novemb. 18th. 1674. when finding the Mercury to descend both very fast and very low, we watch'd it very nicely, and both of us observed that at Two in the Afternoon it was rather falling, and rather rising at Four; at which times the height was only here 27[63 Inches, and at London ½ths higher. The TABLE of Rain. | Month | 1677 | 78 | 79 | 80 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 84 | 85 | Sum | |-------|------|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|-----| | Jan. | 472 | 371| 043| 512| 053| 936| 235| 032| 110| 472 | 3289 | | Febr. | 270 | 371| 161| 492| 363| 135| 245| 483| 042| 020| 2582 | | March | 245 | 250| 202| 413| 235| 237| 305| 087| 185| 572 | 2731 | | April | 325 | 170| 092| 222| 057| 368| 402| 370| 305| 305 | 2631 | | May | 313 | 551| 105| 188| 069| 315| 355| 097| 201| 437 | 2659 | | June | 516 | 257| 298| 342| 397| 517| 460| 192| 410| 473 | 3870 | | July | 351 | 339| 350| 302| 292| 482| 412| 313| 497| 188 | 3526 | | Aug. | 485 | 145| 835| 502| 425| 385| 587| 338| 392| 870 | 4965 | | Sept. | 223 | 527| 553| 146| 607| 293| 152| 199| 163| 572 | 3435 | | Octob.| 333 | 644| 616| 570| 170| 427| 331| 425| 325| 293 | 4133 | | Nov. | 432 | 555| 127| 479| 235| 525| 192| 579| 525| 79 | 4355 | | Dec. | 400 | 057| 439| 269| 423| 456| 037| 299| 548| 152 | 3051 | Sum | 4365 | 4267 | 3821 | 4428 | 3326 | 5066 | 3716 | 3414 | 3781 | 543 | 41227 | An Account of an Accurate Experiment of the Quantity of Vapour compared with this of the Rain, with several Observations thereon, is intended to be part of one of the next Transactions. VII. Historia Lumbaginis Rheumaticæ Convulsivæ, à Roberto Pitt, M. D. & S. R. S. Communicata. VIR erat quasi 35 Annorum, robustus Temperamenti Bilioso, qui Decimis colligendis eo tempore occupatus, post Operam laborosorem peros forsan cito nimis ex rigore admisso occluserat. Primà ergo Morbi Invasione febricitavit, primo, rigore & Horrore, dein Calore, & Doloribus vagis, (nunc in Ventriculo & Intestinis, mox in Peclure sævientibus) corruptus: Venùm hæc Symptomata cum aliis brevi permuntantur. Materia enim Morbum committens se in Dorso omnem depositus; hinc immanis Lumborum Dolor ad Coxendicem