A Letter from John Lining, M. D. of Charles-Town, South-Carolina, to the Rev. Thomas Birch, D. D. Secr. R. S. concerning the Quantity of Rain Fallen There from January 1738, to December 1752

method, given in the appendix to M. De Moivre's *Miscellanea Analytica*, it may be transformed to another, converging quicker; which method is applied to this very series, in folio 362 of the *Mathematical Repository*, Vol. I. XLI. A Letter from John Lining, M.D. of Charles-Town, South-Carolina, to the Rev. Thomas Birch, D.D. Secr. R.S. concerning the Quantity of Rain fallen there from January 1738, to December 1752. Rev. Sir, South Carolina, Charles-Town, April 9, 1753. Read July 8, 1753. The favourable reception, which my former papers met with from the Royal Society, encourages me to send you a table of the quantity of rain, which fell in Charles-Town for these 15 years last past; which, if continued for half a century, might be of use, in discovering to us the changes made in a climate, by clearing the land of its woods. Tho' I formerly sent a table of the rain from 1738 to 1745 inclusive, which is publish'd in No 487 of the *Philosophical Transactions*; yet, as I thought it would be more convenient to bring the whole into one view, I have not only added to this table the rain of those years, but have likewise distinguished the quantity which fell in the several seasons. In this table I continued the old style to the first of last February, that the mean quantity, in each month, and in the different seasons, might be given exactly. As A Table of the Depth of Rain, in Inches and millesimal Part | | 1738 | 1739 | 1740 | 1741 | 1742 | 1743 | 1744 | 1745 | 1746 | 1747 | 1748 | |--------|------|------|------|------|------|------|------|------|------|------|------| | January| 1.097| 2.310| 4.875| 4.492| 2.189| 3.172| 1.994| 0.863| 1.144| 3.429| 2.112| | February| 4.416| 2.875| 3.084| 4.615| 1.650| 2.435| 3.063| 7.739| 2.701| 2.860| 1.573| | March | 4.532| 5.609| 1.141| 5.713| 5.203| 0.621| 0.582| 3.229| 1.628| 2.585| 3.047| | April | 1.082| 0.195| 1.092| 1.308| 0.918| 5.292| 2.866| 3.842| 1.128| 0.292| 0.979| | May | 3.127| 5.120| 5.612| 4.841| 5.898| 2.535| 2.871| 1.832| 3.988| 0.924| 1.826| | June | 1.567| 5.839| 4.648| 5.538| 3.250| 1.903| 5.814| 9.510| 4.109| 2.470| 1.859| | July | 10.660| 5.452| 3.013| 3.399| 1.252| 7.738| 8.437| 6.771| 9.895| 6.413| 9.273| | August| 4.104| 12.211| 7.301| 7.144| 7.647| 3.767| 4.202| 9.339| 6.114| 4.895| 6.881| | September| 10.792| 4.834| 3.200| 6.734| 2.895| 4.686| 5.657| 0.754| 0.932| 7.216| 7.442| | October| 1.358| 6.593| 1.358| 3.399| 0.759| 1.672| 1.595| 2.962| 0.506| 9.504| 5.550| | November| 2.656| 1.235| 1.848| 2.964| 3.388| 3.220| 1.562| 0.682| 3.586| 1.056| 5.368| | December| 3.877| 3.689| 2.736| 1.919| 0.957| 2.706| 9.680| 2.623| 3.916| 2.921| 5.588| | Spring | 10.030| 8.679| 5.317| 11.636| 7.771| 8.348| 6.511| 14.810| 5.457| 5.737| 5.599| | Summer | 15.354| 26.411| 13.273| 13.778| 10.400| 12.176| 17.122| 18.113| 17.992| 9.807| 12.958| | Autumn | 16.254| 23.638| 11.759| 17.277| 11.301| 10.125| 11.454| 13.055| 7.552| 21.615| 19.873| | Winter | 8.843| 9.797| 9.076| 7.072| 7.517| 7.920| 12.105| 4.449| 10.931| 6.089| 12.012| | Total Depth | 49.926| 65.962| 65.962| 52.086| 36.006| 39.747| 48.323| 50.146| 39.653| 44.565| 51.498| The Depth of Rain in January 1753, O.S. was 2. Place this between p. 284, 285. I Parts, which fell in Charles-Town. | Year | Greatest | Least | The Means | |------|----------|-------|-----------| | 1748 | | | | | 2.112| 1.056 | 2.563 | None | | 1.573| 4.516 | 3.135 | 5.374 | | 3.047| 7.475 | 0.943 | 1.342 | | 0.979| 1.760 | 2.310 | 2.310 | | 1.826| 5.555 | 2.371 | 5.533 | | 1.859| 4.686 | 8.690 | 2.462 | | 9.273| 6.219 | 5.687 | 6.544 | | 6.881| 11.124 | 5.346 | 12.144 | | 7.442| 1.298 | 12.370| 11.671 | | 5.550| 3.900 | 5.000 | 0.352 | | 5.368| 1.238 | 3.137 | 0.682 | | 5.588| 5.594 | 4.609 | 2.409 | | 5.599| 13.751 | 6.388 | 9.026 | | 12.958| 16.460 | 16.748| 14.569 | | 19.873| 16.322 | 22.716| 24.167 | | 12.012| 9.355 | 7.744 | 6.688 | | 71.498| 54.421 | 56.159| 50.853 | was 2.607 inches. As we have many thunder-gusts in the hot months, in which a vast quantity of rain falls, the depth of the rain, in these months, is thereby greatly increased; for then we have very little rain, excepting in thunder-showers. On the 30 of June, 1750, in a thunder-storm, there fell, in two hours, 5.335 inches of rain. On the 16 of September, 1751, there fell, in 24 hours (but the greatest part in 6 hours) 9.955 inches of rain. On the 15 of September, 1752, during the time of the most violent hurricane, that was ever felt in this town, the depth of rain, which fell, was only 3.740 inches, and the greatest part of that was the spray of the sea. From the 17 Sept. 1751, to the 7 August 1752, was the driest season ever known in this province. Since I sent an abstract of my meteorological tables to the Royal Society, I have seen Fahrenheit's thermometer in the shade once down at the 10 degree; and once last summer it rose to the 100 degree. I am, SIR, Your most humble servant, John Lining.