Extract of a Letter from Mr. Peter Wargentin, Secretary of the Royal Academy of Sciences at Stockholm, and F. R. S. Dated February 23, 1768, to the Reverend Nevil Maskelyne, B. D. F. R. S. Astronomer Royal

XXII. Extract of a Letter from Mr. Peter Wargentin, Secretary of the Royal Academy of Sciences at Stockholm, and F. R. S. dated February 23, 1768, to the Reverend Nevil Maskelyne, B. D. F. R. S. Astronomer Royal. Read May 12, 1768. As it is related in the public newspapers, that the weather* has been uncommonly cold in Germany, England, and France, towards the end of last year, and the beginning of the present year, I have here sent you the degrees of altitude by Reaumur's thermometer, as I have observed them since the beginning of November 1767. The altitudes here set down are the arithmetical means of three taken every day, viz. in the morning before sun-rise, a little after noon, and at ten o'clock at night. Hence it appears that the cold has been moderate here with respect to this climate, and nothing more than common, though it was without intermission, from the beginning of December. The greatest cold in these months happened on the second day of January in the morning; the quick-silver then stood at 17° below the point of freezing. * The least height of Fahrenheit's thermometer, set down in the course of the astronomical observations made at the Royal Observatory, was 15° on Jan. 6, at the transit of Venus over the meridian at 8 h. 42 m. A. M. At which time nearly the same was observed by my Lord Charles Cavendish in Great Marlborough Street, at 17°. But by a thermometer described in Vol. L. of these Transactions, placed on the top of the same house, in a very bleak situation, Dec. 31. it appeared to have been at 12 ½° in the preceding night; Jan 3. 16°; Jan. 6. 16°; and Jan. 7. 13°. | Day of the M. | Nov. | Dec. | Jan. | Feb. | |---------------|------|------|------|------| | 1 | 6.3+ | 4.2- | 13.3-| 2.3- | | 2 | 5.2+ | 6.4- | 14.1-| 6.1- | | 3 | 4.5+ | 4.3- | 8.2- | 4.1- | | 4 | 2.4+ | 4.4- | 4.3- | 3.5- | | 5 | 2.2+ | 6.8- | 9.7- | 5.5- | | 6 | 1.9+ | 8.6- | 6.0- | 0.4- | | 7 | 1.0+ | 0.7+ | 4.0- | 3.7- | | 8 | 3.5+ | 0.6- | 9.8- | 0.4- | | 9 | 6.3+ | 5.0- | 7.6- | 0.4- | | 10 | 7.5+ | 5.2- | 11.2-| 2.6- | | 11 | 5.9+ | 0.2+ | 7.2- | 1.4+ | | 12 | 4.6+ | 2.0+ | 5.8- | 2.7- | | 13 | 6.0+ | 3.4- | 6.0- | 5.8- | | 14 | 3.7+ | 1.8+ | 1.7- | 6.6- | | 15 | 5.5+ | 3.8+ | 0.4- | 4.0- | | 16 | 4.0+ | 4.6+ | 1.0- | 6.8- | | 17 | 5.6+ | 3.4+ | 0.9- | 6.9- | | 18 | 5.3+ | 0.8+ | 1.2- | 5.9- | | 19 | 2.4+ | 0.6+ | 1.3- | 3.2- | | 20 | 2.6+ | 1.6- | 2.1- | 1.8- | | 21 | 4.3+ | 2.5- | 3.5- | 2.5- | | 22 | 4.4+ | 2.5- | 1.5- | 3.1- | | 23 | 3.0+ | 4.5- | 1.0- | 3.1- | | 24 | 0.2- | 1.3- | 0.3+ | 1.3- | | 25 | 1.8+ | 1.6- | 0.2- | 1.6- | | 26 | 1.7+ | 2.2- | 0.4+ | 2.2- | | 27 | 2.4+ | 3.0- | 0.8+ | 3.0- | | 28 | 1.0+ | 0.4- | 1.1+ | 0.4- | | 29 | 0.5- | 2.7- | 1.0+ | 2.7- | | 30 | 0.2- | 7.0- | 1.5- | 7.0- | | 31 | 9.6- | | | 1.0- | Vol. LVIII. X XXIII.