Meteorological Observations at Ludgvan in Mount's-Bay, Cornwall, 1771: By William Borlase, D. D. F. R. S. Communicated by Dr. Jeremiah Milles, Dean of Exeter, and F. R. S.

XXVII. Meteorological Observations at Ludgvan in Mount’s-Bay, Cornwall, 1771: By William Borlase*, D.D. F.R.S. Communicated by Dr. Jeremiah Milles, Dean of Exeter, and F.R.S. | Month | Barometer | State of the Weather and Wind. | Fahrenheit’s Thermom. | Ombr. | |-------|-----------|--------------------------------|----------------------|-------| | | | The 1st at night a violent storm, and rain till midnight. On the 2d at 8 P.M. a violent storm, which continued all night; stormy the 3d and 4th; ditto the 26th at night; wind Westerly. On the 10th at night, after hail showers, a great fall of snow; the 11th great snow falling, with stormy blasts; the 12th deep snow and more falling, with frost; deep snow, and hard frost, the 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th, snow lying deep, but the frost more gentle and the thaw came on; the 20th P.M. it thawed fast; on the 21st in the afternoon, the frost and snow was all gone; the rest of the month mostly misty with some hard showers of rain. Wind, during the storms, mists, and rain, Westerly for 16 days; during the cold, East, and East North East. | * This is the last paper of this kind, which the Society will receive from the excellent author of the Natural History of Cornwall, and several other learned works; death having, though at an advanced age, put a period to a life divided between the pursuit of useful and experimental knowledge, and the faithful discharge of every moral and religious duty. M.M. | Month | Barometer | State of the Weather and Wind | Fahrenheit’s Thermom. | Ombr. | |----------|-----------|------------------------------|-----------------------|------| | February | Highest 3 30,16 Lowest 25 28,87 Highest 21 5² Lowest 11 3⁰ | Calm, the 3d, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 9th, 14th, 15th, 17th, 18th, 21st, 22d; hard frost with some snow on the 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th. It then thawed, and the rest was hazy, misty, showery, with some high winds on the 15th and 27th. Wind, during the cold, East and North, the rest South for 18 days. | Med. Highest 13 49½ Lowest 25 3⁰ | 43²₂∩ 1,500 | | March | Highest 19 30,6 Lowest 12 29,15 Highest 13 49½ Lowest 25 3⁰ | Calm, the 3d, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 15th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 27th, 31st. Frost 6th, 7th, 23d, 25th, 27th; hail, snow, and sleet 23d, 24th, 25th, 27th, 28th. Stormy the 1st, 13th. Wind 27 days from the East mixed equally with North and South. | 41¾₁₁ 2,900 | | April | Highest 18 30,27 Lowest 30 29,5⁰ Highest 22 53 Lowest 16 35 | Calm, the 1st, 5th, 9th, 10th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 23d, 26th, 27th, 29th, 30th. Hail, snow lying only 2 days, viz., the 15th and 16th. Rest, mostly fair, and dry. Wind 18 days from the East; the rest mixed, and changeable. | 46⁴₁₁ 0,900 | | May | Highest 23 30,8 Lowest 7 29,18 Highest 14 65½ Lowest 1 45 | Calm, 1st, 2d, 3d, 4th, 5th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 22d, 23d, 24th, 25th, in all 23 days. Stormy only on the 27th. Wind Southerly 23 days; the rest not fixed. | 53¹¹₂₃ 2,250 | Month. | Month | Barometer | State of the Weather and Wind | Fahrenheit's Thermom. | Ombr. | |-------|-----------|------------------------------|----------------------|-------| | June | Highest 3 30,15 | Calm, 3d, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 20th, 21st, 22d, 23d, 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th, 28th, 29th, 30th (in all 24 days) the wind variable and mixed, but the weather remarkably settled, fair, and pleasant. On the 28th however, there was most violent thunder, lightning, and a flood of rain, at the towns of Penryn and Falmouth, 20 miles distant from Mount's-Bay to the East; but in Mount's-Bay, the air was cloudy, and only some distant thunders; the lightning was scarce visible, and not a drop of rain. | Highest 27 71\(\frac{1}{2}\) | Med. Inches. | | | Lowest 1 29,54 | | Lowest 3 49\(\frac{1}{2}\) | 58\(\frac{3}{4}\)\(\frac{1}{4}\) 0,200 | | July | Highest 14 30,15 | Calm, 1st, 2d, 3d, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 10th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 23d, 24th, 25th, 27th, 28th, 29th, 30th, the rest mixed. Wind 24 days from the West, mixed mostly with the South. N. B. As we had a most unusual run of dry weather here in Cornwall; in other parts of the world, they had altogether as extraordinary a glut of rain. See, for particulars, the publick papers, from Berlin, Dresden, Hamburgh, and Vienna, &c. in Europe, and from Virginia in North America, where their inundations have not been remembered for destructive. | Highest 17 72\(\frac{1}{2}\) | Lowest 31 54\(\frac{1}{2}\) | 61\(\frac{3}{4}\)\(\frac{1}{4}\) 0,720 | Month. | Month | Barometer | State of the Weather and Wind | Fahrenheit’s Thermom. | Ombr. | |---------|-----------|------------------------------|-----------------------|-------| | August | Highest 29 30.0 | Calm, 1st, 2d, 3d, 4th, 5th, 6th, 15th, 17th, 22d, 23d, 26th, 27th, 28th, 29th, 30th, 31st; the rest misty,ogs, and rains, with some gales interspersed. Wind 28 days from the West, mixed, nearly equal with North and South. | Highest 31 66 | Med. Inches. | | | Lowest 19 29.40 | | Lowest 1 54 } 58\(\frac{2}{3}\) | 3.633 | | September | Highest 28 30.6 | Calm, 2d, 3d, 5th, 6th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 24th, 25th, 26th, 28th; the rest hazy, cloudy, windy, mixed with rain. Wind mostly West, mixed with the North. | Highest 1 61 | Lowest 26 46\(\frac{1}{2}\)} 55\(\frac{2}{3}\) | 3.400 | | October | Highest 31 30.33 | Calm, only 8 days A. M. only 2 days P. M.; the rest rainy, windy, stormy. A violent storm on the 13th and 14th; the extremum on the 14th at 10 P. M. wind South West. N. B. on the 13th, at Caton near Lancaster, happened the greatest inundation in the memory of man. Wind 23 days from the West, mixed mostly with the South. | Highest 8 57 | Lowest 31 43 } 51\(\frac{2}{3}\) | 4.550 | | November | Highest 18 30.40 | Calm, 1st, 2d, 3d, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 13th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 22d, 25th, 26th, 27th. On the 11th, 12th, 15th, 16th, stormy with rain and showers. Wind 24 days from the West, mixed mostly with the South. N. B. This month was very dry in Cornwall; but by the incessant rains in the middle of it, from the 15th to the 17th, such inundations happened at Newcastle, Durham, Barnard-castle, and near Carlisle, by the breaking out of Solway-moss, as have never been known so destructive. | Highest 16 55 | Lowest 10 39 } 47\(\frac{2}{3}\) | 1.450 | Month. | Month | Barometer | State of the Weather and Wind | Fahrenheit's Thermom. | Ombr. | |-------|-----------|------------------------------|----------------------|-------| | | | Calm, 1st, 2d, 8th, 13th, 17th, 18th. On Friday the 6th (new-moon at 8 A.M. wind South by East, and South East) about 8 P.M. it blew a violent storm, and setting full into Mount's Bay at spring-tide, the sea was so high, and furious, that it demolished houses, cellars, boats, and walls, wherever it reached. The four towns on the shore all suffered; and it has been calculated, that not less than £5000 damage was done here that night, besides ships lost. It reached to the Eastward; and at Plymouth, about 60 miles off, they reckoned the tide was higher by ten feet than usual. The remainder of this month was showery, rainy, windy. Wind Westerly 24 days, mixed mostly with the South. | The whole Rain fallen in this Year 1771, at Ludgvan, a very dry Year,