Abstract of a Register of the Barometer, Thermometer, and Rain, at Lyndon, in Rutland, 1783. By Thomas Barker, Esq.; Communicated by Thomas White, Esq. F. R. S.

XXI. Abstract of a Register of the Barometer, Thermometer, and Rain, at Lyndon, in Rutland, 1783. By Thomas Barker, Esq.; communicated by Thomas White, Esq. F. R. S. Read March 18, 1784. | | Barometer. | Thermometer. | Rain. | |-------|------------|--------------|-------| | | Highest | Lowest | Mean | In the House | Abroad | Lyndon | Selbourn, Hampsh. | South Lambeth, Surrey | | | Inches. | Inches. | Inches. | High. | Low. | Mean | High. | Low. | Mean | Inch. | Inch. | Inch. | | Jan. | Morn. | 29.87 | 28.38 | 29.04 | 47 | 33½ | 41 | 46½ | 18½ | 35 | 1,805 | 4.43 | 1.51 | | | Aftern. | | | | 48 | 35 | 42 | 50 | 27½ | 40 | | | | | Feb. | Morn. | 30.12 | 28.08 | 29.28 | 48 | 36 | 43 | 49 | 17½ | 36½ | 2,313 | 5.54 | 2.98 | | | Aftern. | | | | 49½ | 37 | 43½ | 53½ | 30 | 43 | | | | | Mar. | Morn. | 30.01 | 27.88 | 29.28 | 47½ | 33½ | 40 | 44½ | 21½ | 33 | 1,604 | 2.16 | 0.93 | | | Aftern. | | | | 49½ | 33½ | 41½ | 55 | 33 | 43 | | | | | Apr. | Morn. | 30.14 | 29.15 | 29.70 | 58 | 46 | 51 | 52 | 32½ | 43 | 0,558 | 0.88 | 0.59 | | | Aftern. | | | | 62½ | 47½ | 53 | 67½ | 41½ | 55½ | | | | | May | Morn. | 29.82 | 29.13 | 29.48 | 63½ | 47 | 53 | 55½ | 34½ | 44 | 4,218 | 2.84 | 2.36 | | | Aftern. | | | | 66 | 48½ | 55 | 72½ | 44 | 56 | | | | | June | Morn. | 29.85 | 28.80 | 29.47 | 65½ | 55½ | 60 | 63½ | 46 | 55 | 3,033 | 2.82 | 4.00 | | | Aftern. | | | | 68½ | 56½ | 61½ | 79 | 55 | 67 | | | | | July | Morn. | 29.89 | 29.16 | 29.55 | 72 | 61½ | 66 | 68 | 55 | 61½ | 2,663 | 1.45 | 0.78 | | | Aftern. | | | | 75 | 67 | 68½ | 85 | 67 | 74 | | | | | Aug. | Morn. | 29.83 | 29.17 | 29.49 | 67 | 57½ | 62 | 67½ | 46 | 57 | 1,102 | 2.24 | 2.23 | | | Aftern. | | | | 75 | 58½ | 64½ | 84 | 57 | 67 | | | | | Sept. | Morn. | 29.87 | 28.77 | 29.36 | 62½ | 54 | 57½ | 59 | 40 | 50½ | 1,440 | 5.53 | 4.30 | | | Aftern. | | | | 64 | 56 | 59 | 68 | 55 | 60 | | | | | Oct. | Morn. | 29.88 | 28.99 | 29.48 | 60½ | 46½ | 53 | 58 | 34 | 44½ | 0,658 | 1.71 | 0.72 | | | Aftern. | | | | 61½ | 48 | 54 | 64½ | 44 | 54 | | | | | Nov. | Morn. | 29.96 | 28.42 | 29.45 | 51 | 42 | 46½ | 52½ | 30½ | 40 | 1,783 | 3.01 | 1.63 | | | Aftern. | | | | 52 | 42½ | 47 | 54½ | 37½ | 45½ | | | | | Dec. | Morn. | 29.99 | 28.49 | 29.29 | 46 | 28 | 40½ | 43½ | 8½ | 32½ | 1,602 | 1.10 | 1.22 | | | Aftern. | | | | 46½ | 28 | 40 | 45½ | 19 | 37 | | | | Inches 22.7°9 33.71 23.25 The year began with a short dry frost, then showery, intermixed with frost. The end of January, and near half of February, stormy and wet, and after ten days fine and mild; a severe season for snow, wet, wind, and frost. The end of February and beginning of March cut the grass, corn, and stock, more than all the winter before. From March 10. to May 27. was a very dry season and fine feed-time; but so dry at last the late sown corn could not come up. The spring was pleasant; but almost constant frosty mornings till April, and frequent afterward, kept things backward; and though there was some fine warm weather the middle of April, yet later in May the drought and N.E. winds stopped the growth of things; and two sharp frosty nights, May 25. and 26. the rime was particularly cutting in the meadows, that the young shoots on many oak and ash trees in the vallies were entirely killed, while those on the hills were unhurt, and some of the tops of the trees escaped, though the bottoms were blasted. May 27. to 30. in a continued three days rain there fell 3½ inches, which is, I believe, the most that has come in one continued unceasing rain since July 1736, when, in about the same time, there came five inches; but the rain this May was not alike in all places, for there was not a quarter so much in Hampshire. This rain was of vast service to bring up the late sown corn, and make the grass grow well; but this and some other hasty rains afterwards hurt the meadow grass, by flooding it three times. Hot weather succeeding, it was a very growing time, and ten days together, in the middle of June, were all wet. During the showery time an uncommon haziness began, which was very remarkable all the rest of the summer: the air was all thick both below the clouds and above them, the hills hills looked blue, and at a distance could not be seen; the sun shone very red through the haze, and sometimes could not be seen when near setting. There was more or less of this haze almost constantly for a month, and very frequently to the end of the summer, and it did not cease till Michaelmas; and neither rain nor fair, wind nor calm, east nor west winds, took it away; and it was as extensive as common, for it was the same all over Europe, and even to the top of the Alps. This haze was very like Virgil's description of the summer after J. Caesar's death, which was probably the same case, *Cum caput obscurâ nitidum ferrugine texit*, for rusty iron is a very good description of the colour the sun shone. But by Plutarch's account, near the end of C. Caesar, that summer was very different from this in other respects; for, he says, the sun gave very little heat, the air was cloudy and heavy, and the fruits not ripened, which was not the case this year; for this was a dry haze, the summer in general hot and dry, and in some countries very much so. I think I never knew more mischief done by thunder than there was in different places this year, from the beginning of July, and very seldom more or hotter weather; yet where they had not those thunder-showers they suffered by being burnt up. Here we never wanted grass after May, and the hay and harvest were both well got in; but in Surrey, Hampshire, and Dorset, they were very much burnt up, had little hay, and as they had a good deal of showery weather in harvest, their barley suffered twice, from not coming up in time, and again in getting it in. As the rain this year was chiefly in showers or sudden rains, it fell very uncertainly, as appears by comparing. comparing what fell here with that in Hampshire. The latter part of August and first half of September was showery; but in this country not so much as to hurt the harvest, a great part of which was in first. The crop of grain was in general pretty good, but did not yield enough to make up the defect of the last year's crop, every body was so much out of all sorts, as the corn last year was both scarce and bad; grain, therefore, continued dear this year, especially barley. The summer 1782 had been so cold and wet, that the flower buds on many trees were very small and not perfected, so that this spring there was a great want of blossoms on the wall fruit and apples, and exceeding few indeed on ash-trees and hawthorn. I do not know of any ashkeys at all, nor any bunches of haws, only a few scattered single ones; but cherries and plumbs bloflomed well, and there was no want of fruit; plenty of currants, and vast quantities of gooseberries. August 18. a remarkable ball of fire was seen between nine and ten at night all over England, and even in foreign countries. It seemed to move from north to south or south-east. There was another October 4. but not so much observed, and some say another afterward, but little seen; but there were very few northern lights this autumn. The autumn was a very fine one; calm, fair, and mild, but rather too dry for the sowing of wheat, which, however, in general came up well, and what lay dry was brought up very finely by ten days wet the middle of November; after which it was dry and fine again, an open mild time, with few frosty mornings; but a good deal of dark or misty weather in December, yet mild till the last week, when there came a great snow, very severe frost, and cutting strong wind, which ended the year.