o o o o 5 S.E O PLAN AND VIEW OF MR. DINES'S EXPERIMENTAL RAIN GAUGES. BRITISH RAINFALL, 1877. ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF RAIN OVER THE ^ ~V ( X i ^ ^ '__" : ^ -* • BRITISH ISLES, DURING THE YEAR 1877, AS OBSERVED AT ABOUT 2000 STATIONS IN GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND, WITH MAP, AND ILLUSTRATIONS. COMPILED BY G. J. SYMONS, F.E.S., Secretary of the Meteorological Society ; Membrede la Societe Meteorologique de France ; Member of the Scottish Meteorological Society; Member of Council of the Royal Satanic Society; Fellow of the Royal Colonial Institute; Son. Mem. Watford Nat. Hist. Soc., §c. LONDON: EDWARD STANFORD, CHARING CROSS, S.W. SIMPKIN, MARSHALL & Co., STATIONER'S HALL COURT. 1878. LONDON: O. SHIELD, PRINTER, SLOANE SQUARE, CHELSEA, S.W. 1878 CONTENTS. PREFACE ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 5 REPORT—Examination of Rain Gauges—County Lists—Missing Returns—Old Observations—Finance ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 6 DIFFERENCE OF RAINFALL WITH ELEVATION, by G. Dines, Esq. ... ... ... 15 THE ROTHERHAM EXPERIMENTAL GAUGES ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 26 RAINFALL AT THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY, GREENWICH ... ... ... ... 29 STORM RAIN GAUGES ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ••• ... ... ... 30 CHRONICLE OF NEW STATIONS ESTABLISHED AND REQUIRED, AND OF CHANGES IN THE PERMANENT STAFF or OBSERVERS DURING THE PAST YEAR ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 35 OBITUARY ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 43 ON THE METEOROLOGY OF 1877. WITH NOTES ON SOME OF THE PRINCIPAL PHENOMENA ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... [ 2 ] OBSERVERS' NOTES ON THE MONTHS OF 1877 ••• ••• ••• ••• ••• ••• ••• [38] OBSERVERS' NOTES ON THE YEAR 1877... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... [65] HEAVY FALLS IN SHORT PERIODS ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... [81 ] HEAVY DAILY FALLS IN 1877. Part I., Chronicle ... ... ... ... ... ...[82] „ „ „ Part 11., Abstract ... ... ... ... ... ... [85] MONTHLY FALL OF RAIN IN 1877 ••• ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... [90] COMPARISON OF THE FALL IN 1877 WITH THE AVERAGE OF PREVIOUS YEARS [100] ON THE TOTAL RAINFALL OF 1877... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... [102] EXTREMES OF RAINFALL IN 1877 ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... [105] LIST OF STATIONS OF WHICH THE RECORDS WERE QUOTED IN 1876 BUT ARE NOT IN 1877, WITH THE REASONS FOR THEIR OMISSION ... ... ... [106] SUGGESTIONS FOR SECURING UNIFORMITY OF PRACTICE AMONG RAINFALL OBSERVERS ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... [108] ARRANGEMENT OF GENERAL TABLES ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... [Ill] COUNTY INDEX TO GENERAL TABLES ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .., ... [112] GENERAL TABLES OF TOTAL RAINFALL IN 1877 AT ABOUT 2,000 STATIONS IN THE BRITISH ISLES ;— England ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... [113] Wales... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .,< ... [145] Scotland ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... [149] Ireland ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... [159] SUPPLEMENTARY TABLE OF IMPERFECT RETURNS ,,. ... ... ... t.. ... [164] ERRATA IN BRITISH RAINFALL, 1876. Page 11.—First line of small type, for Renfrew, read, Lanark. }> 66.—February 12th, for Bushey Hill, read Bushy Hill. This occurs also on some subsequent days. ,, 177.—Newport, for 173 days with rain, read 161. „ 188.— Cirencester, for 38'90, read 39'50. ,, 189.—Market Drayton TBuntingsdale), for 32'94, read 33 '94. „ 191.—Ayston Hall, for 38'46, read 33'06. ,, 200.—Askrigg—Erase the return. ,, 211.—Kilmory,/or 59-51, read 59-54, and for 54-40, read 54'46. ,, 211.—Lismore, for 36'4l, read 36-21. ERRATUM IN BRITISH RAINFALL,' 1877. Page [ 71 ].—The remarks from Macclesfield are incorrect; the rainfall in 1872 was reported to be 56'12, while in 1877 it was only 45 "70. BRITISH RAINFALL, 1877. I HAVE mentioned on a subsequent page a fact to which it may be well to call attention in these introductory lines, viz., that although these annual volumes embody a large proportion of the work necessary for the efficient maintenance of the rainfall organization, it is only a portion. For the bulk of our work, there is little to show, except the completeness of the general tables. It would be perfectly easy for me to double the size of this volume without expending six hours additional thought upon it, but I strongly object to unnecessary printing, and I dislike still more making up books by inserting any materials that come to hand, irrespective of their importance, or even their accuracy. I do not quite like the table of errata on the previous page, because, although only one of the numerical errors really lies at my door, and all the others are corrected returns sent up by the observers, there is one of them which ought to have been found out. I am afraid it was almost as wrong of me to pass the return from Ayston Hall, as it was for the observer to send one so grossly incorrect. However, a total of eleven incorrect figures, or seven errors, in about forty thousand numerical values, is not very serious. Equal care has been devoted to the compilation of the present volume to that bestowed on previous ones, and therefore I hope that I may anticipate an equally small pro­ portion of error in the following pages. G. J. SYMCXNS. 62, CAMDEN SQUARE, N.W., May 22nd, 1878. REPORT. IT is impossible to make this report complete without making it unduly long, because there are so many small matters, both routine and other, that their enumeration would be sheer waste of space. I therefore select a few leading subjects.and omit the rest. Examination Of Raill Gauges,—This very important matter has suffered more than any other branch of rainfall work from the stoppage of the British Association grant. The amount of inspecting has been lessened, because there is now no fund upon which to charge the ex­ penses, except that produced by the subscriptions to this publication, and they are wholly inadequate to the maintenance of as strict and general an inspection as is desirable. Moreover, under existing cir­ cumstances, the printing of the results of the inspections would in­ volve a further outlay, and, provided that the stations are visited and found to be satisfactory, the publication of the details of the visit, though desirable, is not of paramount importance. Although a little thwarted by lack of funds, I have not by any means given up ; and the following list of stations inspected during the last year will, I hope, be accepted as evidence that I am quite alive to the importance of the subject:— Bon Accord Street, Aberdeen (2) The Quarries, Exeter Rose Street ,, Wray Park, Reigate, Surrey Braemar, Aberdeenshire (2) Holmwood, Dorking ,, (2) Glen Tanar ,, Fir Tor Holburn Head, Thurso, Caithnesashire Ulley Reservoir, Rotherham, Yorks (3) Tankerness Hall, Kirkwall, Orkney Sheffield Station, Yorks Sandwick Manse, Orkney Lincoln Station, Lincoln Georgemas Station Carholme Villa ,, Watten Station St. Botolph's ,, Wick Station Boultham ,, Xoss Head, Wick, Caithness Kelstern, Louth ,, Pultney House ,, ,, Mansfield, Nottingham Lee Moor, Dartmoor, Devon Lower Norwood, Surrey Head Weir, Shepstor, ,, Birchwood House, Godstoue, Surrey Barkham, Babbacombe, Torquay (2; Chelsham, Croydon, Surrey Rocombe, Torquay Woodside, Heraham ,, Lee Abbey, Lynton, Devon Riverhead, Sevenoaks, Kent Glenthorne, Lynmouth ,, Ide Hill Brookbank, Teignmouth ,, River Hill ,, ,, Beeervoir Bank, tt ,, Haveretock Hill, Middlesex It is rather curious to contrast the views of those competent to form opinions as to the importance of this subject, with the actual fact that I am left to do the best I can single-handed.o *• In the last report of the British Association Eainfall Committee (which report, although I was Secretary, was written by another mem­ ber, and unanimously adopted at a full meeting), the subject of in­ spection is thus referred to :— " The Committee regard this as a very important subject, and the best guarantee of the accuracy of the records furnished by the observers. They have more than once expressed their conviction that the proper course would have been to appoint a travelling inspector, so that the whole of the gauges might be properly examined; but they have never had adequate funds for the purpose." When this was being discussed, " Captain GALTON, C.B., F.R.S., referred to the remark respecting the desirability of appointing a permanent inspector of rain-gauge stations, the whole or nearly the whole of whose time should be de­ voted to travelling inspection, and asked if Mr. Symons could state what such an officer would cost. " Mr. SYMONS said that the cost would be so far in excess of any funds hitherto at the disposal of the Committee or of himself, that he had made no estimate ; but as such an officer must be a person of scientific attainments, and would be brought into contact with all classes of observers, the salary could hardly be less than £100 or £150 per annum. To that must be added hotel and travelling expenses, for which he believed commercial travellers were allowed £1 per diem, at that rate the total cost would be nearly £500 per annum, which he need not say was far beyond what he could reasonably spare upon public work." The result of the above recommendation and discussion was nil. County Lists.—Probably no one except my assistants and myself realizes the difficulty of keeping regular records of so large a staff of observers as those for, and with, whom I have the pleasure of working. The growth of trees, accidents to