(1.) BEYAK'S SELF-RECORDING RAIN GAUGE. (Scale (4.) DOLLOND'S SELF-RECORDING RAIN GAUGE. (Scale J). BRITISH RAINFALL, 1878. ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF RAIN OVER, THE BEITISH ISLES, DURING THE YEAR 187S, AS OBSERVED AT ABOUT 2000 STATIONS IN GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND, WITH A DESCRIPTION OF .ALL KNOWN FORMS OF SELF-RECORDING HAIN GAUGES. COMPILED BY G. J. SYMONS, F.R.S., Secretary of the Meteorological Society ; Hembre du Cornell de la Societe Meteor ologique de France ; Member of the Scottish Meteorological Society; Member of Council of the Royal Botanic Society ; Member of Council of the Social Science Association; Member of Council of the Sanitary Institute ; Fellow of the Royal Colonial Institute; Hon. Mem. Watford Nat. Hist. Soc., $c. LONDON: EDWAED STANFOED, CHAEIN'G CEOSS, S.W. SIMPKIN, MARSHALL & Co., STATIONER'S HALL COURT. 1879. LONDON : G. SHIELD, PRINTER, SLOANE SQUARE, CHELSEA, S.VK. 1879. CONTENTS. EPUKFACE ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 5 .REPORT—Routine—Our Staff of Observers—Arrangement for the Systematic Observation and Record of the Rainfall of the British Isles—Finance— Circular to Members of the British Association—List of Subscribers... ... G Ox SNOWFALL MEASUREMENT, by Col. Ward, F.R.A.S. ... ... ... ... ... 13 HOTHERHAM EXPERIMENTAL RAIN GAUGES... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 16 .RAINFALL AT THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY, GREENWICH ... ... ... ... 22 RAINFALL AT WOODSIDE, HERSHAM ... "... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 23 DIFFERENCE OF RAINFALL WITH ELEVATION ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 24 SKLF-RECORDING RAIN GAUGES ... ... ... ... ... ... ••• ... ... ... 31 Bcvan ... ... ... 32 Bccklcy ... ... 40 l-'esting- ... ... 4."> Donovan ... ... 33 Osnaghi ... ... 41 Fines ... ... ... 45 Osier ... ... 34 Casclla... ... ... 41 Gibbon... ... ... 4<> Dollond ... 36 Meld ... ... ,.. 42 Ycates... Kreil ... ... '36 llusscll... ... ... 42 Hottinger ... ... 47 1'agnoli ... :57 YauRysselberghe 43 Rcdier... ... ... -17 Delia Casa ... 38 Hough... ... ... 43 Denza ... ... ... 48 Apps ... ... 38 VonBaumhauer.. 43 Latham ... 4S Seccbi ... ... 38 Brfeuet ... ... 44 Itipp ... ... 39 JEccard... ... ... 44 RAINFALL AXD METEOROLOGY OF 1878. 'INTRODUCTORY... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .... ... ... ... ... ... [ 2 ] ON THE METEOROLOGY OF 1878, WITH NOTES ON SOME OF THE PRINCIPAL PHENOMENA ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... [ 3 ] OBSERVERS' NOTES ON THE MONTHS OF 1878 ... ... ... ... ... ... ... [ 30 ] OBSERVERS' NOTES ox THE YEAR 1878... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... [ 59 ] HEAVY RAINS IN SHORT PERIODS ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... [75] STORM GAUGE READINGS AT CAMDEN SQUARE ... ... ... ... ... ... ... [ 78 ] HEAVY DAILY FALLS IN 1878. Part I., Chronicle ... ... ... ... ... ...[82] „ „ „ Part II., Abstract ... ... ... ... ... ... [88] MONTHLY FALL OF RAIN IN 1878 ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...[92] !NOTES UPON THE MONTHLY FALL IN 1878... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... [100] COMPARISON OF THE RAINFALL IN 1878 WITH THE AVERAGE OF PREVIOUS YEARS... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... [104] REMARKS UPON THE PRECEDING COMPARISON TABLE, AND UPON SOME OTHER ANALOGOUS INVESTIGATIONS... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... [106] .EXTREMES OF RAINFALL IN 1878 ... --- ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... [109] NOTE UPON THE PRECEDING TABLE ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... [110] GENERAL TABLES OF TOTAL RAINFALL. INTRODUCTORY NOTE ... ... ... ... ... ••• ... ••• ••• ••• ••• ••• ••• [112] EXPLANATION OF THE ARRANGEMENT OF GENERAL TABLES... ... ... ... [113] COUNTY INDEX TO GENERAL TABLES ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... [114] England ... ... ... ... ... •-. ••• - - - - - - - [115] Wales... ... ... ... ... ... ». - — .- ». - .- - - [147] Scotland ... ... ... ... ... ... .-• .- - ••• ... - — ••• [151] Ireland ... ... ... ... ... ... .» -. - - - - ••• - [161] 'OBITUARY ERRATA IN" BRITISH RAINFALL,. 1874. Page 134.—Keswick,./or 69-03 read 67'03 ; for S'47, 6'47 ; and/or 14. IP. ERRATA IX BRITISH RAINFALL, 1877- Page 21.—Eighth line below table,./or 24 in^ S.E. read 5 in. S.E. ,, [24].—August 20th for Rhuy read Rhug. ,, [25].—August 23rd, the Babbacombe- entry refers to the 24th. ,, [94].—Fall at Dartmoor Prison in December should be 6'00, and in> year 107i 82. ,, [96].—Castle Hill, Fishguard, is in Pembrokeshire. ,, [98].—Castle Lough, X1 enagh,-is in Tipperary ; but Ennis and Mil- town are, as stated,, in Clare. ,, [113].—Riversdale, Hanworth, 27'68, should be 26'68. „ [142].—W. Hendon Ho;, Sunderland,,30'48 should be 30'51. ,, [146].—Cardigan;, AVarne Hill should Ic Waenbull. BRITISH RAINFALL, 1878. THE yearly increasing severity of the ordeal of examination and' comparison through which the returns upon which this publication is based have to pass, is both beneficial and prejudicial. It is bene­ ficial, because it greatly increases the accuracy of the figures finally published ; it is prejudicial, for it enormously increases the labour of verification, and in spite of the most strenuous efforts, it delays the publication. I know that perfect accuracy is unattainable, but both inclination and duty compel me to use every effort in that direction, 'oftbrts which have hitherto been very successful. I venture to ask special attention to the article on Self-Recording Rain Gauges. It is the only attempt at compiling such a history which has ever been made, and affords remarkable evidence of the necessity for some arrangement whereby mankind can easily learn what their predecessors have done, not only in their own country but abroad. For it will be seen from the chronological narrative that after nearly perfect instruments have been invented and made, others of the crudest nature have been designed, and also instruments practically identical have been designed and brought out as novelties, over and over again. I purpose completing the article in the next volume, and shall be obliged by references to any omissions in the- present list. O. J. SYMONS. 62, CAMDEN SQUARE, X."\V., 28, 1879. REPORT. IT is always a difficulty, in compiling an annual report, to decide how much repetition is expedient. The Astonomer Koyal evidently believes that every volume should be perfect in itself, and reprints page after page verbatim year after year. There are many reasons in favour of this course, and I know of only two against it: (1) that it augments the already frightful accumulation of printed matter, and (2) that it is costly. The first objection is not a very serious •one, but the second is fatal with any organization which is crippled for want of funds. I do not bring forward these remarks with the remotest idea of complaining of deficient support, or of swerving from my fixed determination that so long as I have the honour of carrying on this rainfall work, it shall, in point of accuracy and efficiency, be second to none. But I know that there are a dozen subjects which might with advantage be set forth in this report, and I know also that if I made this report as long as I should like, the cost would involve the stoppage of more important work. It is better to do good work, than to spend money in announcing that you are doing it. I shall therefore make it as short as possible, and .bring into it one or two parts of the work which have hitherto formed separate sections. Routine.—This is a capital section to start with, because it includes so much; the collecting and checking of some 4,000 monthly returns and the accurate printing of about one-third of them; the collecting and checking of about 1,000 full daily registers; the collecting and • checking of over 2,000 yearly abstracts; the maintenance of moun­ tain gauges in various districts; the due arrangement and preservation of every document received ; the entry of the values reported in all the necessary record books ; the maintenance of a perfect list of all the observers' addresses ; the maintenance of a perfect record of the life history (if I may so describe it) of every rain-gauge station, with notes of all the changes in the instruments, the position, the trees surrounding it, in its height, and in the time of observation, or person >by whom it is observed ; the correspondence with the observers and with foreign savants; the supply of all necessary forms; the extraction1 from the observers' reports of the data required for publication ; the preparation of this volume ; the testing of rain-gauges before use ; and travelling in all parts of the country to see that the observations are supplied from good instruments well placed. The foregoing, which is far from an exhaustive list, is sufficient proof how hard my two valued assistants and I myself have to work; whether it is expedient that such a pressure should be left upon us is at least a matter for consideration; but I am glad, and rather proud, to say that in every one of the branches mentioned, our work is complete up to the present date. Our Staff of Observers.—In the last volume, facts relative to this subject were given under three headings—" County Lists," " Missing Returns," and " Chronicle of New Stations established and required, and of changes in the permanent staff of observers during the year." This year, for brevity, I purpose compressing these various notes- into a single statement. The first subject, " County Lists," may be dismissed with the remark that our MS. list is as perfect as it is possible to make it. " Missing Returns " is a title which ought to disappear, and would do so if all observers were as anxious for the perfection of the rainfall organization