Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London Volume 140; Giving Some Accounts of the Present Undertakings, Studies, and Labours, of the Ingenious, in Many Considerable Parts of the World (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1850 Excerpt: ...at Madras the smallest oscillations were in the hottest months: it was shown also that these tides took place regularly without a single instance of interruption, whatever the thermometric or hygrometric indications might be, or whatever the state of the weather, even storms and hurricanes only modifying and not interrupting them. The anomalous fact was also shown of the mean diurnal oscillations being greater at Poona, at an elevation of 1823 feet, than at the level of the sea, in a lower latitude at Madras or Bombay, while at an elevation greater than Poona, the mean diurnal oscillations were less than at Poona. It was shown also that the seasons did not affect the limit hours of the tides; but it was shown at the same time that the turning-points of the tides were sometimes irregular; that a tide flowed for a longer or shorter period, and that there were numerous cases of a stationary state of the atmosphere at the hours when the tides should turn. It was shown that the maximum mean pressure of the atmosphere was greatest in December or January, gradually diminished to June, July or August, and subsequently increased to the coldest months. The trifling daily and annual range of the barometer, compared with the ranges in extra-tropical climates, was shown; also the more limited annual range of the thermometer in the Deccan than in Europe, but the existence of a greater daily range; the maximum mean temperature was in April or May, and then gradually declined to the coldest months; very considerable differences in the dewingpoints within very narrow areas were shown; dew being frequently local and occurring under anomalous circumstances, and the great contrast between the dewingpoints, on the sea-coast at Bombay and in the Deccan, was pointed out; the rain...