XIV.—On the Average Quantity of Rain in Carlisle and the Neighbourhood

Extract

In the year 1827, I communicated to the Royal Society of Edinburgh some meteorological journals, kept at Carlisle by the late Mr Pitt, extending over a period of twenty-four years, viz., from 1801 to 1824 inclusive. An abstract of these journals, with explanatory remarks and tabular results, were drawn up by me, and read before the Society, and were afterwards published in their Transactions. I now beg to offer some remarks to the Society on journals kept by Dr Carlyle, in the city of Carlisle, from 1757 to 1783 inclusive, by the Rev. Jos. Golding at Aikbank, near Wigton, Cumberland, fourteen miles west of Carlisle, from 1792 to 1810 inclusive, and by myself at Bunkers Hill, two and a half miles west of Carlisle, which is situate 184 feet above the sea level, according to the late Ordnance Survey, from 1852 to 1870 inclusive. I shall confine my remarks to the quantity of rain that fell during the several periods of our journals. The accompanying tables show the quantity of each month and year included in these periods. I regret much that I am not able to give a description of the instruments used by Dr Carlyle and Mr Golding; but as they both were gentlemen of considerable ability and of liberal education, and devoted much time and attention to meteorology, there is no reason to doubt either the quality of their instruments or the correctness of their observations. Dr Carlyle's rain-gauge was placed in his garden, near the head of Abbey Street, and is about the same height as the ground on which the Cathedral stands, eighty-two feet above the level of the sea. My own rain-gauge consists of a copper funnel, twelve inches in diameter at the top, and is inserted into a strong tinned iron vessel, placed in a box on my garden wall, the height of the funnel being six feet above ground. It is examined from time to time, and particularly after a fall of rain. The water is measured by means of a glass tube of half an inch diameter, with an attached scale of inches and tenths.