On the proceedings of the International Congress of Hydrology and Climatology at Biarritz, October 1886 / by G.J. Symons.

  • George James Symons
Date:
[1887]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On the proceedings of the International Congress of Hydrology and Climatology at Biarritz, October 1886 / by G.J. Symons. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

    12/18 (page 54)
    The rainfall at Arcachou is small, and coupled with the high summer tempera- ture doubtless helps to explain one fact which seems to puzzle some of the residents, viz. the high specific gravity of the sea water, which is said to be quite 12 per cent, above that of the Atlantic. I infer that this is in part, if not wholly, due to evaporation. A table of temperatures was given in the manual presented to the members of the Congress; I have converted the values into Fahrenheit degrees and reproduce the table. Theemometrical Obsebvations made in the Shade in the Foeest under the StrPEEVISION OF THE SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY OP AeCACHON. Years. 8 a.m. Noon. a .s m a a d m d a s -.J < n bb .2 u cc a a s m a a d C8 <a X 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 0 41- 4 4r5 46-6 42- 8 46'2 40-1 0 SS'6 53-1 567 549 53- 6 54- 1 0 69'i 67- 1 68- 9 69- 6 72*0 72-3 0 57-6 60-3 54-5 57-2 54-0 57-4 0 55- 8 56- 3 567 56-5 56-8 55-9 0 46-2 52- 3 53- 4 46-9 53-2 46-9 0 637 6o'3 637 6o-6 58-8 637 0 757 72-9 76 8 75-9 757 . 76-8 0 66-4 68-4 62-2 64-0 62- 2 63- 0 0 63*0 63-5 62- 4 63'o 62'2 63- 0 Mean .. +r3 547 69-8 567 56-3 5o'o 6i3 75-4 64-6 62-8 Pau.—Thanks chiefly to the influence of Sir Arthur Taylor, Pau occupied formerly an almost unapproached position in English estimation as a winter residence, and from information received it appears still to attract an influential body of visitors. I confess that I do not quite know why. According to the observations published by M. Piche,—and he as a skilled meteorologist, long resident in Pau, must be the highest authority,—the mean temperature of January is 42°*3, while at Penzance, according to the Meteorological Council, it is 44°* 1, therefore our countrymen expatriate themselves in order to go to a place which has a reputation, but which is nearly 2° colder than our own best winter station in January ; 0°*7 colder in February, and only warmer in March by 1°'6. I had no idea that the facts were as above stated, but when at Pau remarked that the vegetation looked like that of the warmer parts of Cornwall. My impression is that the English made a great mistake when they abandoned Tours and began to patronise Pau. Among other things, Pau has nearly twice the rainfall of Tours, and is twice as distant from Dover, The great feature of Pau is a terrace walk overlooking the Gave, and with a splendid unbroken view of the chain of the Pyrenees. [Since writing the above I have stumbled upon the following note sent on January 15th, 1881, by one of my observers then staying at Pau:— Snowing hard here for two days. And later still I have received a note from another of my correspondents, dated Boulevarddu Midi, Pau,December 4th, 1886, in which she says, We are having very cold frosty weather. The thermo- meter last night registered 24° Fahrenheit, or 8° of frost.]