WEATHER, rulesforjudging of 1. The rising of the mercury presages, in gene ral, fair weather ; and its falling foul wea ther, as rain, snow, high winds, and storms. 1 Yhen the surface of the mercu ry is convex, or stands higher in the mid dle than at the sides, it is a sign the mer cury is then in it rising state ; but if the surface be concave or hollow in the mid dle, it is then sinking. 2. In very hot weather, the falling of the mercury indi cates thunder. 3. In winter, the rising presages frost ; and in frosty weather, if the mercury falls three or fbur divisions, there will be a thaw ; but in a continued frost, if the mercury rises, it will be cer ainly snow. 4. When foul weather hap pens soon after the depression of the mercury, expect but little of it ; on the con trary, expect but little fair weather when it proves fair shortly after the mercury has risen. 5. In foul weather, when the mer cury rises much and high, and so con tinues for two or three days before the bad weather is entirely over, then a con tinuance of fair weather may be expected. 6. In fair weather, when the mercury falls much and low, and thus continues for two or three days before the rain comes, then a deal of wet may be expected, and probably high winds. 7. The unsettled motion of the mercury denotes unsettled weather. 8. The words engraved on the scale are not so much to be attended to, as the rising and falling of the mercury ; for, if it stand at much rain, and then rises to changeable, it denotes fair weather, though not to continue so long as if the mercury had risen higher. If the mercury
stands at fair, and falls to changeable, bad weather may be expected. 9. In winter, spring, and autumn, the sudden falling of the mercury, and that for a large space, denotes high winds and storms; but in summer it presages heavy showers and often thunder. It always sinks lowest of all for great winds, though accompanied with rain ; but it falls more for wind and rain together, than for either of them alone. 10. If after rain the wind change into any part of the north, with a clear and dry sky, and the mercury rise, it is a certain sign of fair weather. 11. After very great storms of wind, when the mercury has been low, it commonly rises again very fast. In settled fair weather, except the barome ter sink much, expect but little rain. In a wet season, the smallest depressions must be attended to ; for when the air is much inclined to showers, a little sinking in the barometer denotes more rain. And in such a season, if it rise suddenly fast and high, fair weather cannot be expect ed to last more than a day or two, 12. The greatest heights of the mercury are found upon easterly and northeasterly winds and it may often rain or snow, the wind being in these points, while the ba rometer is in a rising state, the effects of the wind counteracting. But the mercu ry sinks for wind as well as rain, in all other points of the compass.