Oil sympiesometers seem to be affected more than mercurial, or others, and much more than the barometer, by lightning or electricity. That they, and the hermetically sealed "STORM GLASSES," are influenced by causes besides pressure and temperature, appears now to be certain. * * * The daily movement of the barometer may be noted (in a form or table of double entry) at the time of each observation, by a dot at the place corresponding to its altitude, and the time of observing; which dot should be connected with the previous one by a line. The resulting free curve (or zig-zag) will show at a glance what have been the movements during the days immediately previous, by which, and not merely by the last observation, a judgment may be formed of the weather to be expected. Such a diagram may be filled up by _uncorrected_ observations, its object being to serve as a weather guide for immediate use, rather than for future investigation. If closely kept up, it will prove to be of utility, and will in some degree reward the trouble of keeping a regular record. For purely scientific objects much more nicety and detail are required. * * * * * HESITATION is sometimes felt by young seamen, at first using the vernier of a barometer, for want of some such familiar explanation as the following:-- The general principle of this moveable dividing scale is, that the total number of the smallest spaces or subdivisions of the vernier are made equal, taken altogether, to one less than that number of the smallest spaces in an equal length of the fixed scale. For example: ten spaces on the vernier being made equal to nine on the scale, each vernier space is one tenth less than a scale space; and if the first line or division of the vernier agree exactly with any line of the scale, the next line of the vernier must be one tenth of a tenth (or one hundredth) of an inch from agreement with the next _scale_ division; the following vernier line must be two hundredths out, and so on: therefore, the number of such differences (from the next tenth on the scale) at which a vernier line agrees with a scale line, when set, is the number of hundredths to be added to the said tenth; (in a common barometer, reading only to hundredths of an inch). The vernier of a barometer reading to thousandths of an inch, is on a similar principle, though differently divided. In this application of it, generally, twenty-five vernier spaces equal twenty-four of the scale spaces, which are each half a tenth, or five hundredths of an inch; therefore, the difference between one of the vernier and one of the scale is two-tenths of a hundredth, or two thousandths of an inch [25).050(.002]. This is the usual graduation of scientific barometers; but for ordinary purposes, as weather-glasses, a division, or reading, to the hundredth of an inch is sufficient.