The most common error in the use of the barometer is that to which people are naturally led by the words engraved upon it, “Stormy, Much Rain, Rain, Change, Fair, Set Fair,” etc. A direct and absolute blunder or falsehood is usually short-lived, and deceives but few people; but a false statement, with a certain amount of superficial truth, may survive for ages, and deceive whole generations. Now this latter is just the character of the weather signs that are engraved on our popular barometers; they are unsound and deceptive, but not utterly baseless. _Stormy_, _Much Rain_, and _Rain_ are marked against the low readings of the barometer, and _Very Dry_, _Set Fair_, and _Fair_ against the higher readings. A low barometer is not a reliable sign of wet or stormy weather, neither is a high barometer to be depended upon for expecting fine weather; and yet it is true that we are more likely to have fine weather with a high than with a low barometer, and also the liability to rain and storms is greater with a low than with a high barometer. The best indications of the weather are those derived from the direction in which the barometer is moving—whether rising or falling—rather than its mere absolute height. A sudden and considerable fall is an almost certain indication of strong winds and stormy weather. This is the most reliable of the prophetic warnings of the barometer, and the most useful, inasmuch as it affords the mariner just the warning he requires when lying off a dangerous coast, or otherwise in peril by a coming gale. Many a good ship has been saved by intelligent attention to the barometer, and by running into haven, or away from a rocky shore when the barometer has fallen with unusual rapidity. The next in order of reliability is the indication afforded by a steady and continuous fall after a long period of fine weather. This is usually followed by a decided change of weather, and the greater the fall the more violent the change. If the fall is slow, and continues steadily for a long time, the change is likely to be less sudden but more permanent, _i.e._, the rain will probably arrive after some time, and then continue steadily for a long period. In like manner, a steady, regular rise, going on for some days in the midst of wet weather, may be regarded as a hopeful indication of coming continuous fine weather—the more gradual and steady the rise, the longer is the fine weather likely to last. The least reliable of all the barometric changes is a sudden rise. In winter it may be followed by hard and sudden frost, in summer by sultry weather and thunder-storms. All that may be safely said of such sudden rise is, that it indicates a change of some sort. The barometer is usually high with N.E. winds, and low with S.W. winds. The preceding explanations show the reason of this. In a given place the extreme range of variation is from 2 to 2½ inches.