Curious gifts for thoughtful people

Admiral Fitzroy's Storm Glass

£19.95

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Admiral Robert Fitzroy, most famous as Captain of the Beagle, essentially invented weather forecasting for the safety of sailors, spending his entire fortune to do so.  One of his many inventions was the Storm Glass, a cylinder filled with a mixture of water, ethanol, potassium nitrate, ammonium chloride, and camphor. Fitzroy believed that the formation and dissolution of crystals and particles in the mixture reflected temperature and pressure in a way that predicted the weather; his instructions are included.

Measures 14cm high, wooden base 6cm wide
PLEASE NOTE: you should allow the glass to 'settle' for a week or more after delivery.