308 State of the Weather and Temperature, 



the least in February. It is singular to observe, that, in the 

 first quarter of the year, January, February, and March, the 

 average height of this instrument is 29*62 in. ; in the second 

 quarter, 29*67 in. ; in the third, 29*66 in. ; and in the last quar- 

 ter 29*62 in. The near approach to equality is very striking ; 

 the first and last quarter being the same, and the others 

 varying from them only in the hundredth parts. The aver- 

 age height of the barometer in this town may be stated at 

 29*64? in., which is its annual mean. 



The hottest month of the year is July, its average temper- 

 ature being 59*20°; and the coldest month is January, having 

 an average temperature of 34*57°. The mean of the first 

 quarter of the year is 37*86°; of the last, 43*01°; of the 

 second, 51*31°; and of the third quarter, comprising July, 

 August, and September, 57*05°. The annual mean temper- 

 ature is 47*31°. 



The month in which the greatest quantity of rain falls is 

 November, the average for that month being 6*8 in. ; and the 

 month in which least rain falls is May, the mean of which is 

 2*448. The wettest quarter is the last, and the driest is the 

 second ; the two quarters in which May and November fall. 



At Bolton, in the south of Lancashire, I find, by tables 

 furnished to me for the last five years, that May and Novem- 

 ber are the driest and wettest months there ; the proportion 

 of rain in May being to that in November as 1 to 2*5; 

 while at Kendal the proportion is as 1 to 2*77. The ave- 

 rage between Kendal and London is never less than 5 to 3, 

 nor more than 7 to 3 ; but generally the latter. The propor- 

 tion between Kendal and Lancaster is about 4 to 3. 



October is the month in which we have the greatest num- 

 ber of rainy days, and July that in which we have the smallest. 



The following is the order of the months, according to the 

 number of wet days in each ; beginning at October, in which 

 we have the most, and ending with July, in which there are the 

 fewest days in which more or less of rain falls : — October, De- 

 cember, November, and August, equal; September, February, 

 April, March, and July, the same; June, May, and January. 



The west wind is the prevalent one in this district, as it 

 occurs ten months in the year. In October and December 

 the w. and s. w. are equally prevalent with us. From tables 

 now in my possession, it appears that at places situated near 

 the west coast of our island, the quantity of rain varies con- 

 siderably. The average annual quantity at Kendal is 57 in.; 

 at Lancaster, only 45 in. ; at Liverpool, 34 in. ; at Man- 

 chester, 33 in. ; Bristol, 29 in. ; Ludgvan, near Mount's 

 Bay, in Cornwall, 41 in.; and at Plymouth, 46j in., being 

 verv near that at Lancaster ; at Selbone, in Hampshire, 



