854 



The Meteorology of Whitehaven. 



In 1846, there have been seven snowy days, five of which were in No- 

 vember and December ; twelve days of hail, one of which was in June, 

 and two in July ; thirty nights of frost, of which twenty-one were in De- 

 cember ; and thirty -five days of thunder and lightning ; and, what is most 

 remarkable, I have only recorded one appearance of lightning, which was 

 not followed by thunder, more or less distant. 



There have been one solar, and eight lunar halos, and three appear- 

 ances of the aurora borealis. 



On the evening of September 30th, about 7'30'"-, a magnificent auroral 

 arch was noticed here. Its breadth was about that of a rainbow, and it 

 extended from E.N.E. to AV.S.W., to the visible horizon at both extre- 

 mities. Estimated altitude of centre about 70°. It remained visible 

 nearly half an hour. From 11 p.m., to 1 a.m., there was a low arch of 

 white light extending from N. to W., from the upper edge of which most 

 brilliant streamers were thrown oif. A dark haze, resembling smoke, 

 mingled with the auroral light, and presented a most curious and inter- 

 esting spectacle, and a form of the aurora seldom seen but in high 

 northern latitudes. This phenomenon was seen in great splendour at 

 Durham, and at Comrie, at Perthshire. 



To sum up the peculiarities of 1846 in a few words ; the summer is 

 memorable for its excessive heat, its unprecedented mortality, and the 

 unusual number and violence of its thunder storms : — the whole year is 

 marked by the high temperature, dampness, and stagnant condition of 

 the atmosphere.* 



J. F. Miller. 



Whitehaven, December 31, 1846. 



* The mean temperature of the last quarter of 1846 (Sept. 30 to Dec. 31), is 

 l*llo under the average. The temperature would have been above the ave- 

 rage, but for the unusual coldness of December. The mortality during the quar- 

 ter is, again, very great; in this town, the deaths are 150 per cent. — and, for 

 the whole Union, they are 130 per cent, above the average of the preceding 

 seven jears. 



According to the Registrar-General's returns, the deaths throughout the 

 kingdom, in the last quarter, are 7,311 more than the corrected quarterly ave- 

 rage of previous years, and 13,727 more than were returned in the correspond- 

 ing season of 1845. 



