Climate of Whitehaven. 237 



April. — Temperature 2°*73 above average. Zodiacal light seen 

 on the evening of 5th. On the 12th, the tortoise-shell butterfly 

 made its appearance : at Liverpool, heavy rain fell throughout the 

 morning of this day ; at Whitehaven, the day was fine and sunny 

 throughout. The cuckoo was first heard in this immediate neigh- 

 bourhood on the 23d, and the first swallow was seen on the 28th. 



May. — Cold and ungenial, with occasional showers of snow and 

 hail. Temperature 2°'78 below the average. On the 23d there was 

 a dreadful thunder-storm over the greater part of the kingdom, which 

 did great damage, destroying in all ten barns, thirty-eight stacks 

 of grain, forty outbuildings, and numerous cottages. At Westfield 

 House, near Bowness, Carlisle, Mrs Harrison and the servant-man 

 were milking the cows during the storm, when the electric fluid struck 

 the man dead on the spot, killing four cows at the same time. The 

 stool upon which Mrs H. was sitting was literally split in two, and 

 she was thrown to a considerable distance by the violence of the 

 shock. Strange to say, not the slightest mark was to be found upon 

 either the man or cattle. The storm was not felt at Whitehaven, 

 which is peculiarly exempted from thunder-storms. 



June. — Fine and genial. The temperature is l°-07 above the 

 average, and the evaporation exceeds the fall of rain by 2*27 inches. 

 The hay harvest commenced on the 24th. 



The mean temperature of the quarter ending June 30th is 0^'34 

 above the average. The deaths are 164, being 43 above the average, 

 and a greater number than has occurred in any June quarter (1847 

 excepted) since the register was begun in 1839. This excess in the 

 mortality was occasioned by the prevalence of pneumonia amongst 

 very young children, during the month of April. 



The births exceed the deaths by 20. By the Kegistrar- General's 

 Report, it appears that the mortality is lower than in any of the 

 corresponding quarters since 1839, when the new system of regis- 

 tration commenced, except in the quarter ending June 1844. 



July. — Fine and warm, with heavy showers. Temperature 1°'32 

 above the average. On the 23d, the thermometer rose to 84°, and 

 between the 23d and 24th, the maximum fell 22°- 5. 



August. — Temperature 0°*89 under the average. On the 5th, 

 a field of oats was cut near Workington. 



September. — Beautiful weather : till the 19th, only "02 of rain 

 fell. Temperature 0*65 below the average. 



The temperature of the third quarter of 1850 is '07 below the 

 average. 



The deaths are 76, being 51 under the average, and a smaller 

 number than has been recorded in any September quarter since the 

 register was begun, except in 1840. The births are 186, being 19 

 above the average number. In the other quarters of 1850, the 

 births almost exactly coincide with the corrected average numbers. 



