Climate of Whitehaven. 61 



above an average in point of quantity, and they were got under 

 cover in excellent condition. Garden fruit, as pears, apples, &c., 

 were not so plentiful as usual. On the evening of the 28th, that 

 rare phenomenon a lunar rainbow, was seen from* the grounds at 

 Tarn Bank, near Cockermouth, by Isaac Fletcher, Esq., to whom 

 I am indebted for the following description of it : — 



In the early part of the evening the sky was clear, but at 8^ 30™ 

 a dense mist rose from the river Derwent and entirely overspread 

 a large segment of the northern horizon ; whilst to the south, the 

 atmosphere continued comparatively clear, the moon, within four 

 days of full, shining brightly near the meridian. About 9^ 10™, 

 there was a faint luminous arch in the north, which was evidently 

 a lunar rainbow, or rather a fog-bow, for no rain whatever was 

 visible at the time. The light reflected by the arch was white, 

 and perfectly free from prismatic colour. Its breadth was con- 

 siderable, perhaps 4° or 6°, and its centre or highest part, passed 

 close under the star jS Ursse Majoris, so that the extreme alti- 

 tude of the arch was probably about 18° or 20°. The edges were 

 not sharply defined, but gradually shaded off. It was noticed that 

 the denser the fog became, the more apparent was the arch, and 

 vice versa, so that the phenomenon could not have been of an auroral 

 character. The phenomenon was watched for ten or fifteen minutes, 

 when the gradual dispersion of the fog, by destroying the refracting 

 medium, put an end to this interesting appearance. 



November. — As usual, a very dull, damp month, with but little 

 difference between the temperature of the days and nights. Tem- 

 perature 1°'20 above the average. 



Early on the morning of the 2d, a swallow was seen on the 

 wing in the immediate vicinity of this town. The maximum tem- 

 perature of the day was 55°. Between the 9th and 12th inclusive, 

 the extremes of day and night temperature only varied 2 degrees. 



December. — A fine dry month with occasional frosty nights. 

 Temperature 2°-15, and rain 2-19 inches below the average. Two 

 loud peals of thunder and much lightning on the night of the 14th. 



The remarkable meteor observed at Edinburgh on the evening of 

 the 19th, and minutely described by Professor Forbes who wit- 

 nessed it, was also seen at Whitehaven under the same circum- 

 stances and at the same time. 



Last Quarter. — The mean temperature of the last quarter of 

 1849 is 1°'15 below the average, and the complement of the dew- 

 point is 0°-87 below the mean of the two preceding years. The 

 average depth of rain for the quarter is 14*64 inches; in 1849 

 the quarterly fall is 12*62 inches, or 2*02 inches under the normal 

 quantity. The deaths in this quarter, in the town and suburbs, are 

 131, being 4 below the average number. 



It is pleasant to have to announce a favourable change in the 

 sanitary condition of this town, and to record the termination of an 



