12^ TRANSACTIONS OF THE PROVINCIAL 



although incommodious on the roads the fust morning, was not sufficient to 

 interrupt, nor maleriully to retard travelling ; while in all other directions, east, 

 west, north, and south, the depth of the snow and the blocking up of the roads were 

 the theme of every letter and every newspaper. In the last of these years, the 

 roads in Devonshire were for days impassable, and the snow in the streets of Exeter 

 was reported to reach to the second story." 



It is to be regretted that something more definite than general 

 observations were not given, by which these facts, if indeed 

 they are really entitled to that name, might be satisfactorily esta- 

 blished. Mr. Watson's paper is altogether deficient in this res- 

 pect, and we are compelled therefore in the comparative obser- 

 vations which follow, to draw our information respecting the 

 climate of the plain of Worcestershire from other sources. A 

 good deal of information upon this subject is given in a paper by 

 Dr. Streeten in the first volume of the Transactions. The observa- 

 tions contained in that paper relate chiefly to the year 1832, and 

 have reference to a special object, but they seem to have been 

 drawn up with considerable attention, and in several instances will 

 be found to afford information available for our present purpose. 

 From one of the tables we find that during the year 1832, the mean 

 temperature at 8 a. m. was 48.8 — at 2 p. m. 56.2., which gives 

 62.5., for the general mean. Now the annual mean temperature of 

 Penzance, as given by Dr. Forbes, is 51.8. and of the year 1832 

 (as we have ascertained by calculation from the tables in the ap- 

 pendix to his paper,) 51.5. So that the mean temperature at Wor- 

 cester in the year 1 832 was higher by one degree than it was at 

 Penzance during the same period. Dr. Hastings states the mean 

 of the month of November (1833?) at Barbourne, near Wor- 

 cester, at 49.16. The general mean of the same month at Pen- 

 zance, from 1821 to 1852 inclusive, is stated by Dr. Forbes, to 

 be 48.8. The following table of the monthly mean temperature 

 at Penzance and Worcester during the year 1832, has been con- 

 structed from the tables of Dr. Forbes and Dr. Streeten. 



JAN. FEB. MAR. APR, MAY, JUN. JUL. AUG. SEP. OCT. NOV. DEC. 



Penzance, .... 43.5—43.0—45.5—48.5—52.5—58.5—61.0—60.5-57.0-54 0-48 0-47.0. 

 Worcester,.... 38.7—40.1—46.6—51.6-55.4—61.7—65,9—63.8—60.8—54.6—46.0—44.6. 



It would hence appear that the difference of climate as regards 

 the amount of variation of temperature is in favour of Penzance, 

 the annual range being much less than at Worcester, at the 

 same time that the annual mean is within one degree of the same 

 as in the vicinity of that city ; but the greater humidity of the 

 atmosphere of the Landsend probably tends much to counterba- 

 lance any advantage derived by invalids from the higher tempera- 

 ture of the winter months. By comparing the results above 

 stated, with the mean temperature of the months in London as 

 given at page 47, table 3, the climate of Worcester will be found 

 to have considerably the advantage of London in this respect, and 

 though the temperature is less equable than that of Penzance, 

 still, connected with other circumstances, and especially the less 

 elevated character of the country generally, the shelter which it 



