COUNCIL FOR 1857. 11 



the year 1857 eight months out of the twelve were above a 

 mean. January, February, April and May were below. March, 

 June and July were less than one degree above a mean. The 

 excess in August was 2*8°, September 1*4 °, October 3*2", 

 November 8*6°, and December 5'5°. The highest temperature 

 was on the 28th of June, 83" 5% and the lowest, on the 1st of 

 February, 17°. 



Five months of the year had a fall of rain below the mean of 

 twenty years, viz., February, May, October, November, and 

 December. The remaining months exceeded the mean. The 

 greatest departure from an average fall was in August, when 

 the quantity was 6*59 inches, the largest amount registered in 

 this month during the last twenty-five years. The total for the 

 year, 26*44 inches, exceeds a mean by 2*16 inches. 



The excess of rain in 1856 and 1857 amounts conjointly to 

 4*07 inches. This fact seems to show a tendency to a restora- 

 tion of equilibrium in the annual fall. In the ten years from 

 1846 to 1855 inclusive, the mean annual fall was 23-302. 

 From 1848 to 1857 inclusive, 23-796. In the twenty years 

 from 1838 to 1857, 24-25. 



'Thunder and lightning have been rare during the year. 

 Two occurrences are noted in July and three in September. 

 From the 6th of August to the 15th, 6-5 inches of rain fell, 

 but unaccompanied by the electrical displays which almost 

 uniformly mark these days at York. 



The mean height of the barometrical column for the months 

 of November and December was remarkably high, 30-06 in the 

 former month and 30-11 in the latter, accompanied by rain 

 3-93 inches less than the mean quantity. 



