93 



31st, to the amount of 2 Go in., being 0*86 in. above the average. Spon- 

 taneous evapuration, 2'87 in. 



Electricity active on the 1st, 2nd, 15th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 24th, 25th, 26th, 

 27th, and 28th. 



Snow was never absent from Mount Wellington, and h«d afresh deposit on 

 the 2Gth. 



FRANCIS ABBOTT. 



ANALYSIS OF THE OBSERVATORY RECORDS FOR OCTOBER, 

 1864; IN CONJUNCTION WITH THOSE OF BIRTHS, DEATHS &c. 

 By E. Swarbreck Hall. 



Most of the meteorological phenomena this month were highly conducive 

 to health, and the deaths were somewhat below the average of the previous 

 seven years' Octobers, and would hitve been much more so, but for the 

 extensive and frequent alterations of atmospheric pressure, and the remark- 

 ably inclement weather on the 26th, 27th, and 28th days of the month, 

 within which period 12 out of the 41 deaths in the month occurred. 



Atmospheric-pressure mean was, 29"887, which is +"107 above the 20 years* 

 adopted standard for October, and +"220 higher than October 1863. The 

 maximum pressure, 30 '321, occurred on the 1st, and the minimum, 29.234, was 

 recorded on the 11th. The extreme range in the month, consequently, was only 

 1'087 inches. In the previous nine years seven Octobers had a much more 

 extensive range, 1863, especially, exceeded the present month by x "724 

 of an inch, being marked by a somewhat higher maximum and a very much 

 lower minimum. In the daily variations of atmospheric pressure, however, the 

 present October was most inimical to life. Between the K'th and 11th, obser- 

 vations at 1 p.m., the barometer fell '74], or nearly three fourths of tyn inch ; 

 but from the evening observations of the 9th and 11th, that is in 48 hours; 

 the depression was — "946 of an inch. No October of the previous nine 

 years, except 1863, which had — "820, had nearly so extensive a movement in 

 the pressure in any 24 hours. On 12 other days mutations, exceeding one- 

 fifth of an inch, were noted, one of them being a rise of upwards of half an 

 inch— the 17th. 



The Winds this month were favorable to health, for though the total force 

 109.01 lbs., is +10*84 above the average of the previous seven years, yet the 

 predominant winds were from the healthy ocean quarters, and well laden with 

 moisture, and ozone. Three of the seven years had a greater amount of 

 wind force, but then north and north-west had a larger proportion of the 

 whole than in the present month. Calms were recorded at 17 observations, 

 being + If more than the average. The strongest winds noted had a pressure 

 of 5 "21 lbs. to the square foot and were registered 6 times. 



Temperature mean was - '081 below the 20 years' average, being 53 '64 

 degrees, and nearly the same as 1863, but veiy much less than any 

 other October of the previous ten years, and only .30 of a degree 

 warmer than the previous month of September — by the self -registering 

 thermometers, the mean temperatm-e was only 53 '59 degrees. Never before 

 have I seen those thermometers give a mean below the others. The maximum 

 record was 68 degrees on the 24th and 25th, and the minimum was 38 in the 

 night of the 27th. Though this is an unusually small range for the whole 

 month, yet occurring within three days, it told heavily on aged persons and 

 weakly invalids, as alluded to before. The previous month of September with 

 no lower minimum temperature, had a maximum of five degrees more ; October 

 1863 had the extremes of 76 and 39 — the widest extremes in October in 24 years' 

 records is 91*5 maximum in 1845, and 35 minimum, in 1854 and 1856. With 

 the exception of the three days commented upon, temperature was favorable 

 to health and life, being cool and equable. AH the previous nine years' 

 X)ctobers had a wider range of temperature by five to nineteen degrees. 



The mean daily range of temperature was only 16 "32 degrees, being — 2*70 

 less than the 20 years' mean,fand below any October of the previous 23 years, 

 except 1853, which was only 14 "80 degrees. Last year's October, however, 

 did not exceed the present much, being only about half a degree higher. 

 The greatest range on any day was 27 degrees on the 2nd, which is the 

 lowest recorded in the previous ten years. 



Solar intensity/ had a mean — 1*24 degrees less than the average of the 

 previous eight years, being only 94*32 degrees. 1863, however, was about half 



