11 



Tcn'C9tri<il radiation mean was 49'19 degrees, lioing +1-01 above tin 

 • a vertigo of the previous eight years, thoiigli — 78 of a dcgroj less than 

 December lS(i:i had. Tlio niaxinmni was 5(J degrees on the Dtli ; the mininiuin 

 was ;V.t-r) on the 4th and 14th; tlie range being IG'5 degrees, while November 

 had a range of 24 degi'ees. 



liaut-iall amounted to 3'02 inches,being +2 '60 inches above the December 

 average, or nearly three times as much. Nevertheless December IHOii had 

 very nearly twice as much rain as the present moutli, but then it had the 

 maximum rain-fall of 23 years. The rain-falls of the last five years' Decembers 

 have been all exceptionally high The rain fell on 17 days of the month, being 

 -f-5'12 days above the average of tlie previous nine years,an<l more numerous 

 than any one of the nine. The greatest fall on any one day was 1*26 inches on 

 the 27th, but from the 25th to the 30th inclusive, all wet days, the aggregate 

 amount was 2'38 inches. This period was remarkably cold with boisteious 

 southerly winds, and it is noteworthy that Saxby had noted the days, preced- 

 ing and succeeding this period, that is, the 24th and Slst, as his bad days, both 

 being fine, and the intervening days just the reverse. In December 1803 the 

 period from the 13th to the 18th inclusive, was very wet, the rain-fall being 

 7 "27 inches with a consequent flood. Because some of these days fell within 

 the ample marge of his predictions. Lieutenant Saxby has plumed himself 

 largely on the accuracy of his system, — the present month, however, ought 

 to abate somewhat his self-gratulation. The water-courses and drains got a 

 thorough cleansing this month. IS'o snow was visible on Mount Wellington 

 during the whole month. In 1863 it was observable until the 13th, when the 

 summit became obscured, and continued so until the 20th, after which no snow 

 could be seen. 



Humidity mean was 74, being +7 above the 20 years' average. 



Elastic force of ro^^rhad a mean of 376, being -f22 above the 20 years' 

 average, but the maximum was not so high as in November by 73. 



Spontaneous evaporation, notwithstanding so much windy weather, did not 

 equal precipitation, being 3 '17 inches. 



Cloud mean was 6-90, being + 1 '44 above the 20 years' average, and higher 

 than any one of the 23 years on record. It is also -J- '89 more than December 

 1803 had, though the rain -fall then was so much greater. 



0^0/? chad the highest December mean on record, 812, as might be expected 

 from the quarters from which the winds generally came, and the abundance of 

 rain. Saturation was noted four times, and the lowest amount I'egistered was 

 6 on the 9th and the 19th. Not a single death from any acute form of disease 

 of the organs of respu-ation was registered. 



Electricity was abundant, though far from equalling the previous month of 

 November, either in the number or strength of its indications. Positive was 

 recoided 13 times with maximum tension of 6; negative 37 times with the 

 same maximum tension, both being one-third less strength than November 

 had- Nil was recorded 13 times, but in November only thrice 



The 36 deaths for this December is a smaller mortality than for any December 

 of the previous seven years, and — 11 1-7 less than the average of the whole, 

 as the following table shows :— 



Under one year old, the deaths were a trifle above the seven years' average. 

 Four out of the 11, however, were under 18 days old ; and of the remainder, but 

 one was above six months old. From 1 to 5 the deaths were not one-fifth of 

 the average. All under 5 years of age were but one-third of the total deaths ; 

 the average for the seven years being considerably more tban that proportion 



