28 



timo tho sky was nearly aa cloudless' Tho extremes were, maximum 58"5 

 degieos ou the 21)th ; Minimum 40'5 out ho 31st ; tho last being + 1'5 higher 

 thau tho miuiinum of 18G4. 



Jtuin fell freely during the first half of the month, and on tho last two 

 days"; but for the fourteen days, between the 15th and 29th inclusive, there 

 were only sprinkles, insufficient to scour tho surface channels, though 

 cleansing and purifying to the air. The wet days registered, were + 4 "10 more 

 thau the average of the previous ten j'cars, being 13. On the 5th and 30th 

 the streets and sewers got well flushed. The total precijntatcd during tho 

 month was 1 '93 inches, which is, + '41 more than the 20 years' average for 

 March, and nearly three-quarters of an inch more than was deposited in 

 March 1804. In that month the wet days moreover were only four. Snow 

 covered Mount Wellington very low down on the 17th, but disappeared before 

 10 a,m., next day. Again on the 31st Mount Wellington was copiously mantled 

 with snow. 



Spontaneous Evaporation total was 2'GO inches, a very slight excess indeed 

 over-rain fall, for the month of March. 



Elastic force of Vapor notwithstanding so much rain, was + 23 more than 

 the 20 years' average being 378. 



Humidity, also, 76, was + oh above the 20 years' mean.- 



Cloud mean, 6 '54, too, was unusually high ; being + 113 above the 20 

 years' average, and + 2*49 more than March 1804 had. 



Ozone mean, 7 "6?, was + 73 above the average of the previous 7 years, and 

 + '69 more than March last year had. The maximum was 9, and the minimum 

 never fell below 5. With ozone-bearing winds so few and gentle, the influence 

 of frequent though even slight showers, in purifying the air,is more thoroughly- 

 marked this month than usual. 



Electricity was more abundant than in February, having twice as many, 

 or 6 positive indications with maximum tension of 5, and 49 negative records 

 with maximum tension of 5 5, " nil" was registered 7 times. In March 1864, 

 electricity was both more abundant and stronger, and the positive indications, 

 in proportion to negative, much greater. No liyhtning was observed during 

 the month, but some heavy peals of thunder ushered m the commencement 

 of the rain on the 30th. 



The tables, following, show that the deaths in March 1865 were 56 ; being 

 17 less than in March last year, though a few fractions only below the average 

 of the previous eight years : — 



In every group of ages below 45, the deaths were less than the eight years' 

 average ; but at all ages above 60, the mortality was much greater than in any 

 year of the eight, and considerably more than double the average of the whole. 

 The atmospheric causes conducing to this unusual high rate of senile deaths 

 have already been referred to. It will be seen by an examination of the 

 foregoing table, that the deaths under five j^ears of age, were not quite half of 

 those at the same age in Murch, 1864, while in that month the deaths at all 

 ages above 60, were only half of those recorded for the present month. The 



