129 



the Uituiu of the three duily observutious, uutl actually lean thuu the sarutf 

 instruments gave in Novemher by — "24 of ade-jruo. Temperatu e, therefore, 

 was even more auspicious to health than wind movement aud atmospheric 

 pressure. 



Daily-range of temperature had the mean of 20*36 degrees, which is only 

 — "19 less than the 20 years' average for December. Last year had a lu^an 

 — 3'1>0 less than the inesent mouth, indeed, no year since lb59 had such high 

 daily variations, within such moderate ext ernes. The gre.itest range for any 

 day was, 31 degrees on the 8th, the maximum shade temperature of that day 

 being 78 degrees, and the minimum of the night temperature, 47 degrees— of 

 the previous ten years, two had the same extreme range ; three, less by two 

 to seven degrees ; and five, more, having from three to eleven degrees higher 

 range. Notwithstanding the frequent changes of temperature, diseases of the 

 organs of respiration were extremely few and slight, and not one death can be 

 attributed to acute inflanmiation of them. 



Solar intensity mean, 102 •20 degrees, is — 1'87 degi'ces below the average of 

 the previous nine years, though above last year's mean by, x 1"78. Aloieover 

 the present month had— 5 "44 degrees less mean of sunshine than November 

 had. The maximum, 119 degrees, was recorded on the 8th and 27th. Novem- 

 ber maximum was ten degrees higher, and 18d4 December was 121. The 

 minimum record of the solar thermometer this month was, 58 degrees on the 

 19th, on which day the rain fell copiously. It was the coldest day of the 

 month, and Mount Wellington, when visible on the following day, was seen to 

 have received a large addition to its snowy covering. 



Terrestrial-radiation mean, 47.74 degrees is— ".56 of a degree below the mean 

 of the previous nine years, and — 1 '45 degrees less than December 1864 had. 

 1864 had a range of 16^, degrees, the extremes being, 56 and 39i. 



Rain-fall, in the aggregate, amounted to 3.43 inches, being + 211 inches 

 more than the 20 years' mean for December though almost half an inch less 

 than 1864 had. There were nine days on which it rained, (on the 2nd mixed 

 with hail) the greater part (3"lO inches) of the deposit having fallen on six days 

 between 14th and 21st inclusive. In the last ten days of the month only "07 of 

 an inch fell. In 1864 thex'e were 17 wet days, being the ten yeais' average for 

 December; so that the present month's rain was of a heavier character than 

 usual. Of course the soil got thoroughly saturated, greatly to the satisfaction 

 of horticulturalists aud agriculturalists, and sanitarians greatly rejoiced at 

 the thorough cleansing the gutters and drains received. Cool, wet Decembers 

 promise healthy summei's, and a small death roll. The snow that remained on 

 Mount Wellington at the close of November, did not totally disappear untQ 

 the r2th of December. On the 1 7th the mountain received a fresh deposit, 

 and got several copious additions thereto afterwards, greatly to the delight of 

 the Christmas excursionists to its summit. Many of the young Tasmanians 

 had never revelled in such a scene before in their lives, and joined in the snow- 

 balling, and other fun, as rapturously as the visitors fiom "home." The 

 snow had not all gone when the year terminated. In December 1864 snow 

 was never visible on Mount Wellington, notwithstanding the greater rain-fall 

 of that month. Lightning was seen on the evening of the loth, but no 

 thunder heard during the month. 



Humidity meixu, 63, is + 1 above the 20 years' average, but -6 less than 

 1814 had. 



Spontaneous Evaporation, 5.58 inches, was the most ever recorded for 

 December. 



Elastic-force of Vapour ranged from, 245 at 7 a.m. on the 3rd, to 510 on the 

 evening of the 27th. and the month's mean was 344, being — 10 less than the 20 

 years' average. This condition of the air was on the whole favorable to health 

 and life, but on the last seven days of the month the Elastic-force of Vapour 

 was continuously high, and that period was the most fatal to life of any seven 

 consecutive days in the mouth. 



Cloud mean, 6.30, was -h 84 above the 20years' mean, though — *601ess than 

 December 1864 had. 



Ozone mean, 8.35. is the highest record made for the nine Decembers 

 registered. Saturation, 10, was loted on the 18th and 19th. The minimiun 

 was 6. 5 on the 27th. In a paper of Dr. IMoffat's, read at the last meeting of the 



