ANALYSIS OF THE OBSERVATORY RECORDS FOU 

 JANUARY, 1866, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THOSE 

 OF BIRTHS, DEATHS, &c. By E. Swarbreck Hall. 



Noth withstanding the very dry character of this month, — only January 1841 



having a smaller rain-fall of any January in the last twenty-five years — this 

 phenomenon usually so adverse to health at this season of the year was more 

 than compensated by other peculiarly favorable meteorological circumstances, 

 so that the mortuary tables record an amount of deaths very much below the 

 January average of the previous nine years. 



Atmospheric pressure laQdiU 29.856, was -f- 1 "141 above the 20 years' adopted 

 standard mean, and almost identical with that for January 1865. The extremes 

 were, 29.297 minimum, on the 7th; 30.222, maximum on the 21st ; conse- 

 quently in fourteen days the barometer varied "925, or nearly one inch. The 

 range was not so great in 1865 by — '214. The greatest movement in any 

 twenty- four hours, from noon to noon, was only a fall of — 'SOB of an inch oa 

 the 24th. On eight other days the fluctuations exceeded one-fifth of an inch. 

 In January 1865 the extreme daily range, and the number of movements ex- 

 ceeding '200, were both greater. Atmospheric pressure, therefore, was some- 

 what more favorable to life this month than last year was. 



Wind-force iot2i\ was, 75"421bs. being + 3 '67 more than the 4 years' average', 

 andnearlythe same above last year's. In other respects,however, they differed 

 materially, and greatly to the benefit of the present year. The pure ozone -bearing 

 ocean winds, from the South-east, South, South-west, and West greatly predo- 

 minated both in frequency and foi'ce ; — the first being the most numerous, and 

 the last strongest in total force. North-ioest, North, North-east and 

 East, were all far below the average both in frequency and force. No hot 

 poinds occurred. The strongest winds had a pressure of only 5 •2llbs., to the 

 square foot, and were only noted twice, both being west winds. Calms were 

 registered 15 times, being 2\ less than the four years' average of the standard 

 tables. Never before in the month of January was wind movement so pro- 

 pitious to health, and so pleasant in every respect. 



Tcwtpcra^u re mean of the dry -bulb thermometers, 62.13 degrees, was — 1.44 

 below the 20 years' average, but above January, 1865, by -t- 2.60 degrees. The 

 wet-bulb thermometer mean was, 55.71 degrees, being only — *61 of a degree 

 below the average. The self -registering dry maxima aod minima thermome- 

 ters gave a mean of 63.47 degrees, being about the usual difference higher of 

 the latter. The self -registering wet-bulbs had a mean of 57.25 degrees. The 

 extremes of the dry-bulbs were, 87 degrees, noted on the 1st and 16th ; and 

 42 oa the 4th and 19th. Tho former being x 9 degiees higher, and the 

 latter one degree lower than in January 1865. The mean of all the high day 

 maxima was, 74.42 degrees, being -1- 4.94 degrees higher than last yeai-'s 

 January had. The mean of all the low-night minima was 52.52 degrees, only 

 three nights out of the 31 having fallen below 50. In 1865 the minima mean was 

 only 50.74 degrees, — eleven nights having a temperature below 50 degrees. 



Daily ran{je of temperature mean was 21*90 degi-ees, being xl*15 above the 

 20 years' average, and + 3 '16 more than last year had. The greatest range on 

 any day was 32 degrees, registered on the 1st and 16th, The lowest was 10 

 degrees on the 22nd. As often before remarked, wide daily ranges of tempera- 

 ture do not appear to have the same pernicious influence in Tasmania as that 

 usually ascribed to them in England. 



Solar intensity mesiw, 105-60, is— 4 '05 degrees less than the avei-age of the 

 previous 10 years, though -f ri5 more than January 1865 had. The greatest 

 heat was attained on the 2ith, when the solar thermometer rose to 123 degrees, 

 being one degree higher than the uiaximum last year, though precisely tho 

 same as that of 1864. The minimum solar intensity was 69 degrees registered 

 on the 22nd. 



Terrestrial radiation mean was, 5174 degrees, being only half a degree 



