liighor than the average of the previous 10 years. The coldest recorda wero 

 40'5 degrees iu the nights of the 4th and H>tli. The maximum was, 50 "5 

 degrees, on theCth and liith. This thermometer, in January, 1805, gave a mean 

 — 1*23 degrees less than the present month, thougli its minimum was exactly 

 the same. 



Rain fell on four days in the month, but in such small quantities that the 

 aggregate amount 'vas only '12 of an inch, being — I "38 inches below the 20 

 years' average for January. In the previous 25 years, only the first of the 

 series— 1841— had less, i.e., "03 of an inch. The next smallest was 1858, which 

 had "43 of an inch, or nearly four times as much as the present month. Last 

 year hid more than five times as much. Fortunately the heavy rain-fall in 

 JDecember had thoroughly cleansed our sewers, and replenished the sources of 

 water supply, or there is little doubt the health-return for January would not 

 have been so satisfactory. No snow fell on Mount Wellmgton during the 

 month, but on the first day there remained faint traces of the December deposit. 



Humidity mean was, 06, being — 2 less than the 20 years' average. 



Elastic force of vapor, h^Hi the mean of ■372, ranging from the minimum. 

 255 at 7 a.m. on the l9th, to the maximum 025 at the evening record of the 

 24th. Notwithstanding the aridity of the month, elasac force of vapor mean 

 was actually — 8 less than the 20 years' average. This result no doubt tended 

 in a high degree to preserve health. 



Spontaneous evaporation amounted to 6 "39 inches, exceeding any January 

 since 1857, except 1864. It was nearly twice as much as last year's. 



Cloud mean, 5*40 -34 though slightly above the average for January of the 

 previous 8 years, is below the 20 years' average. Ozone mean, 6 "84 though 

 slightly above the average for January of the previous 8 years, is more than a 

 degree of the chromatic scale below what January, 1865, had. 



Electricity gave 25 positive indications with the very high maximum tension 

 of 8. Last year had only 16 and 6 respectively. The negative indications were 

 37, with maximum tension of 6. In 1865 the corresponding results were 45 and 

 9. Many sanitary philosophers associate a predominance of strong positive 

 electricity with atmospheric conditions conducive to a high state of health, and 

 so far my Tasmanian observations accord with that view. Lightning was 

 observed on the evening of the 6th. 



31 deaths for January, 1866, is — 21 4-9 less than the average for the first 

 month of the year of the previous 9 years ; it is also 10 less than 1865 had, 

 though 7 more than for 1864, which had the smallest mortality on record, not 

 merely for the month of January, but for any other month in the last nine 

 years. 



In every group of ages, except *' 00 and above," the mortality was largely 

 below the average of the previous nine years. In the exceptional group, no 

 other January of the previous nine had so many deaths, though 1865 had only 



