9 



ANALYSIS OF THE OBSERVATOEY RECORDS FOR 

 FEBRUARY, 1866, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THOSE 

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



February, though haviug the smallest number of days of nny month in the 

 year, has had on the average of the previous nine years, the greatest number 

 of deaths. In last year, however, March was higher. Notwithstanding many 

 meteorological conditions in the present month adverse to health and life, 

 others of more auspicious character have so counteracted the injurious effects, 

 that on the whole the mortuary records give a total of deaths below the 

 February average of the previous nine years,and only one more than last year 

 had, though the heat and dryness of the present month have been so unusually 

 in excess. 



Atmospheric pressure, 29 '903, was only + '053 above the 20 years' moan of 

 the adopted standard, but + 102 higher than Febru'ry 1865 had. The 

 exuremes were :— Maximum, 30 •391 on the 2nd; minimum, 29321 on the 

 12th; being a range for the month of 1-070 inches. Last year the extremes 

 were both much lower, though the range was considerably greater. The 

 greatest movement on any day of the barometer, was a rise of + '694 of an 

 inch on the 13th. There were six other daj^s in which movements exceeded 

 one-fifth of an inch ; the highes' being a rise of + "420 on the 1st, and the 

 lowest a fall of - '263 on the 17th. 



Wind-force had a total of 41 '86 lbs., being — 1.5 "IB lbs. less than the February 

 average of tlie previous 9 years, and 16'ni below the 4 years' average of the 

 standard tables. It was also less than 1865 by — 2 "35 lbs. South-east winds 

 were more than usually numerous, but of so gentle a type that the total force 

 was below the average. JVorth-west alone exceeded the average considerably 

 both in number and force. From all the rest of the points of the compass the 

 winds were much below the mean both in frequencv and force. The greatest 

 force of the wind from any point Avas only 2 "60 lbs. pressure to the square 

 foot, and registered six times. Them/???? were only 14, being — 1;^ less than 

 the 4 yeai's' mean, — 3 "88 below that of the previous eight years, and 5'00 

 fewer than 1865. Constant, but gentle movement was the character of the 

 winds this month. There was a hot wind on the ISth, but of a very subdued 

 kind. 



Temperature mean, by the three daily observations, was 65'19 degi-ees; 

 being +2*66 above the 20 years' mean. Only one year (1855) in the previous 

 25, had a higher mean, 68'00 degrees. Last year's mean was only 60*74 degrees. 

 The self-registering maxima and minima thermometers gave a mean of 6675 

 degrees. The mean of all the maxima or high-day records was 76 50 degrees, 

 while in February 1865, it was only 69 "86. The low-night mimima gave a 

 mean of 57*00 degrees, which exceeds that of last }ear bj' +5 64 degrees. So 

 that both days and nights of the present month were considerably warmer 

 than in February 1865. The maximum temperature, 87 degrees, was registered 

 on the 8th and 18th. Last year's maximum was only 79. The minimum tem- 

 perature was, 49 degrees, on the night of the 25th, being 6 degrees higher 

 than the minimum of February 1865. The extreme range of the month, 38 

 degrees, is much below the February average, for in the previous 25 years, 

 1 7 had a much higher maximum, and not one of them so warm a minimum. 

 Equable, but continuous high temperature, therefore, chacterised the present 

 February in a very unusal degree. 



Daily-range of temperature mean, 19*5C degrees, is — '89 of a degree less 

 than the 20 years' mean, and — 1 "00 degree less than 1865 had. The greatest 

 range, 31 degi'ees, was noted on the 22nd, and the smallest, 10 degrees, 

 registered on the lOth. 



The solar self-rer/isterinff thermometer gave a mean of 110 "20 degrees, being 

 + 2*33 more than the February averaga of the previous ten years, and +3*65 

 above the mean for 1865. There has not been so much hot sunshine in February 

 since 1857. The maximum of the present month, however, was only 122 degrees, 

 on the 22nd. Only 1861 had a lower maximum (117) in the previous ten years ; 

 1862 had the same as the present mouth, but all the rest more, the highest 



