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ANALYSIS OF THE OBSERVATORY RECORDS FOR 

 AUGUST, 1866, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THOSE 

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



Never before was the month of Aup:ust so pleasant in its climatic 

 character, or so favorable to health and life. The last ten days of the 

 month, specially, were more like model summer days, than winter ones. 

 It is a general though peculiar phenomenon in the last week of August, 

 that there should be three or four consecutive days of a warm summer 

 character, but never before were there so many in any August, as have 

 been recorded for the present month. August 186-5 was a fine and healthy 

 month, yet while the deaths then amoimted to 42, the present month had 

 only 33. 



Atmospheric pressure mean, 29*952, was + '169 of an inch above the 20 

 years' adopted standard, and + '031 higher than August 1865. No 

 August since 1861 had so high a mean as the present month. The maxi- 

 mum, 30.507, was registered at 7 a.m. on the 18th. 1865 had a somewhat 

 higher maximum. This day was the most fatal to life of any in the month, 

 5 deaths ha%ang taken place, while no other day had more than 3 and that 

 only twice. Last year also the day of maximum pressure, was the most 

 fatal day of the month. The maximum was, 29-147, on the 9th, being 

 considerably lower than in 1865. The extreme range of the month, there- 

 fore, was 1-360 inches, which is a wider range of pressure for August 

 than any year since 1856. The greatest movement of the barometer, 

 marked on any day, was a rise of + -464 of an inch on the 15th, and the 

 effect on life was palpable in the three following days, during which 9 

 deaths occurred, while the next highest three days, 26th to 28th, had only 

 7 deaths. Every August since 1858, however, had a much higher maxi- 

 mum movement of the barometer than the present month. Altogether 

 there were fourteen days on which the pressure varied more than one-fifth 

 of an inch. 



Wind-force in the aggregate amounted to 42. 66lbs., being + 2-36 lbs. 

 more than 1865 had. It was + 4.31 lbs. more than the average in the 

 four years' tables of the adopted standard — 1862 and 1863, however, had 

 so very great a wind-force, that the average of the last nine years has 

 been so largely raised that the present year's amount falls below it, by 

 — 2-72 lbs. The North, Korth-east, Hast, South-east, Sind South, were all 

 below the four years' average both in frequency and force ; South-ivest, 

 was above the average in both respects, TFest winds were more numerous 

 than the average, but of less force, North-ivest was greatly above the 

 average both in frequency and force. Calms were only 31, being —3-62 

 below the average of the previous eight years, and — -5 less than last year. 

 The highest wind-force registered had a pressure of 5-21 lbs. to the square 

 foot, and was recorded at the sunset observation on the 24th, and the 7 

 a.m. observation on the 27th, both from the North- west, and the last a hot 

 wind being a rare occurrence in August. The former two partook of the 

 same character in a lesser degree. 



Tetnperature mean, 50-60 de^Tees, + 1-90 degrees above the 20 years' 

 average, and +1-29 warmer than 1865 was. The self-registering ther- 

 mometer gave a mean of only 50 "05 degrees, thus adding another month 

 to the number in which this remarkable discrepancy has occurred. The 

 mean of all the maxima or high-day temperatures was, 59-32 degrees, being 

 more than one degree lower than 1865 had, nevertheless there were 14 

 days on which the temperature was above 60, rising to 69 on the 27th and 

 31st. Last year's maximum was only 66. The mean of all the maxima 

 or low-night temperatures was 40-77 degrees; being more than a degree 

 higher than last year. So that the present month had, on the whole, 



