XUl. 



NOTES ON THE METEOROLOGY AND MORTALITY OF THE MONTH 

 OF JUNE, 1870. BY DR. E. SWARBRECK HALL. 



"The genei-al character of the month was not propitious to life, and the 

 deaths of adults, and particularly old people above 60 years old, were unusually- 

 large, while in children under 10 years of age, the deaths were remarkably 

 few. Nevertheless, there was no prevailing sickness of an epidemic character. 



"Atmospheric pressure mean, 2978l>, was slightly — (0-92) below the 25 

 years' standard average for June. The range of the barometer, however, was 

 very great, 1-340 inches, the maximum 30-500 occurring on the 15th and 16th; 

 and the minimum, 29-160, on the 28th. The daily perturbations were also great. 

 On 15 days the rises and falls exceeded one-quarter of an inch, the highest 

 being a falls of '503 on the 18th. 



" Wind force total, 68-181bs. was + 43-681bs. above the June average. Only 

 June 1866 had a higher force. At 62 out of the 90 records, north-west winds 

 prevailed. West and south-west \vinds, though only 15 in number, were very 

 strong, having about two-thirds of the total force for the month. The strongest 

 winds had 5"2llbs. pressure to the square foot, and occurred six times. 



*' Temperature mean, 48 "59 degrees, was + 1-84 above the average. The 

 range was great, i.e. from maximum 67 on the 26th, to minimum 31 on the 

 15th and 16th. 



"Daily range of temperature, 13'90 degrees was — 1'14 below the June 

 average. Nevertheless, there were nine days on which the range exceeded 20 

 degrees between the extreme shade heat of the day, and the extreme cold of 

 the night, the greatest being 26 degrees on the .3rd. 



" Solar-intensity mean, 76-02 degrees, was + 2-08 above the average, des- 

 pite the numerous cloudy and wet days. The maximum, 92, was recorded on 

 the 26th. 



Terrestial-radiation mean, 36-83 degrees was only + 0'20 above the average. 

 The coldest night was that of the 1 6th, when the thermometer on the grass 

 fell to 29 degi-ees, the air thermometer raised about four feet from the ground 

 being 31 degrees. A considerable thickness of ice formed on still water. 



" Elastic force of vapour mean, 265, was — 4 below the average ; the 

 range being from 148 on the morning of the 16th to 431 at noon on the 18th. 



" Humidity mean, 78, was - - 6 below the average. 



"Rain fell to the amount of 2.32 inches, being nearly half an inch ("49) 

 above the June average. It fell on 13 days— on some very heavily— being + 

 1-36 above the average. For the first six months of this year the rainfall has 

 been very irregular, nevertheless the total fall, 13 "02 inches, is + 2*88 inches 

 above the 25 years' standard average. — Fortunately we have escaped floods, 

 which have been so numerous and destructive on the Australian continent.^ 



"Spontaneous-evaporation amounted to only 3.11 inches, notwithstanding 

 the hot sunshine and strong winds. 



" Cloud mean, 6 '60, was + I'OO above the average. 



"Ozone mean, 6-77 was -f- 0-27 above the average.— Saturation (10) having 

 been attained thrice i.e. on the 5th, 11th, 18th, with the heavy rains. — 



"Electricity was weak and mostly of the negative kind, 46 out of 60 

 observations being so recorded, while 10 other records were nil, there being 

 only 4 positives registered. 



" Snow was never absent from Mount Wellington after the 4th day of the 

 month, and on the 9th all the low hills around the City were coated with it. 



"The deaths this month were 46, being a fraction above the average for 

 the previous 13 years. Under one year old there were only five deaths. At 

 one to five years old there was the unusually small number of one only, and 

 the same at five to ten. At 10 to 20 the deaths were five. At 20 to 60 there 

 were 16, being rather above the usual proportion. At 60 and all ages above, 

 there were 18 deaths, which is a very large share indeed of the total mor- 

 tality. The oldest was a man 88 years old, and two of the others were 82 

 each. No one disease prevailed, the deaths being pi-incipally in persons 

 suffering from long standing disease of a chronic character. Consumption 

 caused five deaths, one being a Tasmanian by birth, another a Russian from 

 H.I.R.M. corvette Boyarin. two English, and one Irish. Two (2) deaths were 

 caused by pneumonia, both in Hospital, The annual average from this 

 disease for the last thirteen years is 35, out of a total average from all causes 

 of 560. This is far less than the English proportion. Seven (7) inquests 

 were held, two injured by falls, two by burns, and three apoplexy. 



