NOTES ON METEOKOLOGY AND MORTALITY OF JULY, 1870. 

 BY DR. E. SWARBRECK HALL. 



Though the character of the inoiitli, climatically considered, was abnormal, 

 the deaths were much below the average, and never before were the deaths 

 under 20 years of age so few. 



Atmospherie pressure mean, 30'008, was + "164 above the 25 years' adopted 

 standard. Only four out of the 25 years had a mean above 30 inches, i.e., 

 1841, 30-005; 1848, 30-003; 1850, 30-113 ; 1860, 30-193. In the latter year 

 epedemic influenza prevailed, and the deaths of the month were enormous 

 —114— the 13 years' average for July being only 56. The daily perturbations 

 were not nearly so great as in June, neither was the month's range, 1-104, so 

 extensive. The maximum of the barometer, 30-610, occurred on the 13th, 

 and the minimum, 20 -506, on the 27th. Only twice in the last 29 years has 

 the maxinmm been higher, that is — 30-643, 1844; 30-812, 1846; the last 

 being the highest record of the barometer for any month during all these 

 years. Old people and invalids succumbed in great numbers to the gi-eat 

 atmospheric pressure of this month, but it had no lethal influence on children, 

 or young and healthy adults. 



Wind force had a total of 31 -74 lbs. , being — 7 "81 IT^s. below the July average; 

 50 out of the 93 records were winds from the north-west, with two-thii'ds of 

 the total force, therefore least favorable to health. The highest pressure to 

 the square foot, 5-21 lbs., occurred with a north-west wind at the evening 

 record of the 26th inst. 



Temperature, by the observed thermometers, had a mean of 48*23 degrees, 

 which is -t- 2-51 above the July average. By the self-registering maximum and 

 minimum thermometers the mean was 48-10 degi'ees ; so near a correspondence 

 between these two sets of instruments is of rare occurrence. The maximum 

 was 67 on the 6th ; the minimum 34 on the 4th, 15th, 24th. Five times only 

 in the 25 years was a higher maximum recorded, and the same minimum, but 

 none higher, was only recorded five times. 



The tvet-hulh thermometer had a mean of 44-76, which is -\- 1-64 above the 

 average. 



Daily range of temperature mean was, 14-81, degrees being — '30 below the 

 average. The greatest range was 26 degrees on the 6th, the smallest 2 de- 

 grees on the 31st. 



Solar Intensity mean, 74 '.34 degrees, was — 1"17 below the average, which 

 is to be accounted for by the cloudy and wet character of the month. The 

 maximum, 91 degrees, was noted on the 6th. 



Te?^r(?si?-iffi? i^arfia^iow mean, 36-74 degrees, was + 1-19 above the average. 

 On the nights of the 24th and 29th this thermometer fell to as low as 30 de- 

 grees. In June there was a record one degree colder. 



Elastic Force of Vapour mean, 262, was -t- 5 above the average ; the range 

 in the month was from 165 to 377. 



Humidity had a mean of only 78, which is — 5 less than the average, not- 

 withstanding the excessive rainfall. 



PmIii occurred on 12 days which is — 1-73 less than the average, but the 

 amount was 2-61 inches, wliich is 4- -55 above the mean. On the three days 

 18th, 19th, 20th, the rain fell in large quantities, but so gently as not to cause 

 any approach to a flood. Snovj was never absent from Mount Welling-fcon 

 during the month, and received frequent copious additions. 

 Siyontaneous Evaporation amou.nted to 2-07 inches only. 

 Cloud Mean was 7-34 being, -f- 1-94 above the average. 



Oao/ie ilfmrt 6 31, was — -78 below the average, which is to be accounted 

 for by the prevalence of north-west winds. Saturation was attained on two 

 of the rainy days with southerly winds. 



Electricity was 43 times out of the 62 records registered as negative, 15 

 times " Nil," and only 4 times positive. 



The Deaths amounted to 39, being — • 17 less than the Jxily average of the 

 previous 13 years, and 9 less than July 1869 had. There was only one death 

 under 1 4 years of age, a child aged 6 months, from a very unusual cause — 

 Intussiisception of the bowels. From 14 to 20 there were only 2 deaths — so 

 small a mortality under 20 years of age is without precedent in the records 

 of Hobart Town. At all times the deaths on the average, at this period of 

 life, are much below those of England, and the Colonies on the continent 



