XVlll. 



NOTES OF METEOROLOGY AND MORTALITY OF AUGUST, 1870. 

 BY DR. E. SWARDRECK HALL. 



The weather this month deviated imich from the normal staudaid, and the 

 deaths were above the average, and embraced a due proportion in every group 

 of ages. 



Atmo^phcnc prcs.mi'C had wide, sudden, and frequent variations, though the 

 mean, 21) "724, was — '083 below the 25 years' adopted August standard. The 

 month's range was 1*<J01 inches, being the liighest recorded for the last 10 

 years. The maximum .vas ;>0"4.");}, recorded on the 31st. The minimum, 28'852, 

 was registered on the (ith. Only thrice in the last 30 years have there been 

 b>wer minima, jjctweeu 1 p.jn. of the Hth to that of the Gth, the barometer 

 fell — '020 of an inch, and rose + •Gi>7 iu the following twenty-four hours. 

 On twelve other days the rises and falls exceeded quarter of an inch. 



Wiii>l pnssurc was 3!)'81 lbs., being — 6'08 below the August average. Out 

 of the 93 observations, north-west winds prevailed 55 times, with 24'',)81bs. of 

 the pressure. The strongest wind was a north-west gale on the 1 7th, having 

 a pressure of 10'42 lbs. to the square foot. The calms, 3G, were a few fractions 

 only above the average. 



Temperature mean, 49 '17 degrees, was + I'lO above the 25 years' mean by 

 the observed thermometers, and by the self-registering only -f '18 of a degree 

 more. The maximum record was 68 degrees on the 25th, and the minimum 32 

 on the lOth. 

 The vxt-hulh thermometer hsid a mean of 44 "84 degrees. 



Daili/ range of temperature mean was 18 '71 degrees, being 4- 2*28 above 

 the 25 years' standard. The greatest range on any day was 29 degrees, recorded 

 on the 24th. 



Solar intensitii mean, 85"65 degrees, was + 3*87 above the average. The 

 maximum was 97 degrees on the 28th. 



Terrestrial radiation mean, 3498 degrees, was — 0*82 below the average. In 

 the night of the 10th, the temperature by this thermometer fell to 28*5 

 degrees. 

 Elastic force of vapour mean, 259, was — 9 below the average. 

 Humiditij mean, 74, was — 6 below the average. 



Rainfall, 1"02 inches, was — '81 below the average, though the number of 

 days on which it fell— 14 —was slightly above the average. 



Snow was never absent from Mount Wellington during the month, and 

 received frequent additions. 



Spontaneous evaporation amounted to 1*85 inches. 

 (Jloud mean, 5'97, was -f- "27 above the average. 



Ozone mean was only 6'57, being — "95 below the average. On the 15th 

 only was saturation — 10 — recorded. "With so little rain and wind, and such 

 a predominance of winds from the worst quarter, the air could not be as pure 

 as usual. 



Elect ricitjj— There were 19 records of " positive" from 4 to 7 in strength ; 39 

 " negative" from 1 to 7, and 4 " nils." 



The Deaths amounted to 49, being + 3 3-13ths above the 13 years' 

 average for August. Seven were under one year old ; 1 from 1 to 5 ; 2 

 from 6 to 10 ; 2 from 10 to 20 ; 18 from 20 to 60 ; a-id 15 at all ages above 

 60, the oldest being two females, 84 years old each. The contrast of 16 deaths 

 under 20 years old this month, with only 3 in July, is very remarkable. There 

 w_ere 4 deaths in the zymotic class of diseases, but no epidemic disease pre- 

 vailed. One of these deaths was in a girl, 15 years old, from inphoid-ferer 

 with ulceration of the bowels and peritonitis, indicating exposure to local in- 

 sanitary conditions, which are gradually intensifying in the city owing to want 

 of efficient sewerage and scavenging. This fever is denominated " filth-fever " 

 by the Registrar General of England, and ranks among his list of deaths from 

 preventable causes. A death from tetanus (lock jaw) in a man severely burnt 

 was remarkable. It occurred in Hospital, being the second death from this 

 rare disease this winter, though in different wards. Consumption caused 6 

 deaths, two of them born in Tasmania. There were 4 inquests. 



