NOTES ON THE METEOROLOGY AND MORTALITY OF 

 THE MONTH OF OCTOBER, 1870. 



By Dr. E. Swarbreck Hall. 



On the whole the weather this month was favourable to health, the deaths 

 being considerably below the average, and neax'ly half of them persons above 

 60 years old. 



Atmospheric pressure was very high with wide ranges, and as is usual was 

 vei-yfatal to feeble, diseased, and aged persons. The mean 29 •930, was + "155 

 above the average. The extreme range was from 30 "4 12 on the 12th to 29 '256 

 on the 20th. On fourteen days the mutations exceeded one-fifth of an inch. 

 On the 20th it was nearly three-fourths of an inch ("520), both days of heavy 

 floods in Victoi'ia, though with only a moderate rainfall here. 



Wind-force, 80'531bs., was, 19'421bs below the October average. Noiith-west 

 winds had 44 out of the 93 records, with more than half of the total forces. 

 The strongest \Wnd, 10'421bs. pressure to the square foot, was from the west 

 on the 22nd. There were 18 calms, being + 2 72 above the average. 



Temperature, 57 '96 degrees, was + 4'02 above the mean. The maximum 

 81 occurred on the 28tli, the minimum 39 on the night of the 11th. 



Daily range of temperature mean, 29'39 degi-ees, was -t- 1'72 above the 

 average. On the 5th the extreme range occun ed being 33 degrees. 



Solar -Intensity mean, 101 '71 degrees, was -F 6*11 above the average. The 

 hottest day was the 30bh when the thermometer in the sun rose to 114 degrees. 



Terrestrial Radiation mean, 42 '68 degrees, was -f 0'G9 above the average. 

 The lowest temperature by this thermometer was 33 '5 degrees in the night of 

 the eleventh. 



Eladic force of vapour mean, 328, was -f- 28 above the average. The range 

 was from 104 on the 22nd to 581 on the 29th. 



Humidity mean, 68, was — 5 below the average, notwithstanding the 

 copious fall of rain. 



Rainfall, 2 '34 inches, was -f "37 above the average. It fell on 14 days 

 which is only — 90 below the average. The greatest amount on any day was 

 '52 of an inch on the 9th, and the next was '42 on the 10th. Other days also 

 had sufficient to flush the drains and sewers, bu.t none were heavy enough 

 to cause floods. Health and vegetation were promoted by this genial rainfall. 

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

 ceived frequent additions. 



Spontaneous evaporation occurred to the amount of 4 '54 inches, being nearly 

 double the amount of rainfall, as might be expected with so much sunshine 

 and wind. 



Cloud mean, 5*68 was — '02 below the average. 



Ozone had a mean of 7.10 which is - *02 below the average. The predomi- 

 nance of the north-west winds no doubt was the cause of this. 



The Electrometer records wei'e positive 19, with tension from 2 '5 to 8 ; 

 negative 36, Avith tension from 1 to 6 ; nils 7. 



The deaths in the month amounted to 34, being— 19 3-13ths less than the 

 average of the previous 13 years, and 15 less than October 1SG9 had. Under 

 one year of age there were five deaths, the oldest being only seven weeks, the 

 other four from twelve hours to nine days. From one to five years old there 

 were four deaths ; from five to ten, one only ; from ten to twenty the deaths 

 were two ; from twenty to sixty only six, while in October, 1869, there weie 

 twenty-one. At sixty and aU ages above the deaths were sixteen, the oldest 

 being a woman eighty-four years old. At all ages it is very remarkable how 

 large a proportion were males — twenty-eight to six females. There were only 

 three inquests, two of them cases brought to hospital from other districts ; 

 including these there were only six deaths in the public hospital. Both invalid 

 establishments at the Cascades and the Brickfields had four deaths each, the 

 mean age of each being respectively 59$ and 72:^. In the Zymotic class of 

 diseases there was only one death, a child aged between three and four years 

 from Diphtheria. Consumption caused three deaths, two of them, aged ttu 

 and fifteen years, were natives of Tasmania. 



