Total amount of rain, rs^in., beintj 0-34in. below the ditto. 



Increase of spontaneous evaporation on rain-fall, 200in. 



Mean amount of ozone, 6 11, hcinjf IK) of chromatic scale below the ditto. 



Electricity active on tlio 1st. :{r(l, 4th, 10th, 21ml, 27th, and 2stli. 



Strong southern lights on tlio 2;ird. Aurora Australia on the 24th. 



FllANCIS ABBOTT. 



NOTES ON THE METEOROLOGY AND MORTALITY OF 

 THE MONTH OF MARCH, 1871. 



By E. Swarbreck Hall. 



High atmospheric pressure, gi-eat daily variations of temperature, cloudy 

 weather with deticiency of sunshine, small rain-fall, and paucity of ozone, 

 have characterised the present month, and told heavily on old and feeble 

 people, more than two -fifths of the mortality having fallen on persons at and 

 above sixty years old. 



Atmospheric 2iressure mean, 29'978, was +'123 above the 25 years' average. 

 The maximum, 30 '039, was on the IGth ; the minimum, 29 554, on the 

 1st. The extreme range of the month, therefore, was small, only "785. 

 But the daily fluctuations were very great, 18 days having more than one-fifth 

 of an inch, and one of them, the loth, a rise of + "521 in the 24 hours. 



Wind- force total, 46'30 lbs., was— 6 '79 lbs. below the average. North West 

 winds were more numerous than from any other points of the compass, but 

 were below the average in strength. North, North East, and Eaat were both 

 few in number and trifling in force. South East, our most propitious wind, 

 was largely over the average both in number and force. South was below 

 the average in both aspects. South West winds were about three times 

 more than the average in number, and double in force. TFifsi was only re- 

 corded once, but \vith the strength of 5 '21 lbs. pressure to the square foot. Only 

 one other wind of the same force was recorded, and that a South West 

 one. Calms were 25, being — 3*22 less than the average. 



Temperature mean, 60 "00 degrees, only varied from the 25 years' average 

 by + 00 "24. The highest record was 88 degrees on the 28th, nine years out 

 of the 25 having a higher maximum. The lowest temperature, 40, was on 

 the 23rd, only five years in the 25 having lower minima. The wet bulb 

 mean was 53 "56, being 00.39 below the average. 



Daily -range of temperature exceeded the average by +1'44, being 20*84 

 degrees. Tlie gi-eatest range in 24 hours, 40 degrees, occurred on both the 

 27th and 28th. These fluctuations of temperature, combined with high 

 atmospheric pressure, are very trying to diseased, feeble, and aged persons, 

 though young and healthy people are little affected by them. 



Solar -inten sit ij mean, 101 '90, was — 1*39 less than the average. The maxi- 

 mum was 120 degrees on the 28th, which has often been exceeded. 



Terrestrial-radiation mean, 46 '53 degrees, was — 1*62 below the average. 

 The minimum record was, for the night of the 23rd, the temperature being, 

 37 '5 degrees. Only thrice before in 15 years have there been lower minima 

 in March. 



Elastic-force of vapour 337 was— 19 below the average ; ranging from 126 at 

 noon on the 28th, to 522 at noon on the 14th. 



Humidity mean, 66, was — 5 below the average. 



Rain- fall, 1'33 inches, was — '34 below the average. It fell on eight days, 

 being — 1 "09 less than the average. It was sufficient to flush water courses 

 and drains on the 11th, 13th, 19th, 20th. During the four months past, 

 December, January, February, March, the rain-fall has only amounted to 

 4*48 inches, being — 1 "97 inches less than the 25 years' standard mean. Snoio 

 never was visible from the city, on Mount Wellington, dviring the month. 



Spontaneous-evaporation was 3 '33 inches. 



Cloud mean, 6 06, was -t- '64 above the average. 



Ozone mean, 611, was— "90 below the average, and the smallest on record 

 for the month of March. 



Electricity. 14 positive with tension from 3 "5 to 6 were recorded ; nega- 

 tive 46 with tension from 2 to 6, and 2 " nils." The Aurora Australis was 



