XXXIV. 



i«cU above the 30 years' mean for Jaimaiy. The gi-catest part of it (I'.'U 

 inches) wjis precipitated in 20 hours following the hot-wind on the 9th. Thin 

 Avas a most beiu'ticiul event on sanitary grounds, as it gave a thorough 

 cleansing to the gutters, drains, sewers, &c., which, from the previous long 

 continued dry weather, were full of decomposing organic matters, and very 

 offensive. The death records give one instance ut least of the effects of such 

 filth accumulations ; a boy of 1(> died in Hospital from Pythogenic or 

 Typhoid fever, or more exiiressively./fV^/j -/ever, taken from a bad street in the 

 centre and lower i)art of the city. Every year's delay in juoperly sewering 

 the city is causing an increased saturation of the soil with the seeds of thiti 

 and other zymotic diseases, as well as adding to the ultimate exi)ense which 

 will be entailed Upon the citizens. Fortunately our water supply is not 

 liable to be contaminated with the soakage of these pestilential products, but 

 it behoves every family to pay great attention to their water butts and 

 cisterns, for the dust which is so great in dry "windy weather is loa<led with 

 animal ortlure and other organic matters, and settles abundantly in the 

 uncovered receptacles of water, and there rapidly fern. en ts and decomi)Oses, 

 Every water-cask ought to be thoroughly cleansed at least once a week. I 

 demonstrated to the Royal Society some years ago how full of living 

 creatures water long stored in casks, &c., became. Our mountain supply of 

 water could not at its origin be of a purer quality ; but no pains or 

 expense should be spared to deliver it uncontaminated to the citizens. Too 

 much obnoxious dust settles in the reservoirs at the Cascades, and even in the 

 covered one in Hill-street, owing to the opening in the latter's gables not 

 being screened with gauze wire as I long ago suggested should be done. 

 The proposal before the Municipal Council to convey the water from the 

 '' Springs" to the " bower" in pipes, instead of the open channels, is in every 

 sanitary respect highly desirable, but there should be no union of different 

 metals in their construction. Nevertheless, I must repeat what I have said 

 heretofore, that since the new waterworks came into operation deaths fioni 

 Diarrhoea in the city have been much diminished, though liable to augment 

 again from the increasing accumulations in the vile cess-pits and cloaca? 

 so prevalent in the city. The dread penalty paid by so many towns in 

 Great Britain for this sort of sanitary neglect and mismanagement ought 

 to warn the authorities of all the yovxng cities and towns of the southern 

 hemisphere, how they overlook these most important matters. Pui'e as is the 

 air we receive in our happUy situated island, it can, and will be polluted by 

 local neglect of scavenging, sewering, and ventilating, and human lives will 

 have to pay the penalty of such want of hygienic forethought. The i-ain fell 

 on 6 days, which is — 2 "93 below the average of 16 years. 



Snow was never seen on Mount Wellington this month. 



Spontaneous Evaporation amounted to 5 '52 inches, thus far exceeding pre- 

 cipitation, as was sure to be the case w ith so much wind and heat. 



Cloud mean, 4 '92, was — "82 below the average. 



Ozone had the mean of 7 '09, which is + IG above the January average for 

 the 13 years of the new standard tables. On four observations saturation (10) 

 was recorded. 



ElectHcity had 23 positives with tension from 3 to 8'ii, and 32 negatives with 

 tension from 1 "5 to 5 "S. Nils were 7. 2'hunder a,nd lightning were observed 

 on the 8th. 



There were 50 deaths during the month, being + Vis above the January 

 average for the previous 15 years, and only + 3 more than 1871 had. Under 

 one year old there were 18 deaths— being one only more than Januaiy 1871 hacL 

 From 1 to 5 there were 4 deaths ; 1871 had not any. From 5 to 10 one death ; 

 1871 also one. From 10 to 15 no deaths ; 1871 the same. From 15 to 20 two 

 deaths ; 1871 none. From 20 to 60 there were 18 deaths, being + 4 more than 

 in 1871. At 60 and all ages above, the oldest being 94, there were only 7 deaths, 

 while 1871 had 15. In the Zymotic class of diseases there were 13 deaths, 

 being + 7 more than in the previous month, December 1871. Typhoid fever 

 1 ; croup 1 ; erysipelas 1 ; pycemia, after wound in the hand 1 ; diairho^a 9, 

 mostly very young infants. In the Cachectic or constitutional class there were 

 7 deaths, 2 of them from Consumption, one of them a girl of 20 being a native 

 of Tasmania, the other a sailor from a ship in harbour, a half-caste native of 

 New Zealand, aged 24. In diseases of the brain and nervous system there were 



