Meteoeology. 37 



number of days is only a little short of the average. The 

 heaviest fall iu twenty-four hours was 1*47 in. on 7th October, 

 which, happening to coincide with an extremely high spring tide, 

 owing to the prevalence of strong south-westerly and westerly 

 winds, caused serious flooding along the river bank, by which a 

 good deal of damage was done. The wettest month was Septem- 

 ber, a rather unusual circumstance, with a record of 4-89 ia, 

 being about double the usual average, and with 23 days on which 

 it fell. The next wettest was December, which registered 4'87 

 in., with 23 days also of rainfall. But March, June, and July had 

 likewise an excess above the mean, varying from three-quartei's 

 of an inch in July to an inch and a half in March. But these 

 excesses were more than compensated by the deficiencies of other 

 months, the most remarkable of which were May, August, and 

 November. The driest mouth was May, which registered only 

 half an inch — 0-50 in., less than-fourth of the average, with only 

 three days on which it fell. But November, which is often a rainy 

 month, was almost equally remarkable, shewing little more than 

 one inch — 1*12 in. — as compared with an average of 3 '92 in. 

 And August also was two and a half inches short of the mean for 

 that month. There was an extended period of drought from the 

 16th April to the 4th June, a period of seven weeks, during which 

 there were only nine days on which any rain fell, and to the 

 amount of no more than 0-89 in., which would be less than a 

 fourth of the average rainfall for the period. And it is sufficiently 

 remarkable that on the 5th June more rain fell on a single day than 

 during the previous seven weeks, 0*99 in., as compared with 

 0-89 in. In some parts of the country, and especially in the south 

 and south-west England, the drought was more protracted and 

 severe, extending into August, with the result of a very early 

 harvest, and of a great deficiency of the hay crops and of cereals 

 other than wheat, which thrives best in a warm and dry summer. 

 In the more northern parts of the country, where the harvest is 

 later, the rains which set in in the latter part of August, and con- 

 tinued throughout all September and the first ten days of October, 

 interfered disastrously with the ripening and ingathering of the 

 crops, and led to serious and heavy losses. 



Under the head of rainfall I have said nothing of snow, 

 because, in point of fact, there was exceedingly little snow, in the 

 lower grounds at least, during the whole year. There was no 

 onfall worthy of being called a snowstorm, and only twice — once 



