171 



36 "5, at Ross 39 "1 — the average being, as computed at the Royal Observatory, 

 43'2, thus showing a deficiency of 4° for the whole period. In round numbers — 

 November was 3°, December and January 7°, March 1J°, and April and May 4°, 

 below the average. There has been no day during the whole time in which the 

 maximum has risen to 70', which is unprecedented. 



The rainfall has been near the average, except February, which, both as to 

 amount and number of wet days, was much above the average. To summarize, 

 we have had more severe frosts, much colder Februarys and Marchs than this 

 year, a few colder Novembers, but December, January, April, and May, have been 

 each of them nearly as cold as they have been known this century. Vegetation 

 is more backward than since 1837. In 1845 it was more so at the end of March 

 than this year, but April proved warmer. 1855, 1860, and 1861 were also back- 

 ward seasons, but the present, if it does not quite equal the disastrous seasons of 

 1698, 1771, 1799, and 1816, which were in each case followed by wet and bad har- 

 vests (and in this respect we hope the comparison will not hold good), is one of the 

 latest we have any account of. 



Owing to the gradual approach of the frost, vegetation has not suffered to 

 the same extent as in 1838 and 1860, the laurels and laurustinus having then been 

 killed. Many tender plants have suffered notwithstanding. Our May and June 

 flowers seem as if they would come together. Buckthorn was not out till April 

 29th. The hawthorn blossom (very early plants being out May 23rd, hut not gen- 

 erally till June 1st) is about five weeks later than usual. It may be some encour- 

 agement to fruit growers to hear that after a similar April and May in 1837 we 

 had splendid fruit crops, and if we get clear hot sunshine during the summer 

 months of July and August there will yet be time for the ripening of the crops, 

 which require, as is known, a certain quantity of heat to bring them to perfection. 



P.S. — Since the above was written we have had three months of cold, wet, 

 cloudy weather, with very little sunshine, temperature almost continuously below 

 the average, and a very similar season to that of the summers of 1816 and 1860 ; 

 but as this is beyond the range of my present paper, I will defer lengthened re- 

 marks to a future time. I trust I may have sufficiently proved that this ia 

 ' ' annus mirabilis. " 



This paper had been most carefully prepared and was exceedingly interest- 

 ing. It was accompanied with many very clever diagrams, which clearly demon- 

 strated the extremes of heat and cold from the earliest times that records to be 

 depended upon were kept. Mr. Southall received the cordial thanks of the Club. 



Dinner was now announced, and the summons was gladly attended to with 



poetical appreciation : 



"Unlike the flabby fish in London sold, 

 A Severn salmon's worth its weight in gold." 



The host entertained the Club right well, and received a well-deserved com- 

 pliment from the members ere they set off to the junction to take train to Much 



