17 
The usefulness of Rainfall observations was next considered, 
with special reference to their effect upon the calculations of those 
concerned in the Water Supply of our towns ; and the possible 
dangers of relying upon Averages were pointed out, both in the 
case of Waterworks and of Bridges and Embankments, though 
the striking uniformity of Rainfall through many years was fully 
acknowledged. Still the deficiency of our Rainfall last year 
(1884)— [at Briercliffe the Fall was 16 per cent below the average 
of the writer's five years of observation] —was enough to cause 
grave anxiety as to our Water-Supply,—and considering that 
the deficiency at London was more than 30 per cent below the 
average there, it pointed out the possible results of a proportion- 
ate deficiency here as indeed serious. After some statistics as to 
the Rainfall here and in London (the only other place of which 
the returns had then reached the writer) during 1884, the paper 
proceeded to give some results of five years’ observations at 
Briercliffe. The years 1880 and 1881 showed totals the same 
within half an inch of each other, 46-92 and 46°37. The highest 
total was in 1882, 56°63 in., which fell on 248 days (!), and the 
lowest that of 1884, 38°37,—-showing a difference between the 
extremes of 15-27 in., not much less than the whole of last year’s 
Fall at London. 
Statistics were then given to show the average Rainfall over 
all the districts of England, and with these were compared such 
records as came to us from the various countries of the world. 
The average of Rainfall for all England was 31}in., which varied 
from 20 in. at Lincoln, to 165 in. at the Sty Head Pass, in the 
Lake District. Some of these averages were London and EKdin- 
burgh 24, Manchester 36, Briercliffe 45, Keswick 59, Ambleside 
78, Coniston 85, Ben Lomond 91, Seathwaite 140. In the year 
1882, the Rainfall at the Sty Head Pass reached the enormous 
quantity of 202-5in. In this connection was observed the vast 
resources of the Manchester Water Scheme in drawing the sup- 
ply from the Lake District of Cumberland and Westmoreland : 
for 1 in. of rain was equal to 101 tons of water over each acre. 
In Europe the Eastern portions had the smallest rainfall, 
Astrakhan giving 6, Archangel 14, St. Petersburg 16: against 
Paris 22, Berlin 23, and Rome 30. Of other places it was said 
that the registered average at Bombay was 84, at Poonah 23 ; 
while in one place in Hindostan as high as 610 had been re- 
gistered in one year. 
After noticing that the year 1884 was probably so far as 
London was concerned the dryest on record—the rainfall register- 
ing only 17 inches—there was an examination of the Registrar 
General’s Death Rate Returns for 1884, and a comparison of 
them with the weather of its various months. In conclusion a 
short notice of the local Barometrical results of the terrible 
