RepoH of the Meteorological Sub-Committee for 1888. 169 



R.E., left Hillside House, Woolwich, for Malta in October, but 

 observations have since been carried on in the adjoining garden 

 by Captain Cleeve, R.E. Mr. Porter left Border Lodge, Forest 

 Hill, at the end of September, and the gauge with which it had 

 been intended to continue observations monthly was stolen in 

 November. And Mr. Rostron moved on the 10th of October 

 from Woodlands, Beddington Lane, into the village of Beddington. 

 The two last-mentioned observers, however, will be on the staff 

 for the present year. 



Appendix I. to this Report contains a list of the observers, 

 with particulars relating to the stations and gauges. The seven 

 stations with an asterisk prefixed were admitted after the com- 

 mencement of the year. 



Appendix II. contains the Tables of ;daily rainfall issued 

 monthly, and subsequently stereotyped. 



Appendix III. gives the monthly rainfall of the six other 

 stations. 



Appendix IV. contains 5-year means of monthly ramfall, so 

 far back as they extend, of the Observatories of Greenwich and 

 Kew, arranged in lustra, as recommended by the International 

 Meteorological Congress of Vienna, 1873. 



Finally, Appendix V. gives a record of all falls of rain of 1 in. 

 and upwards in the twenty-four hours, extracted from Appendices 

 II. and III. 



For this year the stations have been arranged accordmg to 

 their height above sea-level, from the highest to the lowest, for 

 Kent and Surrey separately;. But it has been suggested by some 

 of the observers that the distribution of ram in heavy local falls 

 would be better followed if the stations were grouped according 

 to their proximity to one another, irrespective of height above 

 sea-level and of county. This method of local groupmg will be 

 adopted for the year 1889, proceeding from south to north, from 

 west to east, and back again from east to west, as far as possible 

 in regular sequence. 



The chief characteristics of the rainfall for the year 1888 may 

 be gathered from a comparison of the figures at the foot of the 

 tables in Appendix II. and from Appendix III. It will be seen 

 that the summer was a very wet one. The rainfall in the 

 months of June and July was everywhere in excess, and in 

 many places in August, and raised the total for the year to 

 above the average. At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the 

 fall in these three months was 13-84 in., being 0-64 in. more 

 than in the corresponding months of 1879, the wettest summer 

 before the present of which trustworthy records exist. This 

 great excess of rain was brought about by thunderstorms, which 

 in July were especially severe, on two occasions passing centrally 

 over Croydon from the south west, and extending north-east to 



