ee 
Meteorological Sub-Committee for 1898. 295 
rainfall than the present year have been extracted, with the 
result that there are only six such years at Greenwich, five at 
Wimbledon, two at Surbiton, and none at all at Redhill. These 
years of small rainfall are shown in the table. 
YEARS OF RAINFALL SMALLER THAN 1898. 
| GREENWICH WIMBLEDON | SURBITON REDHILL 
IN. IN. IN. 
1840 .. 16°43 | 1854 .. 14:95 | 1884 .. 15-06 
1847 .. 17°61 | 1858 .. 18°63 | 1887 .. 18°30 
1858 .. 17°70 | 1864 .. 16-37 None 
1864 .. 16°38 | 1870 .. 18:22 
1870 .. 18°55 | 1884 .. 16°80 
1884 .. 18-05 
1898 .. 18°85 | 1898 .. 18°97 | 1898 .. 18-55 | 1898 .. 22°59 
The significance of the above table, if carefully studied, is very 
great. It shows conclusively how small the rainfall of 1898 
was, and how well founded were the complaints of a great 
scarcity of water. In order to show this more in detail, I have 
again constructed tables for Greenwich, Surbiton, and Mt. 
Ararat, Wimbledon, similar to those in last year’s Report. 
Tables A and B refer to Greenwich. Table A shows that the 
rainfall of 1898 is 6-11 in. below the 80 years’ average, whilst 
table B shows that it is 5-37 in. below the 40 years’ average ; 
the difference between the two tables being 0-74 in., the same as 
last year. The great deficiency in the rainfall in the months of 
January, July, August, and September are specially noticeable. 
When we look at the three tables B, C, and D, a great differ- 
ence, as compared with the similar tables in last year’s Report, 
is noticeable. Here we have the greatest deficiency 5-87 in. at 
Surbiton, and the smallest 5:09 in. at Wimbledon, the deficiency 
at Greenwich being nearly midway between the two. This is a 
very different result to that shown in last year’s Report, where 
there was a deficiency of 2:14 in. at Greenwich, and an actual 
excess at Surbiton and Wimbledon of 0-01 in. and 0:04 in. 
respectively. In these three tables the great deficiency in the 
rainfall of the four months of January, July, August and 
September will again be noticed. There is a curious feature in 
table D, referring to Wimbledon, in that there is an actual 
excess in the month of March, an excess which appears to have 
been in a great measure occasioned by the fall on the 25th being 
heavier at Wimbledon than at Surbiton and Greenwich. j 
In Appendix II. the falls of rain of 1-00 in. and upwards are 
set out, and the very small number of days, viz. five, and the 
smallness of the amounts, not one being 2°00 in., are especially 
c 
