Report (if the Meteorological Sub- Committee for 1892. 29 



Committee is indebted to Mr. Morris, tlie engineer of the Kent 

 Waterworks Company. 



With respect to the rainfall of the year, the smallness of the 

 fall during the first seven months is especially noticeable. At 

 Greenwich the fall was only 10-04 in., whilst the mean for the 

 first seven months of the 50 years' (1841-90) average is 15-10 in. ; 

 at Surbiton the seven months' fall was only 8-78 in., whereas 

 the 35 years' (1856-90) average is 13-28 m. ; at Brixton the 

 seven months' fall was only 9-73 in., whereas the 20 years' 

 (1871-90) average is 13-65 in. ; at Addiscombe (Outram Road) 

 the seven months' fall was only 11-52 in., whereas the 15 years' 

 (1876-90) average is 14-07 in. ; and at Waddon the seven 

 months' fall was only 10-55 in., whereas the 10 years' (1881-90) 

 average is 12-92 in. These examples show the very serious 

 deficiency which occurred during the first seven months, the 

 deficiency being greater in the case of those places which have 

 the longest average. This curious fact gives rise to a question 

 which the Sub-Cnmmittee can only propound without, owing to 

 the want of sufficient material, making any attempt to solve, 

 viz., the question whether the rainfall of the first seven months 

 does not show signs of diminishing in amount ? This question 

 is well worth very serious consideration, but at present your Sub- 

 Committee can offer no definite reply. The Sub-Committee 

 think that practically at the end of the first seven months there 

 was a deficiency in the rainfall of between 3 in. and 4 in., certainly 

 a very large amount. 



The last five months of the year offer a striking contrast to the 

 first seven months, for the rainfall was in every case above the 

 average. At Greenwich the total of the last five months was 

 12-31 in., the 50 years' average for the same months being 

 11-44 in. ; at Surbiton the fall for the last five months was 

 12-39 in., the 35 years' average being 11-31 in. ; at Brixton it 

 was 13-27 in., whilst the 20 years' average was 11-46 in. ; at 

 Addiscombe (Outram Road) it was 13-30 in., whilst the 15 years' 

 average was 12-34 in. ; and at Waddon it was 12-50 in., whilst 

 the 10 years' average was 10-73 in. It would thus appear that 

 over the district the excess of the last five months would be about 

 1 in. 



With respect to the deficiency in the annual fall as compared 

 with the average, it would be between 2 in. and 3 in. in the 

 Club's district. This great deficiency will not, however, produce 

 any very serious effects on our water supply, for, as shown above, 

 the deficiency occurred in the early part of the year, when 

 evaporation is very active, and very little of the rain that falls 

 can replenish our underground stores of water, whilst the heavy 

 rains of the latter part of the year have been of essential use in 

 adding to our stores ; so that there is no likelihood of a deficiency 

 during the present year. 



