47 
part of the county was clearly the most rainy. It was doubtful 
whether the extreme influence of the Downs on the rainfall extended 
to a distance of more than five miles away from them, as at Petworth, 
Horsham, Hayward’s Heath, and Uckfield the rainfall was not more 
than from 10 to 15 per cent. greater than on the coast, but there was 
nevertheless a distinct increase in the rainfall at these places, owing to 
‘the influence of the Downs. Pevensey was the driest spot in the 
county, as far as our present observations showed, and this was owing 
to the attraction by the Downs of rain clouds coming from the south- 
west, and by Fairlight Cliffs, of rain clouds coming from the east. 
| The greatest rainfall recorded in any year in the county was in 
. 1852, which has been mentioned before as having the greatest fall of 
the last 150 years. In this year the total at Dale Park, Arundel, was 
52.03 inches, at Chilgrove, near Chichester, 50.87 inches, and at Uck- 
field, 50.55 inches. The smallest amount registered was 13.11 inches 
at Pevensey in 1858. The earliest rainfall observations made in the 
county were at Brighton in 1790. No continuous records, however, 
‘began until 1834, since which year there were tolerably complete re- — 
cords. The following table gave the mean rainfall at those places 
where it had been longest observed :— 
——- =  — 
Chichester Infirmary, 30 years mean, 28.27 inches. 
7 
’ 
‘ 
: 
, 
Chichester (Chilgrove) es 32.95. ‘ 
Pevensey Re 24.07‘ 
Uckfield 28 < 29.38 §f 
Hastings 23 ie 27.20". 
Brighton : 21 a 26.20 ‘ 
Worthing 20 ss 26:29)». 
Arundel (Dale Park) 20 ¥3 33.65 
% Maresfield (Forest 
Lodge) 15 cf BI 
Taking the rainfall of Brighton. The greatest amount was almost 
uniformly recorded at the Water Works, Lewes-road. This might, pro- 
bably, be attributed to the fact that the south-west wind, which 
generally brought the rain, had to pass over two slight eminences in 
the Downs before reaching the Water Works. 1t seemed quite plain 
that the rainstorms travelled up the central valley, as the totals at St. 
James’s-street, at the mouth of the valley, were less than at the 
Water Works, ‘The portion of the town which had the least rainfall 
