58 



several months of the past season, we now take the summer 

 <is a whole, and compare Bath and Greenwich in the same 

 respects. Here, however, I confine myself as before — when 

 estimating the average summer temperatures from the four 

 years 1865, 1866, 1867, and 1868* — to the months of June, 

 July, and August. 



The mean temperature of the whole summer of 1868 at 

 Bath was 63°.5, being 2^.2 higher than the average above 

 alluded to, and 0'.9 lower than the mean at Greenwich, which 

 last Mr. Glaisher states to have been 4°. 3 higher than the 

 average of the preceding 97 years. 



The mean of all the highest at Bath was 7 3°. 5, being S^.O 

 higher than the average of the four years above alluded to ; 

 and 4°. 3 lower than the mean of all the highest, this last 

 summer, at Greenwich. So, while the difference between 

 Bath and Greenwich was under one degree in respect of the 

 Tnean temperature, it was nearly four and a half degrees in 

 respect of the mean of the highest. 



Hot summers are almost necessarily dry ones, in accordance 

 with what has been already stated in the first part of this 

 paper. Fine settled weather in this country is, as a rule, 

 attended more or less by easterly winds, i.e., winds oscillating 

 chiefly between north-east and south-east, though they may 

 occasionally fall back to north or even to north-west. These 

 winds are dry and parching, and cause great evaporation, 

 bringing no moisture with them like the south-westerly and 

 westerly. The longer they blow the clearer becomes the 

 atmosphere, and the more open for the passage of the sun's 

 rays. If the south-east winds are moister than the north- 

 east in the first instance, they soon part with their moisture 

 in passing over the large tracts of land they have to traverse 

 before reaching the English shores. 



We all know the drought of the past summer. We 



* See back, to p. 51. 



