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times in January, twice in February, twice in December, once 
in October and once in November. From this it appears clearly 
that the extremes of high and low barometer occur mostly in the 
winter, and never in any of the summer months, in which the 
range of the mercurial column is comparatively small. 
I will now speak more in detail of other results relating to 
temperature, humidity, and the rainfall. 
Temperatwre.—Temperature is undoubtedly the most important 
element to be determined in the investigation of the meteorology 
of a particular district. It is by mistake, sometimes popularly 
considered as almost the only point to which an inquirer need 
give his attention, before taking up his residence in a new country 
or a new locality. Is it a warm or a cold climate he asks, is its 
temperature adapted for invalids, or is it such as those who are 
not invalids can really enjoy? and both health and comfort 
depend much upon the answer he receives. In most cases, 
however, this question is one too general to admit of a direct 
answer. It needs to be resolved into other questions having 
reference to the temperatures of the seasons separately considered, 
as well as to the range of temperature, and the difference between 
the day and night temperatures, in each season. And these last 
points require especially to be attended to in the instance of the 
Bath climate, which—although it has a slightly higher mean 
temperature than several other English towns in about the same 
latitude, or not very much N. orS. of that latitude,—owes its 
chief distinction to its more temperate character, or to its 
extremes of heat and cold lying within a more contracted range, 
notably the fact both in very hot and in very cold seasons. But 
as I have elsewhere spoken of this feature in the Bath climate I 
need not dwell upon it here.* It will also clearly appear after 
stating the results of the meteorological observations carried on 
* See a Paper on the Summer of 1868, as observed in Bath ;—Proceedings of 
Bath Natural History and Antiquarian Field Club, vol, i, No. 3, p. 43, 
i 
