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1891, inclusive, and though varying a little in some districts, the 
period may be taken for the sake of comparison. In the southern 
parts of the kingdom the frost was almost continuous during the 
period ; in the north many intervals of milder weather were 
experienced, Coming northwards we find a steady and _ progres- 
sive rise in temperature taking place, and, on the other hand, as 
we go southwards, an increasing number of days in which the 
minimum temperature was below 32 degrees, and also in the 
absolute minimum, as the following table clearly shows :-— 
Average Minimum Absolute Nights 
for the period. Minimum. below 82°, 
AUOHGO siete eae 24°,.2 14° 40 
Mores PRY it ee 25°.4. 10° 23 
Ghingents tesdecy. vaste oes 27°.9 We 31 
LOVES) See eee 30°.3 25° 25 
Stornoway.................84°.1 25° 13 
17s lieth ere se ° 70 
aoa Head |... }3s ” 27 4 
Many instances of this progressive difference in temperature 
between the south and north of the country might be given. One 
may be adduced. On the 12th January the mean temperature 
for the previous 24 hours was in— 
London ae ee Si ics na a 21°.5 
York ... seg fe oe aie a age 32°.5 
Cargen a ee tn Oo ue oe 45°.2 
Leith ... 53 aa 3 Pai a 1 44°.8 
Stornoway... aa ih al sah Ke 50° 
Sumburgh Head... See se iy ace 46°.5 
Great damage has been done in many places by the intense 
cold. One instance of this is the destruction amongst the oyster 
beds at Whitstable. The sea was covered with ice, and the 
damage done is estimated at from £15,000 to £20,000. 
Another remarkable feature of the late winter was the small 
rainfall in February throughout the whole country. No such 
dry February for the whole of Great Britain has ever been 
recorded, and it may be doubted if we have ever had in any 
month during the present century so small a rainfall for the 
whole kingdom. The rainfall in the south, generally speaking, 
has been less than in the north. A map is given in the April 
number of the Meteorological Magazine, which shows that the 
average rainfall of the month, between a line drawn from Peter 
head through Glasgow, and another from the mouth of the Tees 
