By the Rev. J. Wilkinson. 67 



than half the year), when respectively -13, - 04, 10, '05, -18, -04, 

 •06, higher. 



The general conclusion, to which this comparison leads, would 

 seem to be, that on the whole the climate of Broughton Gifford is 

 less hot, and less dry, than that of Greenwich ; heat and moisture 

 being the principal causes of variations in the weight of the atmos- 

 phere, and consequently of the mercury's rise or fall in the tube 

 of the barometer. If there be any exception, it would be that the 

 atmosphere appears less heavy at Broughton Gifford in August. 

 A comparison of the annual means for the three years at the two 

 places supports this general conclusion, and shows the amount of 

 difference between Broughton Gifford and Greenwich. In 1851, 

 1852, 1853, the readings were lower here respectively '055, "056, 

 •053. The great similarity, and almost uniformity of the figures 

 is remarkable, and is a sort of test of the accuracy of the observa- 

 tions in both places. The mean of three years is almost identical 

 with that for any one year, being -0546 (rather more than l-20th 

 of an inch), which figures express the regular depression of the 

 atmosphere at Broughton Gifford (as far as can be inferred from 

 three years observations) below that of Greenwich. 



This may be taken to be a favourable testimony to the climate 

 here, for Kent (it should be remembered) is one of the driest, and, 

 in summer, one of the hottest counties in England. There are few 

 places where the barometer ranges higher than at Greenwich. 

 Were the comparison made between the general climate of Eng- 

 land and that of Broughton Gifford, the result would be greatly 

 in our favour. 



True, the years 1852, 1853, (particularly the former), were very 

 exceptional in their atmospheric character. But then they were 

 exceptional in the West, as well as in the East of England. It may 

 be worth while, as they have never been published, to mark a few 

 of these meteorological discrepancies for 1852, as observed at Green- 

 wich. The general annual Barometrical mean, as deduced from a 

 comparison of thirty consecutive years ending 1844, is 29-870. In 

 1852 it was 29 , 812, and this in spite of the dryness of that j r ear's 

 spring, when the barometer ranged fur above the average. But 



£ 2 



