378 Meteorology of Whitehaven. 



The deaths throughout England are more, by 7007, than the corrected 

 quarterly average from 1838 to 1846. 



October. — Mild, with occasional heavy rains. The mean temperature 

 and complement of the dew-point are both in excess, the former by 1°"11, 

 the latter by 0°-87. 



About 7 P.M. on the evening of the 12th, there was a splendid auroral 

 arch, stretching quite across the sky, and passing nearly through the 

 zenith. It disappeared in a few minutes after it was first noticed. 

 There was an aurora with streamers on the following evening. 



The large eclipse of the sun, which took place on the morning of the 

 9th, was very favourably seen from this place, though, from the clouded 

 state of the atmosphere, it was invisible to most parts of England. Some 

 particulars of this eclipse, as observed at Whitehaven, may be found in 

 the " Whitehaven Herald" of the 16th, and the " Illustrated London 

 News" of the 23d of the month. 



November. — A very mild but excessively wet month. The mean tem- 

 perature is 2"°69 in excess. 



At Cockermouth, on the night of the 26th, there were several loud 

 peals of thunder, with heavy rain and hailstones of a very large size. 

 An observer near Cockermouth informs me, that from 8'' 30'" to 11'' 

 P.M., and subsequently, a magnificent aurora extended over nearly 90° 

 of the northern horizon, at one time displaying two concentric arches. 

 The centre of the higher arch was elevated about 25° or 30°, and was 

 bounded internally by clouds of the densest black, which contrasted 

 beautifully with the brilliant light above. 



December. — Very wet to the 19th ; afterwards fair to the end, except 

 a heavy fall of snow (yielding 0-858 of water) on the 29th. Tempera- 

 ture 0'85 below the average. 



On the 6th, the barometer fell to 28-01, being yl^ths of an inch higher 

 than the reading on January 13, 1843. It was followed by a heavy 

 gale and a great quantity of hail, the storm commencing after the mer- 

 cury had begun to rise. 



The mean temperature of the quarter ending December 31st is 1° 

 above the average. The complement of the dew-point is also l°-67 in 

 excess. 



The deaths throughout the Union during the quarter are 247, or 40 

 per cent, nearly above the average of 8 years, which is 178. 



In the town only, the number is 116, or 27 per cent, above the average, 

 which is 91. In the corresponding quarter of 1846, the deaths in the 

 Union were 310, and in the town 158, whilst in 1845 the numbers were 

 only 156 and 73 respectively. According to the Registrar-General's Re- 

 port, the excess of deaths throughout England in this quarter above the 

 calculated average, is 11,376; in 1845 they were 5670 below the 

 average. 



The chief peculiarity connected with the meteorology of the past 

 year, is the very unequal distribution of rain in the difierent seasons ; — 

 the excessive wetness of the fourth, and the remarkable dryness of the 

 first three quarters. In the first quarter, we had 5-070 inches ; in the 

 second 8-900 inches ; in the third 9-010 inches, and in the last quarter 

 19*941 inches. From the 1st of January to the 30th September, there 

 fell 22-98 inches, and from the IstOctober to the 31st December 19-941 



