during the Quarter endhfg December 31, IS-t?. 133 



of the electrical apparatus, and found it to be in a satisfactory 

 state at all times. On the above day, and on every day after- 

 wards till the end of the quarter, active electricity was shown. 



The approximate mean monthly temperatures for other 

 places besides Greenwich were found to differ but little in each 

 month from those at Greenwich. In the comparison between 

 places situated at different elevations, there is one leading dif- 

 ference in respect to temperature which we must expect to find, 

 viz. that at the places of a higher level, a lower mean tempe- 

 rature, and a greater range of temperature take place, than at 

 places situated at a lower level. These conditions are very 

 clearly shown in the tables. 



The monthly mean temperatures of those places in Cornwall 

 and Devonshire in each of these three months were somewhat 

 above those at other places. At Exeter, however, the differ- 

 ence in this respect from those in other counties is small ; in 

 fact the weather at this place during the past quarter more 

 nearly resembled that of places out of these counties, than that 

 of places situated within them. 



The remarkable cold period referred to above, which hap- 

 pened between November 17 and November 21, between 

 periods of so different temperatures, deserves particular notice. 

 As far as I can infer from the meteorological returns from the 

 country, it seems to have been general. Snow to a consider- 

 able depth fell within this period in Suffolk ; but it is not no- 

 ticed as having fallen elsewhere. The particulars of the 

 changes of temperatures in the months of November and De- 

 cember I have detailed in the Registrar- General's weekly re- 

 ports in December. I may here remark, however, that du- 

 ring these two months the usual diurnal rise and fall of the 

 temperatures of the air and of the dew-point very frequently 

 did not take place ; and they were often reversed ; a nocturnal 

 rising temperature and a daily falling temperature were of fre- 

 quent occurrence. 



From the circumstance of these anomalous changes of tem- 

 peratures, as might be expected, the usual diurnal difference 

 in the readings of the barometer did not take place. The 

 readings at times constantly increased for several days together, 

 and then decreased for several days together. In December, 

 on tiie seventh day, at 3 a.m., the remarkably low reading of 

 28*383 inches took place at Greenwich ; and this low reading 

 was general over the country ; but it first took place at north- 

 ern places and then at southern. Tiius the minimum occurred 

 at Durham on December G, at 6 P.M., and it was 27"89 inches; 

 at Stonyhurst during the evening, and it was 27"8'H inches; 

 at Liverpool at 10'' I'.M., and it was 28"184 inches; at Cam- 

 bridge on December 7, at l'> 10'" a.m., and it was 28"382 



