during the Qiiarter ending March 31, 1848. 515 



humidity of the air has been less. We have had an unusual 

 prevalence of S.W., W.S.W., and S.S.W. winds at this sea- 

 son, when they are usually replaced by dry and cold N. and 

 N.E. winds. The air has been in frequent rapid motion, and 

 during the period between January 22 and March 4, it passed 

 over Greenwich at the rate of 220 miles daily. 



The barometer readings have been remarkable for great 

 and frequent oscillations and very low readings, exhibiting a 

 difference in these particulars from any period since the year 

 1800 (records previous to this date I have not examined). 

 The amount of rain in March was very nearly double its usual 

 amount; and that for the quarter exceeds the average, reck- 

 oned from 1815 to the present time, by 1\ inches. The 

 water-sodden state of the soil, in many parts, has prevented 

 wheat-sowing and preparing the land at the proper season. 

 The observer at Leeds says, " The rivers in the West Riding 

 of Yorkshire have been much swollen during February and 

 March, and farming operations have, as far as relates to out- 

 door work, been completely at a stand. Horned cattle and 

 sheep have suffered severely from disease of the lungs." The 

 year whose corresponding period most nearly resembles that 

 of the present, is ISi^G. From the preceding remarks, it will 

 be seen that the weather during the past quarter has been as 

 unusual as that of the preceding. 



To the report of the Registrar- General are appended the 

 monthly values at every station, from which the average values 

 for the quarter have been determined, and which are contained 

 in the following table. 



From the numbers in the first column it seems that the vo- 

 lume of dry air was the same at all parts of the country. The 

 mean of all these results is 29*512 inches, and this value may 

 be considered as the pressure of dry air for England during 

 the quarter ending March 31, 1848. 



From the numbers in the second column, we find for the 

 quarter ending March 31, 1848, that the mean temperature of 

 the air for the counties of Cornwall and Devonshire was 42°*], 

 and for the remaining places, excepting Brighton, Liverpool 

 and Whitehaven, was 38°'9. 



I'he average daily range of the temperature of the air in 

 Cornwall and Devonshire was 9°*2 ; at Brighton, Liverpool 

 and Whitehaven, was 6^'7 ; that at Brighton was 5°"1 only, 

 and seems to be too small; at places situated between the 

 latitudes of 51 ' and 53° was ll°-0, except at London, where 

 the range was 8°'9 only; and at uU places N. of 53°, was 

 10''-3. 



The greatest mean daily ranges took place at Hartwell, 

 2 L2 



