249 



Note. — January 7, 1878. — During the past week only one 

 shower of rain, equal to 0.10 inch fell, making a total for 

 the five months (nearly) 3.45 inches. Yesterday, January G, 

 temperature in shade rose to 98.6, the highest registered here 

 in seven years. 



Wind in general blew pretty strong, but never increasing to 

 a gale nor falling to a calm, except occasionally at night or in 

 the early mornings. 



Sun's rays in December intensely hot on some days ; on the 

 24th thermometer for solar radiation, by Negretti and Zambra, 

 with blackened bulb, and placed over short grass, registered 

 172.0, the extreme limits of the instrumont, and on the 2Gth, 

 165.7. 



On December 24, the salt water in a tidal creek, 5 feet 

 below the surface was 97.0.; near the surface, in blackish 

 water, 95.0 



The hygrometer gave some remarkable readings during 

 November and December, showing, for Fiji, extreme dryness 

 of the atmosphere : — On November 18, at 2.30 p.m., dry bulb 

 93.6, wet bulb 74.8, difference 18.8, deductions dew point 63.5, 

 tension of vapour -586, relative humidity 37. (Complete 

 saturation of the atmosphere being represented by 100.) 



R. L. Holmes, Observer, 

 Fellow of the Meteorological Society of England. 



