CHAPTER XVIL 



THE CLIMATE OF THE SOLOMON ISLANDS. 



AMONGST the matters to which I devoted some attention in 

 this group of islands, was the annual rainfall. As far as I 

 know, there have been no continuous observations previously made 

 there ; and the only record of rain-measurement, which I have been 

 able to find referring to this region, was an observation made on 

 board the Austrian fiigate "Novara" in the middle of October, 1858, 

 whilst to the north vvard of St. Christoval, when three inches of rain 

 were registered in five hours.^ I therefore set mvself to work to do 

 what I could in this matter, makinfj rain-o:uaa'e stations at Santa 

 Anna and Ugi and keeping a register myself on board. Mr. Fred 

 Howard undertook to make these observations at Ugi, and I sup- 

 plied him with a rain-guage for this purpose. His register, which 

 extended over a peiiod of fifteen months from October, 1882, to the 

 end of the following year, was kept with great regularity ; and as I 

 was able to compare his observations with my own on board for a 

 few days, I have every confidenc3 in the accuracy of his observa- 

 tions. At Santa Anna, Mr. William Henghan, to whom I had sup- 

 plied a guage, undertook at first to keep the record, beginning in 

 the last week of October, 1882 ; but he left the island two months 

 after, when Mr. Charles Spi'oul voluntarily undertook to measure 

 the rainfall, which he did with great regularity until the end of the 

 following year. I regret to learn that J\Ir. Sproul has recently died 

 at Sydney. He was one of those men who in a quiet inoffensive 

 way have done much towards preparing the way for future settlers 

 in this group. I have the greatest confidence in his observations, 

 since for a few days at Santa Aima we were able to comjiare our 

 daily measurements. 



Before pi'oceeding to consider the results of these rain-measure- 



J Soheizer's " Voyage of the ' Novara,' " Eng. edit., 18GL 



