18 



REPORT 1864. 



kept for a sufficient length of time to determine the mean j'early temperature of the 

 town itself. He was enabled, however, from observations of his own, combined 

 with those of others, to correct a popular en-or respecting the summer temperatui-e. 

 Strangers often suppose that as Bath is milder than many towns in the midland, 

 eastern, and south-eastern counties of England in winter, it must necessarily be 

 hotter in suromer. Several instances were adduced in which, during periods of 

 very high temperatm-e in most parts of England, the conti-ary was shown to be the 

 case ; and he stated generally, in reference to both summer and winter, that he 

 found on an average a difference of 5° between extremes of heat and cold at Bath 

 and the extremes of heat and cold registered during the same states of weather at 

 those other places above alluded to. This difference increased as the seasons 

 became more extreme, and diminished when they were of a more moderate cha- 

 racter, sometimes being scarcely perceptible. 



The towns in England cooler than Bath in summer were stated to be Liverpool, 

 Manchester, York, and Scarborough. Those decidedly warmer than Bath in winter 

 were considered to be Ventnor, Torquay, and Penzance. 



If Bath, notwithstanding its lower mean summer temperature than many other 

 places, has anything of a relaxing character at that season, as it is often considered 

 to have, it was thought this might be due to its being situated at the bottom of a 

 basin, surrounded nearly on all sides by high hills, which must necessarily check 

 the cu'culation of the air, and render the atmosphere in the town, to a certain 

 extent, oppressive in sultry weather. The same hills probably have an influence in 

 moderating both the heat of summer and the cold of winter. 



The averao-e yearly rainfall in the town of Bath, calculated from the measiu-e- 

 ments of twenty years (1842 to 1861, both inclusive) by a gentleman whose gauge 

 was on the top of his house, 90 feet above the sea-level, was stated to be 31-97 

 inches. 



The following Tables give the rain at three other stations in the neighbourhood 

 of Bath :— 



The first of these stations is Swanswick Cottage, about two miles north of Bath, 

 the measurements having been made by the Rev. F. Lockey for a period of thirty 

 years, 1834-1863. Gauge 32 feet above the ground, and at the estimated height of 

 350 feet above the river at Bath. 



The second station is Radstock, about eight miles south of Bath. Register 

 kept by the late rector for ten years, 1841-1850, Gauge 250 feet above the sea- 

 level. 



The third is Batheaston Reservoirs, about three miles north-east of Bath, where 

 a register was commenced by Mr. Mitchell in 1860, and is still carried on. Gauge 

 about 2 feet from the ground, and 226 feet above the sea. The fall of rain in this 

 locality for each month of the four complete years since elapsed, with the addition 

 of the number of days in each month on which rain fell, is given separate in the 

 second Table. 



Table I. — Average Rainfall in inches. 



January..., 

 February . 

 March ..., 



April , 



May 



June 



July 



August ... 

 September 

 October . . . 

 November 

 December 



Swanswick 

 30 years. 



1-85 

 1-30 

 1-41 

 1-48 

 2-11 

 2-67 

 2-47 

 2-47 

 2-79 

 304 

 2-60 

 1-59 



25-78 



Eadstock. 

 10 years. 



2-76 

 2-66 

 2-54 

 2-48 

 2-47 

 2-33 

 2-70 

 2-94 

 2-98 

 403 

 3-71 

 2-99 



34-59 



