ROYAL INSTITUTION OF CORNWALL. 61 



choaked up, and is the only place where the gaol and courts for 

 the Stannary are kept. From hence the road passed through St. 

 Blias to Grampound, another corporate town, containing about 

 100 houses, and then by Probus and Tresillian to Truro, and 

 thus completes Ogilby's description of the main roads of Cornwall. 

 Dr. Babham, F.M.S., then made some remarks on the last 

 winter : — The two points brought chiefly under review were (1) 

 the extreme general severity of the short and late winter, almost 

 limited to a fortnight in January ; and (2) the mitigation of cold 

 in our western districts. In illustration of the former Mr. 

 Glaisher's results for Blackheath may be taken as an average 

 standard — those given for the week January 13th to 19th : — 



Degrees. 



Highest day temperature from 



Lowest night ditto 



Mean of highest day temperatures 



Mean of lowest night temperatures 



Mean for day and night 



being 12j degrees below the average of 60 years. 



For the week January 20th to 26th : — 



Highest day temperature from 



Lowest night ditto 



Mean of highest day temperatures 



Mean of lowest night temperatures 



Mean for day and night ... 



being 127 degrees below the average of 60 years. 



The cold was much more intense in other parts ; thus at York 

 the highest day temperature was from 12 to 23 degrees, and the 

 lowest night temperature 3^-, 54-, to 10 degrees, 



Even at Truro, where the mean temperature of the week 

 ending January 22nd was the highest of the stations regularly 

 compared by Mr. Glaisher, in the Gardener^ Chronicle, it did 

 not exceed 27 degrees. 



The chief suffering and loss were caused by the heavy falls of 

 snow — the worst on the 18th, which covered the land generally 

 about a fortnight, and drifted in many places to a depth of 15 

 feet or more. As instances — the journey from Oxford to London 

 took nearly a week, and the chairman of the Great Western 

 Railway estimated their loss at £50,000. From the Tring cutting 

 on the London and North- Western Eailway, 1700 truck loads of 

 snow were removed, equal to a train five miles in length. 



