404 METEOROLOGICAL REPORT, 1869, 



week was fine and warm, though the wind was from the north. 

 The Cheviots were covered with snow on the 16th, 



Wallington. — The first and third weeks were scarcely like 

 summer. Swallows arrived earlier than usual in 1869, but 

 they perished afterwards by scores from cold and starvation. 

 Flies were very scarce. The weather continued cold up to the 

 20th. On the 21st a great change took place, comparable only 

 to passing from winter to summer, and the weather continued 

 warm until the end of the month. 



On the 15th there was a heavy thunder shower, with a strong 

 gale of wind at night. Trees were uprooted, branches broken 

 off, and the ground strewed with green leaves. 



Wylam. — A fine month.. 



Barometer — Mean height at 8 a.m., 80-063; highest, 30-413 

 on the 28th ; lowest, 29-406 on the 16th. 



Thermometer — Mean, 54-22°; mean of fourteen years, 56*84°; 

 deficiency of 1869, 2-62° ; highest, 55° on the 26th ; lowest, 33° 

 on the 1st. Mean of wet bulb, 50-23° ; of dry bulb, 54-93°. 



Rainfall — 1-45 inches; greatest, 1-00 inch on the 16th; days 

 of fall, seven. 



Height of river, 1-3 feet ; highest not observed. 



Wind— Resultant, N., 14° W. 



Whitley. — There were a few warm days at the beginning of 

 the month. On the 9th and 10th strong cold northerly winds 

 prevailed, and much damage was done to the crab pots of the 

 Cullercoats fishermen. On the 15th a very strong gale sprung 

 up suddenly from the N. at 7.30 and continued all night. Two 

 fishing boats with their crev/s were lost off Cullercoats. There 

 was no wind of any consequence sixteen miles out at sea until 

 10 o'clock P.M. The storm did not reach Whitby until midnight. 

 It is remarkable that the coming storm escaped the vigilance of 

 the Meteorological Office, although their returns for the 15th 

 show a rapidly increasing difference of barometrical pressure be- 

 tween stations W. and E. There was a thunderstorm in London 

 on the same day between 1 and 2 p.m., v/hen the lightning struck 



