BY THE REV. E. F. WHEELER, M.A. 435 



the evil whenever we find chlorides in rain water. It is only 

 by a careful examination of the quantity that we can judge." 



"With the above results from the rain before us we see the 

 advantage of examining the air chemically, instead of merely by 

 trials on our own health or on plants. The rain does in reality 

 give us the washings of the air : with pure air we have pure 

 rain." 



The editor abstains from entering on the subject of other 

 bodies contained in the air as not coming so strictly within his 

 present subject. The very popular remarks of Professor Tyn- 

 dale, "On dust and disease," which have been made so widely 

 known of late, will have brought that part of the subject very 

 fully before most of us. 



DISTRIBUTION OF RAIN IN 1869. 



As regards the rainfall throughout England generally during 

 the past year, Mr. Symons reports that the proportion of places 

 in which the rainfall was in excess of the average to those in 

 which it was below it were as thirty-five to sixteen, say, two to 

 one, "and therefore that the fall in England was rather above 

 the average. Closer scrutiny shows that (with two or three ex- 

 ceptions, due probably to records not kept with perfect accuracy,) 

 the geographical distribution of the rainfall of 1869 is readily 

 understood." 



" There was a marked deficiency in the extreme south-west, 

 in Devon and Cornwall, and a slighter one in the north-eastern 

 counties. Between these two localities very considerable ex- 

 cesses prevailed ; in fact, all over the Midland counties the rain- 

 fall was above the mean, by amounts ranging from one to 

 twenty-five per cent, and averaging fifteen per cent. At a great 

 many stations the fall was within one or two per cent, of the 

 mean, and taking the average of all English stations, we find 

 the average of the year to have been five per cent, above the 

 mean." 



In Scotland "the deficiency was greatest in the south-east 

 part of the country, and extended some distance northward, 



