REV. E. F. WHEELER, M.A., AND DR. H00PPELL. 477 



and more unsteady, till the end of the month. The thermome- 

 ter rather rising from the beginning to the end of the month. 



Barometer — Mean height at 3 a.m., 29-883 ; highest, 30-405 

 on the 8th ; lowest, 29-117 on the 28th. 



Thermometer — Mean of maximum 44-81° 



Mean of minimum 32-58° 



Difference 12-23° 



Mean for month ( max - + min -) = 38-69° 

 Mean of sixteen years 39*47° 



Deficiency of 1871 0-78° 



Highest reading, 58° on the 19th ; lowest, 22° on the 5th. 



Mean of wet bulb at 8 a.m., 35-84°; of dry bulb, 37-82° ; dif- 

 ference, l - 98°. 



Fall — Eain, 1-14 inches, snow (melted), 0-36 inch, = 1*50 

 inch ; greatest fall, 0-34 inch on the 23rd ; days of fall, thirteen. 



River Tyne at Wylam Bridge — Mean height, 3*75~feet ; high- 

 est, 8-5 feet on the 11th. 



Wind— W., 22-5° N. 



Seaham Harbour. — The lowest reading of the barometer was 

 29*12 inches on the 28th ; the highest 30-35 inches on the 13th. 

 Heavy showers of snow fell on the 3rd. December on the whole 

 was a milder month than November. There was a violent gale 

 of wind on the 18th. The prevailing winds were S. and S.W. 



Sunderland. — On the 3rd, about 9.40 p.m., while it was snow- 

 ing, a brilliant flash of lighting was seen, followed quickly by 

 a very loud peal of thunder. Many persons who witnessed 

 it described it as the brightest flash and loudest thunder they 

 had ever witnessed. There is no reason to suppose that it was 

 a meteor. 



Dinsdale, near Darlington. — The closing year has been on the 

 whole a most ungenial one. Both vegetables and fruit suffered 

 from want of sunshine. The fruit crop was both scarce and 

 lacking in flavour. 



