METEOROLOGICAL. 221 



was 717.66 inches, making an aggregate of something 

 over forty-two inches each year. 



It is a noticeable fact that of late years few thunder- 

 storms have visited the island, the greater part passing 

 far to the northward. During the year 1881 not a sin- 

 gle thunder-storm, worthy the name, was experienced 

 here. This fact should be remembered by timid and 

 nervous people, who are generally seriously affected by 

 these storms, and it adds another to the many advan- 

 tages possessed by the island as a resort for invalids. 

 By careful examination of the tables, it will be found 

 that the average temperature of the island in the win- 

 ter is much above that of any other part of New Eng- 

 land, thus rendering it an attractive spot for a winter 

 as well as a summer resort. 



The temperature of the island during the past twenty- 

 five years has greatly improved, as the following will 

 show : In the terribly severe winters 1855-56 and 

 1856-57, the harbor was frozen over so that no commu- 

 nication was had with the mainland for a number of 

 weeks. The compiler well remembers of riding across 

 the harbor in a sleigh, the former winter. He was 

 away from the island the succeeding one ; but if mem- 

 ory serves, the harbor that season was closed for six 

 weeks, and twenty-nine mails were landed at one time 

 at Great Point, the steamer being unable to force her 

 way through the ice to the harbor. In February, 1881, 

 the harbor was closed for a short time; but by referring 

 to certain authentic records, the compiler finds that the 

 mercury reached zero but once. 



Yery little snow ever falls here, and rarely does the 

 ice crop exceed eight inches in thickness. High winds 



