Remarkable Weather. 429 



Again — 



May 26 46*5 



„ 31 47-9 



June 1 49 - 5 



Frosts occurred on May 24,, 27*3 on grass, and 34*9 at 4 feet 

 » 27, 24-9 „ 33-9 „ 



„ 30, 31-5 „ 39-0 „ 



•„ June 1, 23-3 „ 30-5 „ 



)> )} 2, 2o'5 „ 34*3 „ 



The maximum heat in shade, and greatest cold, in 1864, 

 was — 



1864 has been — 



On May 14, 75'2, 



greatest cold, 40*9 



„ 15, 81-2, 



55-7 



„ 16, 82-8, 



56-1 



» 17, 80-3, 



49-8 



» 18, 87-7, 



53-7 



„ 19, 89-3, 



56-2 



„ 20, 80-7, 



53-5 



„ 21, 65-7, 



50-7 



House the greatest heat of May from 18^ 



1846 .... 



. 81-4 



1847 .... 



84-5 



1848 .... 



. 83-0 



1853 .... 



, 82-0 



1855 .... 



81-9 



1858 .... 



84-0 



1864 .... 



89-3 



So that our greatest heat in 1864 has exceeded every year in 

 May by 3°' 1 ; and, were we to carry our investigations through 

 the months of June, July, and August, we should find very 

 few days in these hotter months in which the temperature 

 rose above 89°*3. 



It is worthy of remark that almost invariably hot weather 

 in May has been followed by violent atmospheric disturbances, 

 such as thunder-storms, hail-storms, gales, and floods, and 

 even not infrequently by earthquakes and disturbances of the 

 sea. 



Taking the thirteen hottest years in May from 1794 to 

 1862, as recorded by the Royal Society and Royal Observatory, 

 it will be seen that, in eight years the temperature never rose 

 to the same height again during the summer, whilst in 1846, 

 1857, and 1858 it became very hot. 



As a contrast to the great heat of May, 1864, we will turn 



