100 



Report on the Statistics of Banda. 



[No. 2. 



adjoining the rivers. The injury done to crops and attributed to frost 

 by the natives, I am inclined to lay to the account of electric phseno- 

 mena, because it always occurs in irregular patches in the field, without 

 any patent cause or reason from lowness of situation, dampness or 

 exposure as would be the case were frost the cause. It likewise occurs 

 when frost is impossible from the general temperature of the air. The 

 hot weather commences in the middle of March and the spring crops, 

 wheat, &c. are consequently ready for the sickle early in that month 

 and very little is left uncut by the beginning of April. The hot winds 

 are distinguished by two peculiarities ; first, the absence or extreme 

 rareness of dust storms ; secondly, the exceeding purity and trans- 

 parency of the atmosphere during greater part of that season especially 

 in the afternoons, when in other parts of India, the sky has a hazy 

 appearance from quantities of dust and fog in the air. I attribute 

 this peculiarity to the constant exhalation of moisture proceeding from 

 the ever-deepening fissures of the black soil. To this purity of atmo- 

 sphere may perhaps be attributed the frequently fatal effects of the 

 hot winds, or rather in my opinion, of the sun ; deaths being not unfre- 

 quent among the natives from exposure at mid-day. In the commence- 

 ment of the hot weather when the nights are still cold and the sun is 

 powerful from the moment of its appearance, the optical phsenomenon 

 of the elevation of distant scenery is not uncommon, either so as to 

 elongate the groves and trees naturally visible or so as to bring objects 

 far beyond the natural field of view into sight. I have not been able 

 to keep a very regular register of the thermometer owing to my 

 absence in the interior of the district. The following is an abstract. 







l~ 1 









— 









1847-48. gj 



Extremes 





1848-49. 





Extremes 





S 



•2 



Means. 



"o < 

 .2 ea 





S 



p 



Means. 



o 



a 

 o 



'55 







. s 



S 



3 









~U 



S 



p 











s 



'3 





s 



c 



OS 



0> 





a 



es 



s 



'2 





H 

 'S3 



ea 



a 



CD —J 



a 



03 





% 



H 



§ 



s- 



A 



2 



2 



2 



H 



§ 



2 



Q 



2 



2 



May, .... 



88.9 



97.5 



105.5 



97.2 



16 



83 



112 



83 



97.8 



109 



96.0 



18 



78 



114 



June, .... 



88 



97.1 



108.1 



98 



12.5 



78 



112 



84.8 



95.8 



104 6 



94.7 



12.2 



79 



no 



July, .... 



78 f 6 



89-3 



95 



86.8 



4.9 



70 



105 



83.2 



89 



98 



90.6 



7 



76 



108 



August, .. 



78.4 



85 



90 2 



84.2 



2.9 



74 



100 



79 



86.6 



93 



86.2 



4 



76 



99 



September, 



77.2 



87 



92.6 



84.9 



4.1 



74 



99 



76.7 



86.1 



92,3 



84.5 



63 



73 



100 



October,.. 



69.5 



79.9 



86.6 



78 



5.3 



64 



91 



72.8 



83 



93.2 



83 



9.1 



67 



98 



November, 



59.5 



67 



75.5 



67.5 



3 



56 



78 



57.7 



71 



82.6 



75 



0.6 



49 



87 



December, 



53.4 



62 



73.5 



63.4 



4 



49 



78 



48.2 



64.6 



79 



63.6 



. . 



41 



85 



January,.. 



52.7 



62 



74 



63.4 



4 



47 



79 



45.4 



57 



73.2 



59.3 





35 



82 



February, 



52.2 



59 



71.6 



61.9 



5 



45 



80 



52.8 



64 



83 



77.9 





44 



96 



March, .. 



69.1 



82.8 



96 



82.5 



12.5 



61 



104 



69 















April, .... 



82.2 



96 



105.3 



94 



16.5 



75 



110 

















