8 Opening Address. 



doubt as to the character of the year. Brackets in addition, to 

 mark of interrogation imply that the character of the year is not 

 known. "When the letter d (dry), w (wet), or m (medium) occur 

 after a year within brackets, it is meant that the year is exceptional 

 or contradictory to the series. It will be seen, on examining the 

 tables, that there are many of these exceptional years ; and yet 

 so many fall regularly within the 19-year periods that we cannot 

 deny a certain amount of probability in Mr. Eussell's theory. 

 I cannot say, however, that I am satisfied with it ; and by 

 prolonged observation it must stand or fall. 



Wet Yeaes. 



1860 



[1863 w»] 1864 



1867 



1841 



1844 1845 



1848 



1822? 



1825 1826 



1829? 



[1803 ?] 



1806 [1807 ?] 

 Medium Y^eaes. 



1810? 

 [1791 f/] 



1857 



1861 1869 



[1874 ?] 



[1838 d] 



1842 1850 



1855 



1819 to ? 



"1823 d'] 1831 ? 



1836 



1800 w ? 



;i804 ?] 1812 ? 



Medium Dey Yeaes. 

 1859 [1871-2 ?] 

 1840 1852-3 

 [1821 ?] [1833-4 ?] 

 [1802?] 1814-15 



Dey Yeaes. 



[1817 M'] 

 [1798 ?] 



1858 1862 



1865-6 1868 [1870 w] 



[1873?] [1875?] 



1839 [1843 w] 



1846-7 1849 1861 



1854 1856 



1820 1824 



1827-8 [1830 ?] 1832 



1835 1837 



[1801?] [1805 w] 



[1808-9 ?] 1811 1813 



[1816 ?] 1818 





1789 1792 ? [1794 ?] 



1797 



In Mr. Eussell's diagram of rainfall there seems to be an error 

 in marking the year 1S4?8, for this year in the general table stands 

 at 59-17, making it almost identical with its 19th year (1867) 

 which was 5 9 '63. And there is a slight error in the annual mean. 

 It should be 49-259, instead of 48-849. If we take the thirty 

 complete years from 1841 to 1870 inclusive the mean comes out 

 49-514. 



Closely connected with the subject of rain is that of winds. 

 These afford a fine field of investigation for anyone that has a 

 taste for meteorological inquiries, and the requisite leisure. Very 

 little has jet been done. The daily returns from the stations 



