Cuar. XV.] TEMPERATURE OF SHANGHAE. 279 
the year, the cold then being quite as severe as it 
is with us in the south of England. In the winter 
of 1844-45 the thermometer sunk as low as 26° 
Fahrenheit. On the night of the 18th of December, 
and again on January the 4th, the index was left 
at 24°. But that winter, according to Chinese 
accounts, was peculiarly mild, so much so, that the 
usual supply of ice could not be procured. In 
ordinary years the ponds and canals are frequently 
frozen several inches in thickness, and afford a 
plentiful supply of ice. I have, therefore, little 
doubt that in most years the thermometer may be 
found at least twenty degrees below the freezing 
point, or at 12° of Fahrenheit, and perhaps even 
lower. Snow frequently falls, but the sun is too 
powerful to allow it to lie long on the ground. 
If we except the extremes of heat and cold just 
noticed, the climate of Shanghae may be pronounced 
as fine as any in the world. Even the cold in 
winter is highly advantageous to the natives, and 
still more so to Europeans and Americans, as it 
strengthens their constitutions, and enables them to 
withstand the effects of the excessive heat. The 
months of April, May, and June are delightful, and 
although the sun is hot in the middle of the day, in 
the afternoon the air is soft and agreeable, and the 
evenings cool and pleasant. The autumnal months 
are generally of the same description ; the wind then 
is cool and bracing, and the sky is much clearer 
than in England. The sun, for days, and some- 
T 4 
