ON THE RAINFALL OF SINGAPORE. 35 



rain has been only seventeen days ; but in considering this, allow- 

 ance has to be made liberally ; for instance, from the 22nd Septem- 

 ber, 1877, to 8th October, there was no rain, but between 9th and 

 23rd October, there were small drizzliugs of rain, viz. : — 

 On the 9th to the extent of 0.09 inches. 

 „ 10th „ 0.03 „ 



„ 14th „ 0.03 „ 



„ 22nd „ 0.05 „ 



the first shower being on 23rd, when 0.35 was registered, so that 

 though there were days of small droppings of rain which inter- 

 vened, the season of dryness was actually from 22nd September to 

 23rd October; and, in like manner, other instances may be adduced. 

 Bat even with this drawback, these tables will, I think, be found of 

 value, as they give a fair representation. The greatest interval 

 without rain ranging from 7 to 17 days in town, and from 7 to 

 23 days in the country. 



It is not possible to obtain information of this nature from 

 condensed annual tabulated statements of former years. Mr. 

 Vafghan's are the earliest available for this sort of analysis, and 

 from them I gather, that the longest interval recorded by him as 

 being without rain, was from 27th January to 2nd March, 1SG1, 

 or 35 days ; during which period no rainfall was registered, though 

 on the 23rd and 26th February there was a " small sprinkling," 

 but nothing appreciable by the gauge. Mr. Knight, whose register 

 commences at this time, also notes this extended drought of 35 days, 

 the showers registered during this interval being two, viz., one to 

 the extent of 0.03 inches, and the other to the extent of 0.11 

 inches, this last only reaching Mr. Vaughan, at River Valley Eoad, 

 as a "small sprinkling," not appreciable. Mr. Knight, in a note 

 when returning his tables which were sent for his revision says : 

 ;i Tour table has the disadvantage of not showing droughts when 

 " they extend from one month to another." This is fully admitted, 

 and, as explained above, the tables are only to give an idea of the 

 ordinary number of consecutive days without rain. 



Seasons. — In 1871, the late Dr. Randell, P. C. M. O., in sub- 

 mitting his Meteorological Report for 1873, proposed that, for the 

 sake of convenience, the year should be divided into three periods 

 of four months each ; which he designated as variable for the first 

 third, dry for the second third, and wet for the remaining portion. 



