24 J. F. Miller, Esq., on the 



haven, the month of December was no less than 4°*5 above its ave- 

 rage mean temperature. At Greenwich, it was the mildest month 

 in the last 80 years, — and November was exceeded by only one 

 year (1818) in the same period. 



The fall of rain in December at Whitehaven, was 11*002 inches, 

 a greater quantity than has been gauged in any one month during 

 the last 20 years, — and exceeding the average by no less than 7'16 

 inches. Every day but one was more or less wet. On the 11th 

 and 12th, an extraordinary amount of rain fell over the Lake Dis- 

 trict, and, the consequence was, the highest floods ever known at 

 Keswick, Cockermouth, and other places. On the morning of the 

 13th, the height of Derwent Lake, and of the River Greta, was 

 greater than it had ever been before, in the memory of any living 

 individual. The water was deep on the Main Street of Keswick 

 for upwards of 100 yards from the bridge across the Greta, and it 

 completely inundated some of the houses, doing a considerable amount 

 of damage. In consequence of the overflowing both of the rivers Der- 

 went and Cocker, the principal street of Cockermouth was flooded to 

 the depth of 2 or 3 feet, and a salmon was seen swimming opposite 

 to the Globe Hotel in that town. 



At the '• Goat," at the outskirts of Cockermouth, the water co- 

 vered the mantelpieces in several of the houses, and the lives of the 

 inhabitants were placed in imminent peril. The railway between 

 Cockermouth and Workington was under water, and one of the 

 wooden bridges was carried away. Windermere Lake was exceed- 

 ingly high, and it would have been higher than on February the 9th 

 1831 (or seven feet above its usual level), had not the outlet been 

 made one or two feet deeper near Newby Bridge, for the passage of 

 steamers. Under these circumstances, the Lake was just three 

 inches lower than in February, 1831. On the 11th and 12th of 

 December, the quantity of rain measured at Stonethwaite, for forty- 

 eight hours, was 9*11 inches; at Seathwaite, 7'57 inches; and at 

 Cum mock Lake, 6* 60 inches. In five days of this month, 15*18 

 inches fell at Seathwaite, and 16*36 inches at Stonethwaite. 



The mean temperature of 1852, at this place, was 50°*155, which 

 is 1°*31 above the climatic average. In the last 20 years, there have 

 been but three which have attained to a temperature of 50°, — viz., 

 1834, 1846, and 1852. 



The Evaporation is 30*35 inches, exceeding the annual average 

 quantity by 0*519 inch, and the amount in 1851, by 5.008 inches. 

 The greatest depth evaporated in any single day was 0336 inches 

 on the 27th of July, with a temperature of 73 0, 5 — complement of 

 the dew point 9°, and a bright unclouded sky.* In the almost 

 tropically fine and dry year 1842, the evaporation amounted to 36*83 

 inches, exceeding the depth of water precipitated by 2*143 inches. 



* The greatest depth of water raised by evaporation in 24 hours, during the 

 Jl years lar>t past, was 0-430 inch, on the 22d .May, 1844. 



