( VI ) 
days the mean temperature was more than 12° below its average, 
and on the 24th it was as large as 17^° below ; the average 
daily deficiency of mean temperature for the 20 days ending De- 
cember 25th was 10°'8. On December 26th the weather suddenly 
changed, and became much warmer ; the mean temperature of both 
December 30th and 31st was about 14° in excess of the average, 
being 31° to 32° higher than that of six days before ; viz., on Decem- 
ber 24th. 
The cold winterly weather in December was general over the 
country', and on some of the days the temperature was extremely low. 
The mean temperature for October was 51°- 5, being l°-9 and 1°'3 
above the averages of the preceding 107 years and 37 years respec- 
tively. It was 2°-9 higher than the value in 1877, and l°-3 below 
that in 1876. 
The mean temperature for November was 39°-7, being 2°-6 and 3°"9 
below tbe averages of the preceding 107 years and 37 years respec- 
tivelj^ It was lower than any value back to 1871, when it was 
37°'6, and, with this exception, it is 16 years (or back to 1862) since 
we have had so cold a November as in the present year (1878). 
The value in 1862 was 39°-8. 
The mean temperature for December was 33°*7, being 5°'4 and 6°-5 
below the averages of the preceding 107 years and 37 years respec- 
tively. The following are the only instances back to 1771 when 
the mean temperature of December was as low as that in 1878, 
viz., 33°-7 : 
In 1784 when it was 31 
„ 1788 „ 29 
„ 1796 „ 30 
„ 1798 „ 33 
„ 1799 „ 32 
In 1840 when it was 33-3 
„ 1844 „ 33-0 
„ 1846 „ 82-9 
„ 1870 „ 33-6 
„ 1874 „ 33-2 
The mean temperature for the quarter was 41°-6, being 2° and 3° 
below the averages of the preceding 107 years and 37 years respec- 
tively. 
The fall of rain at Greenwich in October was 1-7 inch, being 
1-1 inch below the average of 63 years. The fall in November 
was 3*5 inches, being 1*1 inch above the average ; and the fall in 
December was 1*2 inch, being 0-9 inch below the average. The total 
fall for the quarter was 6'4 inches, or 0*9 inch beluw the average. 
The mean reading of the barometer, in the neighbourhood of 
London, was below the average in each month of the quarter. The 
highest reading of the barometer was 30*30 inches on November 19th, 
and the lowest reading was 28 86 inches on October 26th, the. 
extreme range of readings being 1"44 inch. 
