( in ) 
Second Quarter. — The weather in Ajn-il was very cold and dry. The 
temperature of the air was below its average on every day excepting from 
the 19th to the 23rd, and particularly so from the 14th to the 17th. The 
atmospheric pressure was below its average till the 7th, and from the 21st. 
The fall of ralu was small. The N.E. wind was prevalent. It was an 
ungenial month, and vegetation was very backward. 
The weather in Mai/ was generally cold, sunless, and unseasonable, 
with an unusual prevalence of winds from the N., N.E., and N.W. The 
temperature, with the exception of the five days between the 8th and 
12th, was constantly below the average, and particularly so on the 21st 
and 22nd, on which day snow fell at some places and rain and hail at 
others, with a cold high wind. It was the sixth month in succession with 
the mean temperature below the average. AVe have to go back for forty- 
two years for so low a temperature for the three months ending May — a 
period so important for vegetation — and practically there was only one 
instance of a decided lower temperature in this century, viz., in the year 
1837. The atmospheric pressure in May was above its average from the 7th 
to the 17th, and from the 23rd to the 27th, and was mostly below on the 
other days. The foil of rain was less than the average at most stations. 
Snow fell on several days in the INIidland and Northern counties. 
The weather in June was very fine and dry. The temperature till the 
5tb day was rather low, on the Oth there was a sudden change to warmth, 
and from this day to the 20th the weather was very fine and hot ; from the 
21st to the end of the month it was fine, but rather cool. The atmospheric 
pressure was below the average till the 4th, and constantly above from the 
6th. There was a preponderance of N.E, wind, and almost an absolute 
freedom from thunderstorms. The fall of rain was deficient at all stations, 
and a severe drought was experienced at many places. There were heavy 
falls of rain generally on the 3rd and 4th, and scarcely any afterwards till 
the end of the month. The drought was not felt till the middle of this 
month, but the weather had been dry since January. Up to the end of 
June the average fall of rain from the seventy-two years' previous observa- 
tions is 10'8 inches, and the fall this year is 3'1 inches short of the average. 
The rainfall recorded at 33 stations of observation ranged from 3'01 
inches at Torquaj', 3-14 inches at Osborne, and 3*15 inches at "Wolverhampton 
and Halifax, to 4 70 inches at Greenwich, 5'16 inches at Stonyhurst, and 
5-78 inches at Bath. Rain was measured at Greenwich on 11 days in April, 
18 in May, and 3 in June, or on 32 of the 91 days in the quarter. 
Tbird Quarter. — The weather in July was very fine and warm. The 
temperature of the air was above its average on every day excepting the 
17th, 18th, and 19th, and particularly so on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 8th days. 
The atmospheric pressm'e was above its average excepting only a few days. 
The fi^ll of rain was much below its average at all stations. The drought 
mentioned last mouth, which generally began on June 5, was broken on 
July 4, thus showing an absolute drought of 30 days' duration. The fall of 
rain both preceding and following those days was generally very small, so 
that the drought was of much longer duration, consequently water supplies 
a2 
