mr. a. w. preston’s meteorological notes. 
417 
(only 1888 being colder), and the autumn was the coldest since 
1887. The rainfall of the winter and spring quarters was about 
the average ; that of the summer was even greater than in any 
one of the previous four summers, which were all wet ; and the 
autumn was excessively rainy, owing to the great downpour during 
the month of October. 
Year. 
The mean temperature of the year was about 1.5 degrees below 
the average, and 0.8 degree lower than the previous year. All the 
months were below the average temperature except May and 
November, which were slightly above. The rainfall of the year 
was 3.85 inches above the average, and it was the wettest year 
since 1882. The wettest month was October, which was as much 
as 4.82 inches above its average ; dune was 1.92 inches above its 
average, August about an inch, and .January and April each about 
half an inch above the mean. On the other hand November and 
1 lecember were about U inches, and September three-quarters of 
an inch below the average. The rainfall of the remaining four 
months was not abnormal. The mean estimated force of the wind 
during the year was somewhat less than in the previous year, and 
the number of gales recorded were only ten, against twenty-one 
in 1891. 
N B. — The instruments from which the foregoing observations are taken 
consist of a Kew-puttern standard barometer, corrected for temperature and 
reduced to sea level, standard maximum and minimum thermometers and 
dry and wet bulb thermometers, mounted in a Royal Meteorological Society's 
screen, in a freely exposed situation. All the above instruments are by 
Negretti and Zambra, and have been verified at Kew Observatory. The 
rainfall is measured by a Symons’ Snowdon rain-gauge, and the observations 
of the direction of the wind are, for the most part, taken from the vane on 
the spire of Norwich Cathedral. 
[In consequence of the illness of Mr. Preston he has not been able to read 
the above as it passed through the press. — E d.] 
