NOTES ON THE CLIMATE OF VICTORIA. 
the shade occur at Sandhurst in January, namely, 117°, while 
Melbourne reaches 111°. Tliere are, liowever, localities in which 
even higlier tem]teratiires nilc in the same month, especially on 
the plains north of the Dividing Range and along tlie banks of the 
Mun-ay, boWeen latitudes 34^ and 36° 30', in which localities 
the temperature has often been as high as 123° to 125° for several 
days together. It is during tlie hot winds to wliich tliis climate 
is subject in summer tliat our highest temperatures occur, but 
they seldom last many liours, and are usually ra|»idly followed by 
a ciiange in direction of the whid, and by a comparatively low 
tliermometer, when a fall of 20° to 25° (jften occurs in as many 
minutes, 
Tlie minimum temperatures occur in June, July, and August, 
the lowest yet known in Melbourne lieing 27°*0, or 5° below 
freezing point; at Portland, 27°; at Sandhurst, 27°’5; and at 
Ballarat, 22°, or 10° below freezing. 
Table IV. exhibits tlie results of observations on terrestrial and 
solar mdifition obtained in Melbourne, the oidy station at which 
they Irave been systeinaticidly made. The ol>sei’vations of solar 
ra'liation are made with a thermometei’ wliose bulli is made of 
black glass, and also covered with a coating of very fine lamp- 
black ; the theirnometer is enclosed in an outer exhausted and 
hermeticalty-sealed glass tube. From the results of a series of 
experiments witli black-bull) thermometers, it appears tliat at 
high temj)eratures sucli as are reached in this colony, no two black- 
bull) thermometers agree; even wlien obtained from tlie best 
ma kers, a. difference of as mucli as 10° f>r 12° is often seen between 
tliennomoters, which will register alike in ordinaiy temperatures, 
when exposed to tlie sun’s rays at a tempei*atiu*e of 130° to 140° 
Tlie temperature of the soil has been obtained at Melbourne 
only. Tlie results are given in Table III., from whence it will be 
found that the greatest yeaily ranges for the sevei’al depths are — 
for 14 inches, 45°'0; three feet, 29°; six feet, 22°.9; and eight feet, 
20°'4; while tlie mean temperatures in the same order are 59°’5, 
59°'5, 60°-3, and 59°'9. 
Tlie following table or Thermic Wind-rose will show the mean 
temperatures for the various directions of the wind in winter and 
summer : — 
s 
Winter. 
0 
49‘40 
Summer. 
0 
68-93 
s. E. 
47-63 
61-27 
E. 
oO-lO 
65-02 
N. E 
43- 0 
68-09 
N. 
.50-37 
75-26 
N. W 
47*38 
62-67 
w 
49-09 
58-85 
Iw. 
50-07 
63-34 
