„ Hia Tftth T mu arv to the 19th March, 30 days only, 2/l00ths 
of an" inch were registered. The rain I registered in March was as 
follows 
17th. 
20 th 
24th 
25th 
26 th 
29 th 
31st 
.01 
.52 
.04 
.61 
.02 * 
■32 
.02 
Total 1-54 
During this time there was much thunder almost daily, obviously 
the storms were very partial and doubtless the registers in various 
stations differed a good deal. 
I should say the heat during the recent drought was probably 
unprecedented for the time of year. 
I have a table of droughts of 7 days and upwards from i860 to- 
1910, founded, of course, on my own record. I have been hunting up 
complete records of those years and may find time to look up tor 
some more. Meanwhile, I may mm don a few cases. 
Thus, 1877 seems to have been the driest year on record. I was 
absent for the greater part of the year but I believe the register was 
kept except in one month (July). 
April I to May 5, <35 days) only .51 
September 1 to 20 (20 days) .31 
September 22 to Oct. 21 (30 days) .28. 
In 1883 from February 6th to March 12th (35 days), there were 
only three slight falls, totalling 19 inches. 
In other years, there were numerous shorter droughts, 1885 and 
1888 were remarkable for this, and were years of short rainfall, and 
1895 and 1896 were similar, and in the former year from January 13 
to February 21 (40 days), there was only .40 inch, in six falls. ,, 
In Buckley’s Anecdotal History of Singapore drought in these 
months are recorded in the years 1841. 1864 and 1883, approximately 
at periods of twenty years. It the clearing of forests extensively was 
the cause of these droughts one would expect to find one or more 
associated with the extensive felling and opening up of the forests when 
the Chinesedevelopedthegambier and pepper cultivation in Singapore 
and Johore. We read that in 1836 the jungle had been extensively 
felled all over Singapore and even at that time firewood was running 
short, so that the denudation of the country m iff have been very great, 
and certainly a bad drought occurred about five years later than this 
record, viz., in 1841. One would have thought that if this denudation 
had influenced the rainfall in 1841 the injury would have continued 
at least till the abandoned pepper andgambier plantations had grown 
