14 
REPORT OE THE 
there is an improvement in the general health, and this 
perhaps somewhat accounts for the low death rate which had 
been found in the Registrar General’s reports during the past 
year. 
The mean height of the mercurial column for the year, 
corrected to 32° F. and mean sea level, was 29*8628 inches, 
being *0628 inch, below a mean of the last 40 years. Five 
times in March, once in April, and six times in December, the 
barometer fell below 29 inches. The highest point reached 
was 30*680 inches on January 15th, the lowest point touched 
being 28*439 on December 4th, giving a range of 2*241 inches. 
The mean temperature has been 1*10 degrees above the average. 
The following table exhibits the months of excess and defect 
respectively. 
Excess. Defect. 
January .... 
• 6 
*79 
March .... 
... *77 
February .... 
2*23 
May . . . . 
. . . 2*74 
April. 
•86 
June . . . . 
... *39 
July. 
4*46 
3*90 
August .... 
1*74 
September . . . 
*01 
October .... 
3*64 
November . . . 
•38 
December . . . 
• 0 
2*99 
17*10 
3*90 
12)13*20 
Excess for the whole 
year 
1*10 
The amount of rainfall has been 31*70 inches, or an excess 
of 7*66 inches of the mean of 40 years. The nearest approach 
to this amount during the past 40 years being 36*02 inches in 
1848, 30*37 inches in 1860, and 39*85 inches in 1872. The 
number of rainy days in 1872 was 216, against 194 in 1876. 
The deficiency being for January *78, May 1*05, July *92, and 
August *68, and the excess for February *71, March 1*46, 
April *55, June *17, September 2*41, October *36, November 
1*31, and December 4*12. 
