COUNCIL FOR 185G. 
I 
i o 
The temperature of the year has been 1°4 below a mean of 
20 years. The range of temperature has been considerable, 
viz., from 6“ December 4 to 81° August 2. The range in 
December was extraordinary, from 6° on the 4th of the month 
to 60° on the 7th. A severe frost set in November 25th, and 
lasted till the 5th of December. The extremely sudden and 
rapid thaw occasioned a flood in the Ouse of 14 feet S inches 
above the summer level. This was the highest flood since 
February, 1831, when the Ouse rose 17 feet above the summer 
level. Nine months out of the twelve were below a mean 
temperature. September, when the interests of the northern 
harvest were at stake, was 2° below a mean, and the fall of 
rain nearly one inch above a mean. Thunderstorms were of 
more frequent occurrence than usual; one of considerable 
force occurred on the 12th February after a long continuance 
of S.W. wind. Another on the 4th of April from the S.W. 
There were flve electric displays in May of more or less 
violence ; none in June ; three in July ; four in August; and 
two in September. 
Immediately after the last Annual Meeting, a Lecture was 
delivered On Extinct Animals,” by Mr. Waterhouse Haw¬ 
kins, known by his ingenious restoration of many of them at 
the Crystal Palace, at Sydenham. It was heard with so much 
interest that the Council engaged Mr. Hawkins, in the month 
of November last, to deliver two more lectures on a kindred 
subject, which were attended by numerous audiences. The 
Society has to acknowledge its obligations to Mr. Davies for 
his two Lectures, entitled An Antiquarian Walk through 
the Streets of York;” to Mr. Oswald Allen Moore, for a 
Lecture On the Poisonous Plants, whose resemblance to those 
which are good for food often produces fatal results;” and 
to Mr. Procter, for his “ Account of the Manufacture of Iron, 
with an Explanation of Bessemer’s Process.” In the month 
of January, of this year, two very interesting Lectures On 
Zoophytes, their Structure and History,” were delivered by 
the Rev. Thomas Hincks, of Leeds. Mr. Ford, Mr. Moore, 
Mr. Procter, Rev. Thomas Myers, and Mr. Charlesworth have 
promised their assistance in this department during the re¬ 
mainder of the present Session. 
