COUNCIL FOR 1898. 
Xlll 
on 10 days as compared with 7 in ’97 and 23 in ’96. August 
keeps its place for rainfall, May and October being much 
higher than in ’97. The defect of the earlier months was 
very largely made up by the heavier fall of the last quarter. 
August has still increased its lead as the wettest month 
in the year, whilst April has lost its lead to March, thus 
verifying the anticipation of last year’s report. The cumu¬ 
lative totals from 1841 now stand at;—August 158*41 inches, 
October 155*58 inches, and July 152*37 inches. For the 
driest we get, taking a 30-day month as the standard, 
March 91*92 (actually 94*98 inches), April 98*72, and Feb¬ 
ruary 93*16 (actually 86*95). The highest temperature of 
August and September coincided with the occurrence of 
well-marked sun-spots. The anticipation of higher rain¬ 
fall in July and August and less in October has not been 
fulfilled by our experience in this year. 
The low rainfall of the earlier months of the year accounts 
for the absence of floods in the Ouse. In the first seven 
months of the year the water never rose 6 feet above Summer 
level, while in 1897, on February 10th, the height was 10ft. 5m. 
Heavy rain in August brought it up to 7ft. 9m. on August 6th, 
but during the remainder of the month the river was low. 
The highest level was reached on October 19th with 9ft. gin. 
From that date until the first week of November, there was 
much flood-water in the river. The general height compares 
with the low rainfall of the year. 
Library.— A considerable amount of work has been in 
the Library during the year. Several books dealing with 
subjects wholly outside our province have been handed over 
to other institutions where they are more in place and where 
they have been gratefully received. Many duplicates have 
been given away ; in several cases they were the publications 
of learned Societies from which similar courtesies will be 
obtained. By the relief thus afforded to ourselves, and by a 
considerable amount of re-arrangement, much space has been 
gained, and the congestion of which the Hon. Librarian has 
so often had cause to complain has been relieved. Indeed 
there is now room for at least ten years’ additions—even at the 
