December. "Where waves the leaf, Or rings with harmony the merry vale ? The very bee her merry toil foregoes, Nor seeks her nectar to be sought in vain. Only the solitary robin sings, And, perched aloft, with melancholy note, Chaunts out the dirge of autumn. Cheerless bird, That loves the brown and desolated scene, OLD POEM. Although the mean temperature of the spring months is supposed to vary more than that of any other season, yet it will appear in a subsequent table of extreme monthly mean temperatures that the greatest variation occurs in December, and to an extent of fifteen degrees and upwards. Generally speaking the month may be said to be mild and stormy, for the severity of winter seldom commences before the last week, and the month and year usually expire either in gloomy, damp weather, or in a state of frost and snow, according to the prevailing character of the season during the few previous weeks. If the month prove mild a considerable quantity of rain frequently falls, but if cold it is almost invariably dry. The direction of the wind varies as much or more than any other month. If S.W. should prevail the atmosphere is often very much disturbed by severe storms of wind, heavy rains, and even lightning and thunder; but if N. settled frost, accompanied by heavy snows, may occur even at the beginning of the month. The heaviest snow I ever remember in this or any other month occurred during the evening and night of December 25th, 1836, when the roads in the neighbourhood were blocked up to the depth of many feet, and travelling was Great depression of the In the years 1843, 1852, 1857, almost suspended for nearly a week. barometer frequently occurs. and 1868, the weather was unusually mild. The thrush and lark were singing on the mornings of Christmas day in the latter year as in early spring, and swarms of gnats were observed in sheltered situations. December, 1852, was remarkable for unusual atmospheric disturbance, when great fluctuations of the barometer, severe gales of wind, and heavy rains were frequent. Rain fell more or less on twenty-three days, while on the 16th and 17th a severe storm of thunder, rain, and hail, continued for upwards of thirty hours. December, 1857, was very mild; temperature and pressure were high, and although the sky was generally overcast, and a westerly wind prevailed, yet the fall of rain was very much below the average. On the other hand December was a very cold month in the years 1844, 1846, 1853, and 1870. In 1844 the cold was more severe than had been recorded in any December since the year 1788. The mean temperature was eight degrees below the average. The mean temperature of December, 1846, was upwards of six degrees below the average. The wind on twenty-seven days was from points. between N.W. and E. The following were the lowest temperatures which I recorded:-14th, 13°; 15th, 15°; 16th, 18°; 31st, 190. The only heavy rain occurred during the severe gale from S.W. on the 21st. This month ended with severe frost, and the mean temperature of the last day was only 25°. In December, 1853, we had another instance of very dry and cold weather, when the mean temperature was five degrees below the average. Having thus completed my remarks upon the general character of the months, I will now proceed to give the various tables relating to the temperature of the several months, seasons, and years, respectively, from 1843 to 1870, both inclusive. These tables, from their extent, and the care which I have taken in their compilation, will I trust be found amply sufficient to represent the vicissitudes of temperature to which we are exposed in this immediate locality. TABLE IV. SHOWING THE MEAN TEMPERATURE OF EACH MONTH AND YEAR. 64.72 55.93 54.28 41.21 1857 36.94 39.96 42.75 47.23 55.75 63.21 64.03 39.61 49.95 66.68 60.56 55.33 46.11 44.61 51.93 42.15 51.62 63.84 60.70 62.15 60.43 52.82 40.30 40.77 49.81 62.99 68.18 63.16 57.51 52.25 42.54 36.56 51.09 53.00 56.12 59.08 58.91 53.64 50.61 40.44 36.04 47.40 52.77 60.94 60.84 61.76 56.12 55.81 39.52 40.47 49.40 56.48 57.10 59.37 59.63 55.64 52.36 40.71 42.24 49.63 52.52 59.15 60.55 62.20 53.09 52.58 45.64 40.89 50.12 42.80 48.92 36.72 50.25 55.25 55.23 58.37 61.08 62.16 59.25 56.52 50.62 41.37 37.65 48.82 63.39 60.37 63.48 52.79 44.26 42.10 50.29 41.57 49.63 51.48 62.93 62.59 60.64 57.16 51.83 43.37 42.15 50.59 1867 33.29 44.32 38.24 49.20 52.57 57.40 58.35 60.60 56.55 46.86 39.94 35.96 47.77 1868 35.00 41.01 42.4I 46.54 56.13 59.50 64.77 61.82 58.21 47.24 41.39 46.23 50.02 1870 1869 40.88 44.80 38.48 35.53 50.95 51.98 55.57 48.01 52.52 64.16 60.16 58.62 48.84 43.II 37.15 49.55 60.95 65.57 60.63 55.70 50.44 41.03 33.18 48.50 The result of table 4 informs us that the following are the mean temperatures of the several months : January, 38.19° February, 39.09° March, 41.52° April, 48.06° May, 53.40° June, 59.69 July, 62.78° August, 61.57° September, 57.60° October, 51.11 November, 42.71° December, 39.24°-and the mean annual temperature 49.58° The following are the values of the extreme mean temperature in each month :: the mean In January, 1850 tempera-33.04 and in January, 1866 42.44 Diff. 9.40 In February, 1855 and in February, In April, 1869 44.80 In May, In June, and in June, 1846 65.50 In July, In August and in August, 1857 66.68 99 9.54 and in September, 1865 45.59 and in October, 1861 37.78 and in November, 1852 31.45 and in December, 1852 The coldest month was February, 1855, and the hottest, July, 1852. The greatest variation occurred in December, and the least in April. The mean annual temperature varies 5.3°, viz., from 51.93° in 1857, to 46.62° in 1845; and although at first sight this difference may not appear considerable, yet it is sufficient to exert an enormous influence upon the general character of the seasons, the produce of the soil, and the health of the population. The Registrar General's interesting returns have fully established the important fact that there is a very intimate connection between temperature and mortality. Whenever the mean temperature falls to 45°, or thereabouts, the number of deaths from diseases of the respiratory organs increases, and should it fall below 40° the death rate from such diseases is still higher. When a period of intense cold prevails, so that the temperature scarcely rises above the freezing point for two or three weeks, the number of deaths will be found to exceed what takes place during an epidemic of cholera or scarlet fever. But when the mean temperature rises to 55° there will be an increase in the number of deaths from diseases of the abdominal viscera, and this number will fluctuate as the temperature fluctuates between 55° and 65°. Hence we are informed that the mortality from all causes is least when the temperature is about 50°, which is very little above our mean annual temperature. TABLE V. À TABLE shewing the Highest and Lowest mean Monthly Temperature in each Year, together with the amount of Difference of Temperature. The above table represents in a tabular form the extremes of mean monthly temperature in each year; but in subsequent pages I have given descriptions of various current phenomena, not only in cases of extreme temperature, but also the more prominent phenomena, in every month, throughout the series. |