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79
was marked by severe cold, for the thermometer
fell to 24.6 degrees. This was continued to the
end of the next quarter—the mean temperature of
each of the winter months being about 38 degrees;
and the winter was prolonged to the end of March,
there being snow storms as late as Lady-day: in
fact it was the coldest March on record, excepting
that of 1845. In April the weather suddenly
changed, and from being the coldest season it was
was all at once the warmest. The thermometer
rose to 72 6 degrees, and the mean temperature
was 52 degrees—that of March being 37.5 degrees;
but the month ended with cold and wet, which
continued to the middle of May. Then came a
higher temperature, and this lasted with little
variation throughout the months of June and
July. In June the thermometer rose to 77.5
degrees, and in July to 82 degrees; but August
was a wet and cold month, although September
was the driest and hottest on record.
These fluctuations of temperature were accompanied
with like variations of rain-fall. October
and December of 1864 were comparatively dry
months, but November was rather wet, and so also
was January, for the total fall of rain and snow in
the month was more than 3 inches; in February it
was nearly 2 inches, but from February to Maythere
was not much rain—the total fall in the two