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than 2 deg. in April, May, and June; but it was below the
average by nearly half a degree in September; by more than 2½
degrees in November; and 51 degrees in December. The lowest
temperature recorded was not so low in December as in many
other years, but the weather was remarkable for the long continuance
of frost, and especially, we may add, for the continued
cold experienced in the early part of the present year. The
rainfall was also unusual, owing not only to the total fall,—
29 inches at Greenwich, and nearly 27 inches at my house in the
Richmond Road, but also to the excessive amount which fell on
several occasions, when the sewers of Hackney were over.charged,
and some of the streets, as well as many houses were flooded. Thus
on April 10th and 11th, the enormous fall of 2.55 inches was
registered at my house; on June 13th, there fell 1.015 inches;
on the 30th, 1.035 inches; on August 3rd, 1.180 inches; and
on the 27th, as much as 1.460 inches, making a total of 6.910
inches on five occasions. A fall of 2.220 inches occurred in
Hackney between 8 p.m. on the 10th April, and 9 a.m. on the
11th, and 0.33 inches fell between 9 a.m. and 12.30 p.m. on the
11th, thus making the total of 2.55 inches above mentioned in
16½ hours, so that it is no wonder that the main sewers were
overcharged. A rainfall in London amounting to 2 inches in
one day is so rare that only five instances have been recorded at
Greenwich, including that of April 10th—11th, since 1815.
These happened on February 7th, 1831, when 2.89 inches fell;
on August 22nd, 1843, when 2.16 inches were registered; on
July 15th, 1853, when there were 2.63 inches; and on July
26th, 1867, when as much as 3.67 inches were recorded. On
this occasion the sewers overflowed in Hackney, as the chief
part of the rain fall took place in a comparatively short time,
the total being only 2.28 inches against 3.67 inches at
Greenwich. A rainfall exceeding 1 inch in a day rarely
happens more often than once a year on this side of
London, and so far as I know has not recently occurred more
than three times in one year, viz., in 1865, so that these five