View report page

28
that the whole of the sanitary staff have performed their work
to my satisfaction. I would also mention in connection with the
staff, that another inspector died during the year, making the
fourth death since 1866, when the system of a regular house to
house inspection was commenced. Three out of the four inspectors
were in the prime of life, and died from diseases of the
lungs.
The weather of 1879 was most remarkable for cold and wet.
The cold set in on the 2nd of January, and, with the exception
of two days, continued below the mean up to February 2, the
the average deficiency for this period being more than 5 degrees.
During the next fortnight the weather was unusually warm, the
average excess being equal in amount to the previous deficiency,
causing a very great change in the weather. A cold period again
set in on the 17th, and lasted until March 3rd, the mean daily
temperature being about 4 degrees below the average. March
was also a variable month, being mostly warm up to the 21st,
when another cold week occurred, with snow, the average daily
deficiency being 7½ degrees. The lowest temperatures recorded
at Greenwich were, in January, 19.4°; in February, 24.5° ; and
in March, 29.2°. In Hackney they were, 21.2° in January;
25.4° in February; and 29.0° in March. The mean temperature
of the air for January at Greenwich was 31.9°, being the
lowest recorded since 1838. The coldest months of January sincc
1771 are as follows In 1771, when the mean temperature
for the month was 29.9°; in 1774, 31.5°; in 1776, 27.0°; in
1780, 28.6°; in 1784, 20.2°; in 1795, 23.9°; in 1814, 26.9°;
in 1815, 31.9°; in 1820, 31.7°; in 1823, 31.8°; in 1829, 31.7°;
in 1830, 30.7°; in 1838, 28.9°; and in 1879, 31.9°. The second
quarter of the year was no better, being cold, wet, and comparatively
sunless, as the mean daily temperature was below the average
on 74 days out of the 91, having been only 45.9° for the quarter.
Th is is the lowest recorded since 1837, when it was 48.3°, and
with eight other exceptions, the coldest since 1771. There were
frosts in both April and May, 28.6°, or nearly 3½ degrees or frost,