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any year since 1845. There have been only three colder months
of March in the present century, viz., in 1845 (just mentioned)
when the mean temperature was only 35 2 deg. against 36.1 in
1883 ; 35.8 deg. in 1837 and 35.1 deg. in 1814, the year of the
great frost. The effect upon the public health of London of
this unusual cold was to raise the death.rate from 21 .0 during
the week ending March 3rd to 21 .7 in that ending March 30th,
and for the four succeeding weeks as follows: 24.5, 24.9, 28.3,
and then 25.6 per 1,000 population for the first week in April.
The deaths from inflammatory diseases of the lungs were, in
the week ending March 10th, 336; and in the four succeeding
weeks, 464, 537, 567, and 533. As usual, Hackney suffered in
about the same proportion, as it always does, at any rate, at the
commencement of a period of unusual cold. In April there was
a great deal of ungenial weather, rain and snow on some days
with cold nights, the mean temperature being 0.3 deg. below
the average of 42 years. The early part of May was cold, after
which a spell of warm pleasant weather occurred, the mean
temperature being in excess of the average by about half a
degree, whilst that for June was a very little (0.1 deg.) above
it. July was fine in the early part of the month but unsettled
and cold, especially towards the latter end, so that the mean
was 2.3 deg. below the average, whilst August was as a whole
deoidedly pleasant, with an excess of mean temperature
amounting to 0.6 deg. September was also warm and fine,
except at the early part of the month, although the mean
temperature was 0.3 deg. below the average of 42 years.
October was a variable month, some days being very fine, but
the early part and middle were unusually cold: the mean
temperarure was about half a degree above the average. During
the first half of November the weather was colder than usual, but
in consequence of the comparative warmth from the 16th to the
end of the month there was an excess of 0.3 deg. In December
there was a good deal of fog or mist, with very variable
weather in the early part, and unusual warmth at the latter