There was an entire absence of easterly winds. The sky was
much covered by cloud, and there was a great deficiency of
ozone.
As another proof of the great mildness of the season, I should
mention that I saw the following flowers in bloom on Christmas-
day : — Anemones, verbenas, violets, roses, helleborus niger, pen-
stemon, scarlet geranium, fuschias, primroses, daisies, rhododen-
drons, and dandelions. The buds of the yellow jessamine and
pyrus japonica were almost expanded, and even the leaves of the
snowdrop and jonquil were appearing above ground. The
haulm of some potatoes, which had been left in the ground, was
from 6 to 8 inches high.
144

1858.
The temperature of the year 1858 was sligbdy above the aver-
age, but there was a great deficiency in the rainfall, which was
very marked in the months of February and June. The year was
not characterised by any particular excess or deficiency of tem-
perature throughout the various months. June was the warmest
and February the coldest. The following are a few particulars
of each month respectively : —

JANUARY.
The mean temperature was below the average. Sharp frosts
occurred on fifteen nights, but the temperature never fell below
21°. There was scarcely any rain or snow till the last two days,
although the sky was very frequently densely overcast. The
winds were westerly.
FEBRUARY.
This was the coldest month of the year, and the mean tem-
perature was 2° below the average. There was a great prevalence
of easterly winds, and on many days clear, bright weather. The
lowest temperature was 2i°*6 on the morning of 19th.
MARCH.
