years of his observations. For the first year ending March 31st, 1858, the mean pressure of air was 29.452; mean temperature, 48.9; highest reading, 84; lowest reading 21; mean daily range, 12.7; mean degree of humidity, 90 (complete saturation being represented by 100)90; number of days on which rain fell, 123; the amount collected 22.7 inches. The next years registration showed mean pressure 29.417; mean temperature 48.4; highest reading 83; lowest 23; mean daily range 12; number of rainy days, 142; amount of rain 20.3 inches. In another table Mr. Rock showed the monthly means of range for the two years to have been exactly two inches, the highest being 30.56 inches and the lowest, 28.35 inches. From a comparison of these results, with observations made by Mr. Banks at Hastings, it was found that the annual range was much greater at Fairlight than at Hastings. Nor was this the only remarkable fact in the comparison; for it was found that whilst at Hastings the greatest deviation from the mean was in the upward movement; at Fairlight, the greatest deviation was downward, and that to a great extent. How much of the difference might be due to the imperfection of the instruments or different modes of observation he could not say, but he thought it might be worth while to confirm or disprove it, and he therefore recommended it to the notice of his brother members of the Hastings Meteorological Society. Probably, during heavy south westerly gales, the valleys in which Hastings stands were surcharged with air through the wind piling it up as it were against the hills, thus rendering the lower strata of the air more dense and enabling it to support a higher mercurial column than it would if it could pass over the locality without being interrupted. During the two years to which his observations referred, Fairlight, in common with the whole eastern parts of England, had experienced unusually fine and dry weather; but as there did not exist any accurate records of weather and climate in that particular district during previous years, the comparison could only be made through the general testimony of those who had resided at Fairlight longer than he had. All those to whom he had spoken on the subject were unanimously agreed that two such fine years consecutively had not occurred within their memory. While conversing with some farmers at Rye market, six or seven years ago, one of them - an old man who had lived at Udimore fifty years or more, made the remark that there was not near so much fog on Fairlight Down as there used to be years before. It had been a common saying that -
- "When Fairlight Down puts on his cap, Romney Marsh will have its sap."
