( 46 )
in June, 114 in July, 30 in August, 25 in September, 7 in October, 41 in
November, and 18 in December.
Taking all the figures together, the monthly prevalence of the disease is
shown on the accompanying diagram. On the map are marked the districts
in which cholera is recorded to have prevailed in 1869.
It is worthy of note that of all the jails that of Noakhali recorded cholera
in only 1864 during the series of five years from 1862 to 1869 inclusive. Some
other jails also showed a remarkable exemption from the disease, although
it prevailed in the district around.
Meteorology.—The most striking feature of the atmosphere of 1869
as compared with that of 1868 is its high range in the first five
months of the year. * * * The greatest excess of temperature then occurred
at Berhampore, and at this station was at its maximum in May, or immediately
preceding the commencement of the rains. But Patna, Hazaribagh, Benares,
and Rurki also show excessive temperature in May, second only in this respect
to Berhampore.
Humidity.—Except at Saugor Island, Calcutta, and False Point, the
atmosphere in the earlier months of 1869 was generally drier than in the
corresponding months of 1868. This was especially the case at Berhampore,
Jessore, Darjeeling, Patna, and Monghyr (out of 13 stations), as well as appa-
rently in the North-Western Provinces, and it seems not improbable that it was
at least in part due to the deficient rainfall of the preceding year. Hazaribagh
seems in some degree to be an exception to the rule, since, while the temperature
was considerably higher in the earlier months of 1869 than in those of 1868, the
humidity of March and April was also higher. But even here the chief
excess of temperature was in February and May, and in both years the dry ness
and temperature were comparatively great and the Barometer low. The
absolute distribution of humidity during 1869, in like manner, was in general
inversely as the temperature.
Rainfall.—The rainfall in 1869 was less than the average in Orissa, the
Gangetic delta, and Arracan. Also in Eastern Bengal (except Sylhet and
probably Cherrapunji) in Lower Assam, Sikkim, and parts of Bihar. It was
above the average at Suri and Berhampore, and over a tract of country stretch-
ing between the Rajmahal Hills and the Bhutan Duars, including Dinajpur,
Rungpur, and probably Julpaiguri and Baxa. The rainfall in Upper Assam
seems also to have been in excess of the average, and it certainly was so in
Sylhet. It appears from the rainfall returns for 67 stations in the Bengal
Province, that the rainfall of 1869 was considerably less than that of 1868
in Orissa and the delta of the Ganges, slightly less in the eastern and north-
eastern, considerably greater in the western and north-western circuits.
In 1868, with the barometric depression in the north-west of the Bay of Bengal,
the rainfall was excessive in the western part of the delta and Northern
Orissa, and the vapour-bearing winds were arrested or drawn aside from their
usual course towards the highly heated plains of the North-West and the
Punjab. In 1869 there was a local barometric depression in the elevated
country to the west of the Gangetic delta, and an unusually high temperature
during the hot-weather months; at the entrance of the Assam Valley
the temperature was below the mean, and the barometer relatively high, and
there was probably a second local barometric depression in Upper Assam.