APPENDIX.
47
Summary of the Meteorological and rainfall Observations taken in Bengal.
HEALTH OF CALCUTTA.
Deaths per
1,000 above (+)
or below (—)
average.
Causes.
1st week ... + . 7
More plague, bowel-
complaints and all
other diseases.
Less cholera and
fever
2nd " ...
+ 5.7
Ditto.
3rd " ... + . 1
Ditto.
4th " (to
27th) ... — .3
More plague, bowel-
complaints, cholera
and all
other
diseases.
Less
fever.
1st week (from
2 8 t h J a n u a r y
to 3rd Feb-
ruary) ... + 2.6
Ditto.
2nd week ... + 8.7
More plague, small-
pox,
bowel-com-
plaints and all other
diseases. Less fever.
3rd " ... +14.8
More plague, cholera,
bowel-complaints,
and all
other
diseases.
Less
fever.
4th " ... +19.6
Ditto.
1st " (from
25th February
to 3rd March) +32.1
Ditto.
2nd week ... +49.7
More plague, bowel-
complaints and all
other
diseases.
Less cholera, small-
pox and fever.
3rd " ... +53.3
Ditto.
4th " ... +66.4
Ditto.
Last " ... +59.5
More plague and
bowel-complaints.
Less cholera and
fever.
1st week " ... +51.5
More plague, small-
pox,
bowel-com-
plaints and all other
diseases. Less
cholera and fever.
2nd " ... +28.7
More cholera, plague
and
bowel-com-
plaints. Less
fever and all other
diseases.
3rd " ... +29.7
More cholera, plague,
bowel-complaints
and other diseases,
Less fever.
4th " (to 28th) +16.7
More plague, small-
pox and bowel-com-
plaints. Less
cholera, fever, and
all other diseases.
January 1900.—Pressure oscillations larger
than usual and fairly continuous throughout
the month. Temperature has been above the
normal almost continuously in most districts,
and at times by 8° to 10°. The only occasion
of comparatively cool weather in all districts
was in the middle of the month, when owing
to high pressure in the north-west, northerly
winds were stronger. Rainfall in defect, ex--
cept in Chota Nagpur and Bihar, where it was
about four times the average for the month.
February.—Fressure was somewhat unsteady
and, owing to the numerous depressions, was
frequently below the normal, though not to
any great extent. Temperature generally
high, at times by as much as 10°. There were
four occasions for disturbed weather, each
accompanied by more or less scattered showers
in different parts of the Province, specially
in Lower Bengal.
March .—Pressure changes were small during
the early part of the month, fine settled
weather generally prevailing with westerly or
north-westerly winds, but were large at times
during the latter half, when a shallow depres--
sion remained fairly steady over the central
districts, from day to day, till the end of the
month. Temperature was low for a short
time about the end of the first week, when
northerly winds were general, and occasionally
for short intervals after thunder-storms during
the latter part of the month. Rainfall much
lighter than usual, except in Orissa and East
Bengal, which received fairly frequent, and in
some cases heavy, showers towards the end of
the month. Bihar remaining almost rainless,
and Chota Nagpur and South-West Bengal
getting only about a quarter of the normal
rainfall.
April.— Usual hot weather conditions pre--
vailed during the earlier part of the month,
with occasional high temperatures afterwards.
But, as a rule, during the latter half of the
month weather was cool, with exceptionally
low temperatures in the south-western districts
towards the end. Disturbances due to passing
depressions occurred at fairly regular intervals
of about a week on an average, and during
these periods local storms were fairly general.
The latter part of the month was more showery,
and compared with the normal the heaviest
rainfall was in the south-western districts.