1885 Clouds Dew Lightning Ice January 27 days 1 10 0 February 26 „ 7 20 0 March 26 „ 21 4 0 April 24 „ 16 5 0 May 23 „ 9 1 0 June 13 „ 9 1 0 July 17 „ 1 0 0 August 25 „ 4 3 6 September 26 „ 5 5 1 October 27 „ 1 8 0 November 26 „ 0 15 0 December 28 „ 0 20 0 ——— —— —— — 288 74 92 7 The barometric pressure for the year 1883 appears to have been at its maximum in June, in which month the reading was 26.177 inches, and the minimum, which was 25.849 inches, occurred in January, while the mean for the year was 25.988 inches. All these readings are corrected to 32° F. The heat experienced in Griqualand West is sometimes very excessive, when I state that the maximum summer heat of the day in the shade during the months of November and December was in the year 1883, 107°, in 1884, 102°, and last year 104°, whilst during the month of December, 1885, the ordinary bright bulb thermometer in the sun attained the height of 116.25°, and the blackened bulb in vacuo 174.6°, my readers may form some idea of the great range of temperature to which residents are exposed, especially if they contrast this with the minimum during the winter months, July and August, of 26° in 1884, and of 28.25° in 1885. At the same time it is interesting to note that the highest mean of absolute maximum temperature was 78.98° in December and the absolute minimum 52.52° in June. I have often conversed on this subject with one of the early Vaal River diggers, who told me that in September, 1870, he several times found the thermometer in his tent in the early morning standing at 32°, and at mid-day registering 112°, and on one occasion in 1870 it was as low as 17°. [Illustration: KIMBERLEY MINE—MIDDLE STAGE, 1875. ]