DECEMBER WEATHER.
[To Tar Eon. or Tar "Sraorrros.") Sin,—Your interesting article on the above subject in your last week's issue must have given expression to the thoughts of many of your readers who keep diaries, and who, like myself, have been wondering whether the mildness which has been common to this month and December, 1894, will be followed by such keen frost as we had in January and February, 1895, with snow and sleet in the early days of March. On consulting my diary for December, 1894, and comparing it with that for this present month, I have come to the conclusion that the weather during the former was very like that of the latter, that is, mostly mild, with occasional days of cold, and some frost in between. For instance, on eleven days of the month the entry is "mild," and sometimes "very mild"; five days are marked "dull and fins"; there was rain on at least six days, and nine days were cold with some frost. The month ended in frost, which con- tinued until the 11th of January, snow falling on the 10th. Then came a sudden thaw on the 12th, followed by a consider- able amount of mugginess up to the 20th, when the sun shone brightly again, and the weather was very warm. On the 22nd snow fell, and also on the 25th and 28th, after which the weather continued to be very cold until, in the early days of February, skating became very general, and continued until about the twentieth of the month, when a thaw set in, and continued till the first days of March, when there was some more snow, but no more skating, I think, anywhere. My diary refers to, first, Clifton in December ; Torquay, the greater part of January ; then St. Leonards (where there was good skating at Battle Abbey in the early days of February), and later, Aldershot, whence some of your readers may, I hope, still remember going to Mytchett Lake and enjoying very good skating, and where the frost was very severe and the ice good. I do not know whether the above will help you to draw any useful conclusions with regard to the coming weather, but I am inclined to think it will encourage some of your younger readers to expect some good skating later on, which, if it comes, they will doubtless thoroughly (and naturally) enjoy in spite of the bursting of a thousand water. pipes, or the shortage of firing among the less fortunate, or even the shortness of temper of some of us who will now be reduced to the pleasure of looking on in the intervals of golfing or hunting.—! am, Sir, &e., H. R. W.
Mauldin: December 29th.
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