The Mikado's Empire/Catatan dan Apendiks/Tabel Meteorologi

DR. J. C. HEPBURN'S METEOROLOGICAL TABLES, FROM OBSER- VATIONS MADE FROM 1863 TO 1869 INCLUSIVE, READ BEFORE THE ASIATIC SOCIETY OF JAPAN, JUNE 17TH, 1874.

" Yokohama is situated in lat. 85° 36' N., aud long. 139° 39" E. from Greenwich. It is about thirty-seven miles from Cape King, the nearest point on the Pacific. The Bay of Yedo at Yokohama is about twelve miles wide. The eity is, for the most part, built on a plain, about from two to ten feet above high-water mark, at the mouth of a valley opening on the bay. The valley is about a mile wide, and extends back in a westerly direction some three miles, gradually narrowing to a quarter of a mile. It is bounded on each side by a row of hills, about one hun- dred and twenty feet wide. It is cultivated in paddy fields, is consequent!}' wet and marshy, and is exposed to the sweep of north-east and easterly winds from across the bay, and to south-west and westerly winds through the valley.

"The winds of Japan are at all seasons exceedingly irregular, frequently vio- lent, and subject to sudden changes. The north-east and easterly winds are gen- erally accompanied by rain, with a high and falling barometer, and are usually not violent. The south-west and westerly winds are generally high, often vio- lent, and accompanied with a low barometer. It is from the south-west that the cyclones or typhoons almost invariably come. On clear and pleasant days, which are in excess of all others, there is a regular land and sea breeze at all seasons.

"The rain-fall is above the average of most countries, varying greatly, howev- er, in different years. About two-thirds of the rain falls during the six months from April to October.

" The steady hot weather, when it is considered safe to change to light sum- mer clothing, does not generally set in till the latter decade of June or 1st of July, and ends, often very abruptly, about the middle of September.

"The snow-fall is for the most part light, not often exceeding two or three inches. In 1861, on one occasion, it fell to the depth of twenty inches. The ice seldom exceeds one inch or one and a half inches in thickness. Fogs are rarely noticed, so also is hail. Thunder-storms are neither frequent nor severe. Earth- quake shocks are frequent, averaging more than one a month; but hitherto, since the residence of foreigners in Yokohama, no very severe or dangerous shocks have occurred."

The observations of rain and snow were made during twelve years  ; of the hygrometer, two and a half years  ; cloudy and overcast weather, for four years  ; of velocity of wind, one year; of fog and wind, eleven years.

See detailed tables in reports of General Capron and his foreign assistants, Tokio, 1875. Printed by the Kai Taku Shi.