University of Virginia Library

Note B. Page 27.

For the following meteorological table, the author is indebted to
the politeness of Henry Tooley Esq. a scientific gentleman who
has been a resident of Natchez the third of a century, and who
has during the greater part of his life kept a daily register of the
weather. The exposure of his thermometer was unexceptionable,
and always the same. The tables in the author's possession from
various other sources, date back to the year 1799, affording an uninterrupted
series of meteorological observations in this climate,
down to the present period. An abstract from these tables would
be too elaborate for a work of this nature, and would not, indeed,
convey any farther important information upon this climate, than
is contained in the accompanying abstract from the tables of Dr.
Tooley, for the past ten years. The general temperature, though
varying much from day to day, is so regular, one year with another,
that a meteorological table for any one period of ten years will
answer, with slight variations, for almost any other term of the
same duration.

The thermometer was examined at 5 A. M. and at 4 P. M. for
the extremes.

ANNUAL RESULTS OF METEROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS MADE AT NATCHEZ
IN N. Lat. 31 ° 34′ Long. 91 ° 24′ 42″ W.

                           

			5 A. M.	4 P. M.	5 A. M.	4 P. M.			Number of days.
Year.	Mean. temp.		Warmest.		Coldest.		Clear.	Cloudy.	Rainy.	Snow.	Sleet.
1825	60	81⅙	71 1/12	81⅓	49½	63 5/12	178	88	99
1826	63¼	75	74⅓	80¾	48¼	64 9/12	134	120	110	1
1827	63½	74	74⅚	73⅓	51⅓	66¼	151	126	88
1828	64	76	64⅓	77⅙	53½	65¾	133	121	112
1829	54	65	72⅔	76⅓	48 1/12	61⅔	116	124	134	1
1830	62⅓	74	72¼	80¾	48½	66 7/12	161	121	77	2	1
1831	57	69½	71¼	77½	44½	60⅓	187	141	34	3
1832	61⅚	74½	68⅙	84⅓	47	64 7/12	185	146	23	2
1833	60½	72	71 1/12	78½	48½	65	177	138	50
1834	60½	73¼	73 9/12	82⅓	47	65	166	151	46	2
to June
1835	21⅓	26¼	28½	30⅙	15	22⅔	62	69	18	2

1835.

                 

	Mean.
Months.	temp.		Warm,		Cold,		Cl'r.	Cl'y.	Rain	snow	Sleet
Jan.	46⅔	57	69	64	32	48	12	16	3
Feb.	36⅓	50	59	61	10	28	13	11	3	1
Mar.	46	65⅔	68	74	32	50	14	11	5	1
April,	57⅔	65	71	75	46	64	9	18	3
May,	69⅔	77⅓	76	88	60	82	14	13	4
June,
	21⅓	26¼	28½	30⅙	15	22⅓	62	69	18	2

Mean temp. obtained by adding mean of months together, and then
dividing by the number of months.

1834.

                         

Jan.	29⅔	50	67	74	14	27	5	12	11	1
Feb.	52⅔	65	72	73	32	52	13	14	1
Mar.	47	67	69	78	39	62	9	17	5
April,	61	76	67	83	49	74	17	11	2
May,	66	89½	76	93	54	63	14	12	5
June,	76⅔	87	80	93	71	87	15	15
July,	77	89⅔	82	83	74	91	21	10
Aug.	77⅔	90½	83	98	73	89	18	12	1
Sept.	69⅓	70	77	77	57	77	13	10	7
Oct.	66½	75½	76	87	41	56	19	9	3
Nov.	55⅓	63⅔	69	77	31	51	10	15	5
Dec.	47½	55⅔	67	72	35	52	12	14	5
	60½	73¼	73¼	82⅓	47	65	166	151	45	2	1

1833.

                         

Jan.	53½	37½	68	74	31	51	9	17	5
Feb.	46¾	60	59	72	38	56	11	9	8
Mar.	51	66	64	71	25	37	13	5	13
April,	63	76	73	65	55	66	13	16	1
May,	70	82	76	84	66	73	15	13	3
June,	75	87	80	92	65	84	18	11	1
July,	63⅔	89⅔	81	93	69	89	22	9
Aug.	74	89½	80	93	69	88	19	12
Sept.	74	86⅓	79	94	62	81	15	12	3
Oct.	58	69⅔	68	70	37	56	18	8	5
Nov.	49	63	69	71	30	45	15	11	4
Dec.	48⅓	58	61	62	36	53	9	15	7
	60½	72	71 1/12	78 5/12	48 7/12	64 11/12	177	138	50

The author has been favoured with the following medical report
drawn up by a physician of Natchez, who has had long experience
in the diseases of this climate.

MEDICAL REPORT.

Return of deaths within the city of Natchez, from 1st June 1822,
to first June 1835—including thirteen years:

The population of Natchez is ordinarily between three and
four thousand—lessened, probably, in the summer season, from
500 to 1000. With this number of residents, the mortality cannot
be regarded as very large. On the contrary, few places of
equal magnitude, either north or south, can boast a greater degree
of general health than this city. Since the year 1825, it will be
perceived, it has been growing gradually healthier—with the exception
of the last two or three years,—when, owing in a great
measure to the severity of the winter season, a great proportion
of the sickness and mortality has occurred in the winter and
spring months. Indeed take a period of seven years—from 1825
to 1833, and we challenge any southern or western city, with the
same amount of population, to show a less number of deaths—
especially in the summer season, than the city of Natchez. The
bill of mortality has been considerably augmented of late, by that
appalling and sweeping epidemic, which increased in strength,
and doubled its roll of victims in proportion as it travelled south—
together with small pox and intemperance—for both of which
nature has provided specific remedies—but which certain classes
continue still to avoid, and will hence continue to suffer and die
in spite of Jenner and the temperance societies, as long as incredulity
shall exist, and distilleries pour forth their floods of poison
in the land. Most of those with the last mentioned diseases,
it would seem, have been inmates of the public hospital.

On an average, about ⅕ to ¼ of the deaths annually occur
from bilious remittent, congestive and typhus fever. The yellow
fever, be it known, has not appeared here as an epidemic for the
last five or six years, and may be regarded as quite extinct in the
city. Owing to the careless and imperfect manner in which the
returns have generally been made—and this we are sorry to say,
is too often the case—a large portion of the deaths are from unknown
diseases—as to which in regard to the age of the subjects, and
the colour, which in this country is somwhat important, we are

left generally in the dark. By giving the subject some considerable
attention, however, we have been enabled to preserve a degree
of accuracy in the proportion, and the general result, we
believe, is nearly, if not specifically correct.

The whole number of deaths by fever, during 13 years, is 511;
cholera 107, consumption 100, intemperance 58, small pox 45,
infantile 49, dysentery 30, delirium tremens 23, drowned 10, murder
10, old age 10, suicide 4, unknown 205.

The remainder, which we purposely omit, are by ordinary
diseases, which are not peculiar to any clime or season. We
have examined a meterological table, kept with a considerable degree
of accuracy for the last 10 years: but it presents nothing
peculiar—and its details are too minute and comprehensive for
our present object. We notice, however, a greater proportion of
“cloudy and rainy” days than could be expected in this “sunny
clime,” while the average degree of heat is by no means greater
than in latitudes somewhat farther north. The greatest range of
heat is 98, and the greatest cold 10°.—This we are inclined
to believe, is not strictly correct, as we have twice, within a
few years, seen the thermometer as low as 10° in the neighbourhood
of New Orleans.

DEATHS IN EACH MONTH.

                               

Months and years,	1822	1823	1824	1825	1826	1827	1828	1829	1830	1831	1832	1833	1834	1835
January,		7	4	5	7	5	4	7	5	4	5	4	14	17
February,		4	10	7	6	2	7	4	6	5	6	5	16	16
March,		8	5	1	3	4	3	7	6	8	3	11	30	18
April,		12	6	3	4	4	5	7	2	6	5	8	22	25
May,		11	6	5	9	3	6	6	3	11	9	16	19	32
June,	9	15	8	6	7	3	9	5	4	6	3	27	44
July,	33	15	19	4	11	4	5	3	7	5	4	9	27
August,	29	102	14	17	9	5	2	6	16	4	3	11	14
September,	28	155	13	33	10	6	12	19	9	4	9	15	17
October,	22	56	8	48	5	26	9	21	10	5	13	30	20
November,	12	8	5	15	4	16	9	16	7	4	10	10	26
December,	6	7	4	4	12	8	3	2	5	12	8	13	20
Total,	139	400	102	148	87	86	74	103	80	74	75	159	269	108—1904
Males,	119	315	80	128	62	76	56	80	55	57	55	124	193	79—1479
Females,	20	85	22	20	25	10	18	23	25	17	20	35	76	29—425