Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 12.djvu/76

64 64 HOLLAND [CLIMATE. or Drenther Hoofdvaart unites Assen with Meppel, and receives on the eastern side the drainage canals of the Drenthe fens (the Orange canal, the Beilerstrooin, and the Hoogeveen Vaart), while the North Willemsvaart unites Asseu with Groningen. In the pro vince of Gromngen the chief town communicates with Delfziji and the Dollart both by the Damsterdiep and by the new ship canal, while the canal to Winschoten brings it into connexion with the flourishing fen colonies, such as Vildervank and Veendam, which have sprung up in the east of the province and in Drenthe. In Friesland, finally, there are three ship canals : that from Harlingen to the Lauwer Zee via Franeker, Leeuwarden, and Dokkum ; that from Leeuwarden to the Lemmer, whence there is a busy traffic with Amsterdam ; and that from Stroobos in the east of the pro vince (in connexion with Groningen) to Stavoren in the south west. It would be superfluous to enumerate the barge canals by which almost all the large towns communicate with each other ; and it is equally unnecessary to mention all the lakes, which exist in great numbers, especially in Friesland and Groningen, and are connected with rivers or streamlets. Those of Friesland are of note for the abundance of their fish and their beauty of situation, on which last account the Uddelenm-er in GiU lderland is also cele brated. The Kockanje Lake near Briel is remarkable lor the strong chalky solution which covers even the growing reeds with a hard crust. Many of the lakes are nothing more than deep pits or marshes from which the peat has been extracted. The climate of Holland 1 is such as might be conjectured from its geographical position and its generally low level. Situated in the temperate zone between 50 and 53 N. lat., it shows a difference in the lengths of day and night extending in the north to nine hours, and there is a corre spondingly wide range of temperature ; it also belongs to the region of variable winds. The following table, from the observations of Professor C. D. Buys Ballot, the well-known director of the Meteorological Institute at Utrecht, shows the average temperatures and the barometric heights re corded there during 1849-1878 :- Month. Therino- mettT. Barometer. Month. Thermo meter. Barometer. C. ! Fahr. Mill. Inches. C. Fahr. Mill. Incites. Jan. .. 1-94, 35 49 759-88 29-916 i July ... 18-52 65-33 760-53 29-943 Feb. .. 2-99 37-38 761 20 29-UU8 August 17-96 62-32 760 H 29-925 Maivh. 4-96 | 40-92 758 95 29-879 Sept. ... 14-99 1 58-98 760-70 29-948 April. 9-39 : 48-90 759-71 29-909 Oct 10-39 ! 50-70 758 83 29 870 May.. . 13-10 55-S8 759-90 29 917 Nov 4 98 ; 40-96 758-97 29-880 June. 16-99 62-58 760-90 29-956 Dec. ... 2-65 ; 36-77 760-05 ; 29-923 The mean annual temperature was 9 - 91 C., or 49-83 Fahr. How largely the westerly winds predominate is shown by the following statistics. On an average of ten years 5 per cent, of the winds were N., 5 N.N.W., 7 N.W., 6 W.N.W., 7 W., 10 W.S.W., 12 S.W., 7 S.S.W. (total 59 per cent.), and 7 S., 5 S.S.E., 5 S.E., 2 ES.E., 3 E., 6 E.N.E., 8 N.E., 5 N.N.E. (total 41 per cent.). The west winds of course increase the moisture, and moderate both the winter cold and the summer heat, while the east winds blowing over the Continent have an opposite influence. The following table, derived from observations taken at Utrecht, shows that, as might be expected, the rainfall is large : Months. Average Etiiporation (1855-64). Rainy Days (1848-78) Avemge Rainfall (1848-78). January Millira. Inches. 12 8 51 401 Millim. Inches. 50 3 1-98 February 23-3 0-91 380 46 2 1-81 March 50 5 1 99 375 43-9 1-72 April 87 3 3 43 319 40 5 1-59 May 124-3 4-89 338 497 T95 June 134-2 5 28 306 50 6 1-99 July 125-5 4-94 358 74-4 2 93 August. . 117-3 4-62 392 85 9 3-38 September 69-5 2 74 381 69-1 2 72 October 38-1 1-50 390 687 2 70 November 15 3 0-60 409 58 3 2-29 December 12 1 0-47 406 58 8 2 - 31 Yearly average... 810-2 31-88 148 695-4 27-37 It cannot be said that the climate is particularly good ; indeed to strangers it is rather the reverse of pleasant. Fevers, colds, and, when proper precautions are not taken, chest disease and consumption, are results of the change- ableness of the weather, which may alter completely within a single day. The heavy atmosphere likewise, and the neces sity of living within doors or in confined localities, cannot but exercise an influence on the character and temperament of the inhabitants. Only of certain districts, however, can it be said that they are positively unhealthy ; to this cate gory belong some parts of Holland, Zealand, and Friesland, where the inhabitants are exposed to the exhalations from the marshy ground, and the atmosphere is burdened with the sea-fogs. To what extent the healthiness of the different pro vinces varies may be seen from the following table of the an nual death-rateforthetwenty-fiveyearsfromlS40tol8(&amp;gt;5 : - Provinces. Males. J emalcs. Bo th Sexes. Guelderland 1 i n 42-10 1 n 44 00 1 i n 42 95 North Brabant 41-69 43 03 4 9 69 Limburg 42 82 42 61 42 &quot;68 Drenthe 41 98 43 62 42 54 Friesland 40 84 43 67 42 07 Groningen 40-00 42-94 41-24 veryssel 39-01 40-54 39-75 Utrecht 33-68 30-14 34-90 North Holland 30 33 34-32 32 35 Zealand 29-51 32 24 30-84 South Holland 29-04 32 81 30 60 For the whole kingdom the annual death-rate was 1 in 36 73 that for the males being 1 in 35 4 9, and for the females 1 in 38 14. That the density of the population must, apart from Densit other causes, increase through the acquisition and cultiva- f pop 1 tion of new land, and that it visibly differs very greatly lation&amp;gt; according to the difference of the soil in the different provinces, may be seen from the following table, wherein the increase of the percentage of cultivable land and of the population is indicated : Provinces Waste Lands. Buildings and Pleasure Grounds. Arable Land. Under Grass. Orchards and Nurseries. Population. Mean Density per Sq. Mile. 1833. 1876. 1833. 1876. 1833. 1876. 1833. 1876. 1833. 1876. 1829. 157,504 204,909 63,868 178,595 309,793 132,359 413,988 479,737 137,762 348,891 186,281 1878. Groningen 16 11-2 67-5 44-5 32-4 11-9 157 6 9-5 35-3 317 147 10-6 57-5 35-6 247 9-4 10-2 4-5 6-9 35-4 22-9 0-9 0-8 0-3 0-5 0-7 1-5 1-5 1-5 1-1 07 0-5 0-9 07 0-3 0-8 0-8 1-8 1-5 1-6 1-2 0-6 0-6 49-3 15-6 8-7 15-6 22-6 21-1 4-4 237 54 26-1 38-6 51-4 16 12-3 17-5 25-2 20-7 13-1 23-4 58 26-2 41 24-9 59-2 20-5 30-4 26-9 46-0 56-3 47-3 21-8 26-1 9-6 267 59-3 24-5 32-2 277 46-5 56-0 53-2 21-2 21-0 10-9 0-3 0-08 1 1-5 0-4 1 1-1 0-2 2-9 0-3 0-2 o-i 0-9 1-6 0-4 0-8 0-9 0-2 3-1 249,124 323,872 117,026 273,770 463,840 191,370 667,946 796,109 189,6n6 408,667 240,497 271 249 111 208 231 349 609 653 274 230 276 Friesland Drenthe .. . . . Overvssel Guelderland Utrecht ... North Holland South Holland Zealand North Brabant Limburg 27-9 23-3 0-8 0-9 23-9 25-7 32-5 34-1 0-6 0-7 2,613,487 3,981,887 302 1 Bee Dr F. W. C. Krecke, Ilet Klimaat van Nederland, Haarlem, 1863-64, and the Jaarboek of the Kon. Ned. Meteor. lust.