THE FINEST CLIMATE IN THE WORLD.

Dunstan Times, Issue 3144, 20 November 1922, Page 2

THE FINEST CLIMATE IN THE WORLD.

(By Syonara.) It requires some assurance, perhaps, to affirm that the British climate is the finest in' tins world, especially after a summer which) has been sullen and disappointing. But with an experience of other climates, in various degrees of latitude, from the Equator upward', and in all degrees of longitude, that is my deliberate opinion. Every climate lias its detractors. There are visitors who say that Britain has no climate: only weather. and samples at that. It may be admitted that omr climate is an acquired taste. These critics have not had time to acquire it. More than a. century ago, Edmund Burke put his finger on the outstanding charm of British weather, when he wrote of this "coquetting climate O'f ours." That is it. That is the matter in a nutshell. Our weather is not a constant friend, not a dependable helpmeet. It is. to put it quite plainly, a minx. Yet a very adorable minx. I make bold to bay that there arc nun.: glorious days and nights in Britain, year in and year out, than in any other spot on the globe. In all "perfect'' climates—Southern France, Southern Italy, Japan, California —there is always a catch. ]\lo<=quitoes. perhaps, or other native fauna, and there is monotony. The weather is "according to plan." and one knows exactly what to- expect at each particular season. But here in Britain we aire constantly guessing. We never know what a day may bring forth. T understand that the "mean minimum" on some days during August was lower than the "mean minimum" in December. If that is so. it is merely a new triumph for our weather. It shows that we are independent of seasons. and that we may legitimately expert a picnic day in winter. I may be eccentric ill this matter, but for my part I get horribly "fed up" with a climate that never varies from day to day; (liar is always very good or very had. The worst was a place near the Kquator. It is either raining or it has ,ius! left off raining, or it is just going to begin raining. The temperature is never much higher than 5)0 degrees, but then \{ is never lower, and this goes on from year's end to year's end., night and day. This is the extreme of maddening monotony, but there are other places with "temperate" climates, such as California and Japan, which are almo-t .is bad. Brilliant sunshine and blue skies and cloudless nights for months ;i{ a time make one iong for a change. "Ob. to be in England now that April's here." wrote Browning from his Italian home, and lie longed to he in England because of what a greater poet has called "the uncertain glory of an April day." and if there is anything to equal the uncertain glory of a British April day it- is the uncertain glory of an August day and of a September day —and' so on throughout the calendar. If there are any grumblers about British weather, lei them pause and remember that it is British weather that has made Britons whal 11 toy are.

All extraordinary Dnd was made in I lie west-end (if Uerlin one night lately. The wife of a merchant of Kauls(toi'f, near lie rim. had been paying a visit to t'hei city, and was on her way to Oharlottenburg railway station to catch her train home when, walking along Kurfueksteiidanmi. she «swv * portmanteau on the pavement. No ono was near, and alter waiting for .several minuter-; to see if it were claimed, B'he decided to take the portniantea.u to the police t-tatmn near by. Hut she found it was so heavy that six- could not lift it. She obtained the help of a policeman, and between them they took the bag to the nearest station. There it was opened, and was •found to contain many ornaments of gold and a la rue number of valuable articles of jewellery. It is estimated that the contents of the portmanteau have a value of at least 30,000,000 of marks. The police were inclined to the belief that it iw the result of a burglar's coup, and was abandoned! an' it wa« found (o be too heavy to carry farther.