140 ANNUAL RECORD OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 



results of investigations by Ley, Ferrel, Mohn, Guldberg, 

 Loomis, and Broun, as to the accuracy of Bays-Ballot's law, 

 he proceeds to review our knowledge of the distribution of 

 pressure over the Atlantic, as given in the works of Buchan, 

 Brault, and Woeikoff, and then states the modifications of 

 their views to which he has been led by his own investiga- 

 tions. He publishes charts of the isobars for January, 1874 

 and 1 875, and the average of many years. He carefully avoids 

 conclusions as to the ultimate cause of the distribution of 

 barometric pressure and its variations, and regrets that, in the 

 absence of observations over the Pacific Ocean, we cannot 

 yet take a general survey of the phenomena of the atmos- 

 phere. 



The Hydrographic Office of the United States Navy has 

 published an imposing volume of charts, giving information 

 regarding winds, calms, fogs, rain-squalls, weather, barometer, 

 temperature of the air, of sea-water, and of evaporation all 

 for every 5 square, and for each month. This volume is the 

 first of the series, and covers the Pacific Ocean between the 

 equator and the 45th parallel of north latitude, and between 

 the American coast and the 180th meridian. The next vol- 

 ume, for the North and South Atlantic Ocean, is well ad- 

 vanced, and the whole series, when finished, will cover the 

 whole navigated ocean-surface of the globe. This important 

 work was begun in September, 1876, by Lieutenant T. A. Ly- 

 ons, and other officers of the United States Navy, and will by 

 them be continued until completed. The data are supplied 

 by log-books of the United States vessels of war, and the 

 journals kept by merchant vessels on forms supplied by the 

 Hydrographic Office. 



In a comparison of the weather in Europe and America 

 during May, 1878, the Annalen der Hydro graphie says: "The 

 notable cold epoch in the second week of May was in this 

 year strongly marked both in Central Europe and in North 

 America. The almost perfect simultaneity of these may be 

 considered as a confirmation of the oft-expressed view that 

 this cold epoch owes its origin to some cosmic cause ; but 

 in this, ns in all preceding cases, the pressure was high, and 

 the winds northerly for both continents, which conditions are 

 those that always produce cool weather." The present writer 

 must demur to the conclusion that a cosmic cause is indi- 



