58 ANNUAL RECORD OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 



with increasing industry. Its usefulness as a medium of 

 direct communication with all parts of the country was sin- 

 gularly apparent and highly appreciated by the President 

 during the riots of August. A series of novel and very ele- 

 mentary, yet practical, stations has been established, wher- 

 ever telegraph lines penetrate into the Rocky Mountains 

 and Sierra regions, and from these as well as from all other 

 stations reports of the appearance of the sky at sunset are 

 sewt daily to the Washington Office. The number of foreign 

 stations and ships reporting simultaneous observations on its 

 plan of international exchange has now increased to about 

 375, to which the United States adds 80, with the promise 

 of more land stations. Daily weather maps for the whole 

 northern hemisphere are now compiled daily by this 

 Bureau. 



The preliminary expedition in pursuance of Captain How- 

 gate's plan of Polar colonization sailed for the North in Au- 

 gust, and was accompanied by Mr. O. T. Sherman, a graduate 

 of Yale College, as meteorologist. A supply of all necessary 

 apparatus was taken, and we may expect a full record of 

 observations. Among the novelties we may mention the 

 supply of a number of small balloons for the determination 

 of currents of air and of the heights of the clouds according 

 to the methods recently used in Paris by Fonvielle and 

 Secretan. 



The Permanent Committee of the Vienna Congress has 

 published the report of its meeting at London in 1876, in 

 continuation of its reports of the meetings at Vienna, 1873, 

 and Utrecht, 1874. A mass of information is given in ref- 

 erence to the various practices of observers in regard to in- 

 struments and methods, and the way prepared to a greater 

 uniformity in these matters. The unpublished data now in 

 the hands of European offices, and the investigations in prog- 

 ress or needed, are also put on record. 



Of the publications of the Physical Observatory at St. 

 Petersburg we have received only the valuable but rather 

 cutting brochures of Wild on the accuracy of standard 

 barometers and on the accuracy of modern anemometry. 

 Doubtless the regular annual volumes have been somewhat 

 delayed in transit. The second part of Volume V. of the 

 IiepertorUnn^ and a supplementary part, were published in 

 September. (Sec Climate.) 



