KEW OBSERVATORY AND METEOROLOGY 229 



Rue (181 5-1889), the famous stationer, whose 

 mechanical ingenuity, artistic taste, and business 

 habits were most valuable. I have served with him 

 on various Councils, where his help and influence 

 were always felt. I shall have shortly again to speak 

 of him. The pretty Kew monogram was his design. 



I became Chairman of the Observatory in succes- 

 sion to Mr. De la Rue in 1889, and held that post 

 until 1 90 1, when it ceased to be an independent body. 

 The Observatory has been fortunate in its particularly 

 able Superintendents, Sir Francis Ronalds of electric 

 fame, Dr. Balfour Stewart, subsequently Professor at 

 Owen's College, Manchester, Mr. Whipple, a man 

 of considerable natural gifts, and Dr. Cree, now 

 President of the Physical Society. Many members 

 of their staff were very trustworthy and valuable 

 officials. 



Much interest in the laws of the weather had been 

 aroused long previously to i860, and it was then 

 clearly understood by those who studied them that 

 future progress depended on securing numerous 

 observations made at the same moment, during many 

 years, at stations scattered over a wide area. The 

 popular book of Maury in America and the writings 

 of Admiral FitzRoy drew attention to this need ; and 

 Le Verrier, the French astronomer, issued daily 

 charts of the Atlantic, based on such observations as 

 he could obtain from ships and coast stations. But 

 these were so few compared to the area over which 

 they were scattered, and so unequally distributed, 

 that too much guess-work was needed to combine 

 their information into coherent and reasonable 

 systems. 



