xxxvi GENERAL SUMMARY OF SCIENTIFIC AND 



These will form an important extension of the maps which 

 Meld rum began to compile in 1854 for the whole Indian 

 Ocean, and which it is understood he still keeps up. 



The meteorological office of the Argentine Confederation 

 having been organized by Dr. B. A. Gould, he has continued 

 to maintain a general superintendence of its work; and from 

 his report of its activity during the year 1874, it appears 

 that seventeen stations are occupied by him ; his general 

 rule will be, as he states, excellence in a few researches, rather 

 than a wider range of inquiry with a probable sacrifice of 

 accuracy. 



The Russian government, following the lead of France and 

 Germany, has decided to establish at Pavlosk, near St. Pe- 

 tersburg, a new physical observatory, in connection with the 

 central physical observatory in that city. In Japan, the de- 

 partment having in charge the island of Jesso has taken steps 

 to have regular meteorological observations made therein. 

 These Will be in charge of Professor Rockwell, of Tokio. 



The organization of French meteorological departments 

 continues to progress. The southern Mediterranean region 

 has for its central office Montpellier. The northern Medi- 

 terranean region is centralized at Marseilles. For the west- 

 ern and southwestern regions a special meteorological con- 

 gress has been called, to be held at Poitiers. 



The report of the proceedings at London of the Confer- 

 ence on Maritime Meteorology, in that it gives succinctly the 

 recommendations of the Vienna Congress, is well worthy of 

 reference to the attention of American navigators and ob- 

 servers. 



An excellent manual of instructions for the use of observ- 

 ers, accompanied, of course, with convenient tables, has been 

 published by the London Meteorological Office. In some re- 

 spects its directions differ from those recommended by the 

 Meteorological Congress at Vienna ; and, in fact, we seem to 

 be as far as ever from realizing that absolute uniformity of 

 methods and instruments which would be so conducive to 

 the progress of science. 



Dr. Mills communicates to the Physical Society of London 

 some suggestions on thermometry. For thermometers which 

 have not been used, the zero-point error must always be de- 

 termined immediately after experiment. It is also generally 



