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showing the advantages wliich might accrue to science by 

 the establishment of a magnetical and meteorological obser- 

 vatoiy in Netherlands Tndia in connection with the obser- 

 vatories already existing in British India and Australia. 



This letter was favourably received by the Governor Gene- 

 ral and presented by his Excellency to the Minister for Co- 

 onial affairs at the Hague, who sent it for advice to the 

 Royal Academy of Science at Amsterdam. The Academy 

 strongly supported VoN Hümboldt's suggestion. 



The Director of the Royal üutch Meteorological Institute 

 at Utrecht, Professor Buys Ballot, was invited by his 

 Excellency the Minister for Colonial affairs to make a plan 

 for the magnetical and meteorological observatories in Ne- 

 therlands India. Professor Buys Ballot submitted in 1857 

 to his Excellency the Minister a plan comprising : 1^^ the 

 erection of a magnetical and meteorological observatory ad- 

 apted for hourly observations at Batavia ; 2"<i the organiza- 

 tion of meteorological stations of the secoud order at a few 

 other places in the East Indian Archipelego; 3^'^ magnetic 

 survey of the Archipel in connection with the magnetical 

 observations at Batavia. 



In 1859 I was appointed director of the magnetical and 

 meteorological observations to be made in Netherlands In- 

 dia, and was at the same time comraissioned to study the 

 different systems of magnetical and meteorological instruments 

 then used in Europe, and to order those for India which 

 would be considered best to secure good results. I visited 

 the principal observatories of Europe and met everywhere 

 with the greatest readiness to support me in executing my 

 commission. This was especially the case in England. At 

 the Kew Observatory every facility was afforded me for stu- 

 dying the magnetical and meteorological instruments used there 

 and at the British Colonial observatories. 



Funds for purchasiug instruments having been placed most 

 liberally at my disposal by Government, I succeeded in 

 bringing together a very complete set of instruments for a 



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