370 SCIENTIFIC RECORD FOR 1882. 



Lat. Long. 



6. Breslau N. 51° 07' E. 17° 02' 



7. Zi-ka-wei (Shanghai) N. 31° 10' E. 121° 30' 



8. Manila N. 14° 35' E. 121° 00' 



9. Batavia S. 0° 10' E. 100° 50' 



Signal Office memorandum. 



The International Polar Commission held its third annual meeting at 

 St. Petersburg September (August) 1, 1881. The instructions that had 

 been issued to the United States parties (which were now already in the 

 field) were presented to the members. 



The first subject discussed was the time at which observations should 

 be taken, and their frequency. Observations will begin for all the expe- 

 ditions in the polar regions, as also for observations in the temperate 

 zones, as soon as possible after August 1, 1882, and will finish as close 

 as i^ossible to September 1, 1883. All the meteorological and magnetic 

 phenomena will be observed hourly during all this time; and besides 

 there will be taken on the 1st and 15th of each month magnetic obser- 

 vations every five minutes for twenty-four hours, and every twenty 

 seconds during some one hour of the day fixed on in advance, and every- 

 where according to the mean time of Gottingen. These latter observa- 

 tions have for their especial end to obtain a i)erfect knowledge of per- 

 turbations or magnetic storms, and their connection with the aurora 

 borealis. 



The assembly approved three proposals bj' Count Wilczek : (1) To 

 found, if possible, a special publication to convey more quickly to the 

 knowledge of the scientific world, as well as to the leaders of the 

 expeditions, the proi osiils and reports concerning the expeditions, as 

 also their first results. (2) To leave, if possible, on the spot, the build- 

 ings and other arrangements likely to be useful to future expeditions of 

 the same kind, and to recommend them, in each country, to the care of 

 navigators, or to the inhabitants. (3) To ask steamboat and railway 

 companies to grant a reduction in the fares for the staff and effects of 

 various international polar expeditions. The stations proposed are, two 

 on the north coast of Siberia, one in Nova Zembla, one in Si^itzbergen, 

 one on Jan Mayen Island, one on the west coast of Greenland, one in 

 Lady Franklin Bay, one in Behring Strait region ; and the participating 

 countries are, Russia, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Austria, and the 

 Tnited States. {Nature, September, 1881, Vol. xxiv, p. 470.) 



Loewy states that the International Polar Scientific Expedition sent 

 by France to Cape Horn will carry out a programme of observations 

 as arranged byAngot; direct observations will be made every four 

 hours, self-recording ai>paiatus will also be kept in operation. Special 

 attention will be given to the austral auroras. (Nature, XXYI, i^. V^2.) 



According to General Hazen's Annual Keport for 1881, the United 

 States Arctic stations at Lady Franklin Bay and Point Barrow are es- 



