370 SCIENTIFIC RECORD FOR 1882. 



Lat. Long. 



C. Breslau X. 51° 07' E. 17° 02' 



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



8. Manila .• . N. 14° 35' E. 121° 00' 



9. Batavia S. 0° 10' E. lOGci 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 fVequency. Observations will begin for all the expe- 

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

 zones, as soon as i)ossible after August 1, 1882, and will finish as close 

 as possible 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 someone hour of the day fixed on in advance, and every- 

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

 tions have for their especial end to obtain a perfect knowledge of per- 

 turbations or magnetic storms, and their connection with the aurora 

 borealis. 



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

 found, if possible, a special publication to convey more quicklj^ to the 

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

 expeditions, the proj osals 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 Spitzbergeu, 

 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, Eussia, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Austria, and tbe 

 I nited States. {Nature, September, 1881, Vol. xxiv, p. 479.) 



Loewy states that the International Polar Scientific Exi)edition sent 

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

 as arranged by Angot; direct observations will be made every four 

 hours, self-recording ai)pai atus will also be kept in operation. Special 

 attention will be given to the austral auroras. {Nature, xxvi, p. 192.) 



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

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



