386 SCIENTIFIC RECORD FOR 1882. 



atmospheric changes by oceans and continents, including the important 

 parts played in bringing about these changes by mountain ranges, ex- 

 tensive plateaus, and i)hysically "well defined river basins. Much yet, 

 however, remains to be done, princijially by extending the net-work of 

 observation in order that the weather-maps may show, in an approxi- 

 mately adequate manner, the meteorology also of the North Pacific and 

 southern hemisphere. Till this be done many fundamental questions 

 cannot be discussed, such as the inter-relations of the diiferent conti- 

 nents and oceans of the globe in their bearings on successive meteoro- 

 logical changes; and the important inquiry as to whether the pressure 

 of the earth's atmosphere be practically a constant from month to month, 

 and if not, what are the conditions or forces on which the observed dif- 

 ferences depend. For the bringing of this great international work to 

 so happy consummation we look with confidence to the War Depart- 

 ment of the United States, since this implies no more than a continuance 

 of the same energy and enlightened liberality that have won for the 

 Americans their position in meteorology." {Nature^ 1880, xxiii, p. 40.) 



III. — a Aeronautics : h Barometers ; c Thermometers ; d Ane- 

 mometers ; e Miscellaneous apparatus and methods. 



On September 1, 1881, an Aeronautical Society was founded at Berlin, 

 under the presidency of Dr. William Augerstein. 



Mouchez has proposed to undertake meteorological observations at 

 an elevation of over one mile by means of a captive balloon, in connec- 

 tion with the investigation of atmospheric refraction. {Nature^ xxv, 

 p. 137.) 



According to Nature, xxv, p. 565, this project has been given up, but 

 the captive balloon will be established at the Mont Souris Meteorolog- 

 ical Observatory. 



The British War Office is systematically experimenting with a view 

 to improvements in the application of the balloon to military operations, 

 and has also offered to co-operate with the meteorological office in the 

 utilization of its ascensions for the study of the atmosphere. 



The celebrated American aeronaut, S. A. King, has lately made sev- 

 eral instructive voyages, notably one in which the Signal Service took 

 part wherein the balloon lay becalmed for twelve hours. It is very 

 desirable that such work should be more systematically carried on. 

 {Nature, xxiii, p. 113.) 



A special department of aeronautics has been established in the En- 

 gineers and Architects' Union at Vienna. The application of aeronautics 

 to meteorological study is esi;)ecially cultivated. {Nature, xxiii, p. 232.) 



The aeronautic organization in the French army display their system 

 of captive balloons, for signaling, reconnoitering, and photographing 

 at the fetes in Paris in September, 1882. The Paris Academy of Aero- 

 station also made a full trial of their system of aerial panoramic pho- 

 tography. {Nature, xxvi, \), 482.) 



