PROCEEDINGS OF THE REGEJ^iTS. 81 



prised by it of the serious purpose entertained in this country to 

 prosecute the magnetic researches which have already, though quite 

 in their infancy, established so many important laws. The minutes 

 of the last meeting of tlie council of the British Association, will make 

 you acquainted with our subsequent proceedings. 



Our government has postponed the decision of the precise measures 

 to be taken until next year ; and indeed our preparations, both of in- 

 struments and observers, could scarcely have been ready earlier, but 

 I think that we may entertain very sanguine hopes of establishing 

 some observatories at least ; and I have the more confident expecta- 

 tion of this from the letter of the Prince Consort of December 11, 

 (which you will see in the enclosed minutes,) who is to be our presi- 

 dent next year, (at the B. A.,) and who will then be the medium of 

 our communications with government. But still we may derive 

 great support from any evidence which we may be able to adduce that 

 other countries besides our own participate in the scientific interest of 

 these researches, and it is specially in this view that I now write to 

 you 



Our government appears not indisposed to have an observatory at 

 Pekin, and we shall no doubt press strongly to have a second at Van- 

 couver's Island. Toronto is already a third observatory in action in 

 nearly the same latitude, and London a fourth. It is obvious that a 

 chain of stations at moderate distances from each other in the middle 

 latitudes of the one hemisphere would give us a very reasonable 

 prospect of establishing with confidence laws the existence of which 

 we can now only infer. The greatest interval is between London 

 and Pekin, but this I have some reason to hope may be supplied by 

 an observatory at Kazan, under the able direction of Professor Bol- 

 zani, and it is impossible under these circumstances not to desire that 

 the observatory which you have so long meditated at Washington, 

 should be brought into corresponding activity. 



It is purposed that the instruments for the new British observa- 

 tories should serve either for eye observations or for a continuous 

 record of the three elements. They will be in great measure on the 

 model of the self-recording instruments at Kew, which have now been 

 at work for a twelvemonth, and which seem indeed to leave little to 

 be desired. But those for the colonial observatories will be somewhat 

 differently arranged, so as to occupy a space not exceeding perhaps 

 twelve feet by six, and to have all their parts so attached to a solid 

 floor that nothing is capable of misplacement. We find at Kew 

 that two persons are sufficient for the manipulations of such an obser- 

 vatory, the preparation of the j)aper, &c., and the tabulation from the 

 traces by instrumental measurement at hourly intervals. 



The instruments for the first either colonial or extra English ob- 

 servatory are in hand, and will be at work we expect in a temporary 

 building in the grounds of the observatory at Kew in July or August 

 next, where, should you incline to come once more to our British As- 

 sociation meeting, which is to be held this year at Aberdeen, under 

 the Prince Consort, or should any friend do so in whose judgment you 

 can confide, there will be a full opportunity for examining them. 



