A MEMOIR OP ELI AS LOOMIS. 757 



radically tlill'ereiit IVoiii those of the European storms. The results of 

 the whole discussion were published in 1859, by the Smithsonian Insti- 

 tution. 



Upon coming to New Haven, in 1860, ho commenced the collection of 

 all the meteorological observations that had been made in New Ilaven 

 and the immediate vicinity, and succeeded in finding sets which, when 

 brought together, made up a nearly continuous record through 80 years. 

 Tlie results of these observations formed the subject of a memoir pub- 

 lished by the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences in 186G. 



It became part of his duties in college to deliver a course of lectures 

 upon the subject of meteorology. In preparation for these he caused 

 to be printed in very limited numbers the outlines of a treatise upon 

 meteorology, to be used as the basis of his series of lectures. In 1868 

 he developed this outline into a treatise suited to use in college classes 

 and in private study. This treatise, notwithstanding the rapid advances 

 of the science during more than liO years, is still indispensable to the 

 student of meteorology. 



The better system of observing for which Professor Loomis had beeu 

 long waiting came when the United States Signal Service was estab- 

 lished in 1871. The daily maps of the weather published by the Bureau 

 were constructed essentially after the plan which Professor Loomis had, 

 30 years before, invented for the treatment of the storms of 1842. As 

 soon as these maps had been published for the two years 1872 and 1873, 

 Professor Loomis commenced in earnest to deduce from them the lessons 

 which they taught us respecting the nature and the phenomena of 

 United States storms. To this investigation he gave nearly all his en- 

 ergies during the remaining 15 years of his life. 



For several years be employed and paid for the services of assistants 

 whose time was given to the preparation of material for use in his 

 studies. The aggregate cost of this assistance was of itself a very 

 large contribution to science. Beginning in April, 1874, he presented 

 regularly at eighteen successive meetings of the National Academy of 

 Sciences in April and in October of each year, a ])aper entitled "Con- 

 tributions to Meteorology." These were at first based upon the ])ubli- 

 cations of the Signal Service alone, but as years went by, like publications 

 appeared in Europe that were useful for his work. These papers were 

 published in July and January following the Academy meeting, and 

 they regularly formed the first and leading article in eighteen successive 

 volumes of the American Journal of Science. Gradiuilly one after 

 another of his college duties were committed to others that he might 

 give his whole strength to tliese investigations. 



An attack of malaria interrupted the regularity of the series. His 

 advancing years and diminishing strength warned him that the end of 

 his inv^estigations could not be far distant. The number of hours in 

 which he could work each day was slowly diminishing. Five more 

 ])apers followed at somewhat less regular intervals. 



