METEOEOLOGY IN EUSSIA. 273 



amount of labor necessary in carrying out the new system, and certainly 

 there are many of these who are quite unknown to men of science, 

 whose laborious efforts have in a great measure been lost for want of 

 proper instructions of what and how to observe. A second drawback 

 experienced in carrying on this system is the difficulty, to which we 

 have before alluded, of getting the additional grant of public money so 

 necessary to the further progress of meteorology as well as to its prac- 

 tical application. So far from interfering with the progress of pure 

 science, the practical applications, in extending the number of observa- 

 tions and increasing the number of men interested in science, can only 

 conduct to new discoveries. 



In speaking of practical appliances I, of course, refer to the system 

 of weather telegrams and predictions so extensively used at present in 

 the United States. 



As some of the general movements of the atmosphere have been 

 determined, and it is known that in Russia the storms move from west 

 to east, as they generally do in the middle latitudes of the globe, we 

 are in a very favorable position for the prediction of the weather, much 

 more so than those in Western Europe, and scarcely less than in the 

 United States. As a great many meteorological stations exist in the 

 west of Europe, it is easy to obtain telegraphic communications relative 

 to the weather from them for the mere expense of the telegrams. The 

 Norwegian meteorological institute has already established forewarn- 

 ings of storms, and it would be only necessary to establish telegraphic 

 lines to the shores of the Arctic and White Seas, for the benefit of the 

 shipping and fisheries of these regions. The western part of Russia, 

 with the Arctic, White, Baltic, and Black Seas, woidd thus mainly de- 

 pend on intelligence received from abroad, while the railroad officials and 

 travelers inland could be warned of the approach of storms of snow and 

 rain by the intelligence received from Western Russia. The delays on 

 the railroads and the great loss of life which frequently occur on ordinary 

 roads could thus to a great extent be prevented. After the climatical 

 features of Russia have been sufficiently studied, agriculture itself would 

 profit by the warnings of heavy rains and thunder-storms predicted in 

 advance 5 they would be prepared for and lose a part of their baleful 

 influence. W^ithin the three las*; years the geographical society has 

 again busily occupied itself in promoting the study of meteorology in 

 Russia, and the success of the first two years of this work is very en- 

 couraging. The geographical society did not, however, wish to inter- 

 fere with the business of the physical observatory, yet the inability of 

 this institution to perform all the labor was too clear to be ignored. It 

 was projjosed to elect a meteorological commission from among the mem- 

 bers of the society. This commission was elected in the beginning of 

 the year 1870, and discharges the duties of meteorological societies in 

 other countries ; that is, it furnishes the theoretical and practical prop- 

 ositions of the science. 

 18 s 



