METEOEOLOGY IN KUSSIA. 297 



freezes tbe 25th of November and opens the 4th of April. It is thus 

 closed thirteen days earlier aud opened fifteen days earlier than the 

 Volga. 



The rivers are frozen a much longer time in Eastern than in Western 

 Eussia ; for example^ at Orenburg the river is one hundred and sixty-four 

 days covered with ice ; at Turov, in the same latitude, the river is one 

 hundred and seven days frozen, and at Warsaw only eighty-five days. 

 The duration of cold weather is the principal feature of the climate to 

 be considered. Furthermore, extremes of cold seem to have very little 

 influence; for example, in the winter of 1870-'71,»the coldest of this 

 century, the Neva froze seven days later and opened ten days earlier 

 than is generally the case. In this winter the cold was restricted to 

 the months of December, January, and February, the months of Novem- 

 ber, 1870, and especially March, 1871, being comparatively warm. 



An extensive collection of data relating to the freezing of rivers, 

 lates, and bays is in progress in Eussia. It is the work of Lieutenant 

 Eikatschef, who presented his plan to the Geographical Society in the 

 beginning of 1870. Circulars asking for such observations were sent 

 to every part of the empire, and it was also thought necessarj^to extend 

 the work to foreign countries. I am happy to say that this plan received 

 the hearty assistance of the late Professor Coffin, aud of Professor 

 Henry, who tried to obtain all available data from North America. 



I have now briefly stated the most important facts relating to the 

 meteorology and climatology of Eussia, and will end with expressing 

 the hope that the practical application of science to weather-forecasts 

 may soon extend to my country, and that thus telegraphical weather- 

 communications may encircle the globe. Everything that is useful to 

 mankind spreads so rapidly in our day that we shall probably see at 

 no distant date, diflicult as it may seem, the system extend even to 

 countries nearly desert, such as Eastern Siberia and Alaska. We shall 

 then see our Baltic harbors warned of the approach of Atlantic storms 

 many days before their occurrence, while the Eussian stations on the 

 Pacific will at the same time render a similar service to California and 

 Oregon. 



I mention here some of the principal sources of information relative 

 to the meteorology and climatology of Eussia, especially those published 

 in German or French, which are more generally known than the Eussian 

 language. 



Annuaire magnetiqiie et meteorologique, frcm 1837 to 1848. 



Annales de Fohservatoire physique central, from 1849 to 1864, contain- 

 ing the detailed, partly horary, magnetical and meteorological observa- 

 tions of the great stations. 



Correspondance meteorologique, from 1850 to 1864 quarterly', daily means 

 of all stations in correspondence with the physical observatory. 



Annalen des pJiysiJcaUschen Central- Ohservatoriums, (Eussian and Ger- 



