THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. 223 



making observations at the several light- houses to be established on 

 the coast of California ; to ask the surgeon-general to establish new 

 stations at important points ; to memorialize the other States of the 

 Union to follow the example of New York and Massachusetts, and also 

 the Canadian government to co-operate in the same entei-prize. 



What may be the result of the labors ot" the members -of the com- 

 mittee to which this duty is entrusted, it is impossible to say. They 

 can scarcely fail, however, to awaken a more general interest in the 

 enterprise, and to receive a fivorable response to some of the requests. 



Since the date of the last Report, the system particularly intended to in- 

 vestigate the nature of American storms, immediately under the care of 

 this Institution, has been continued and improved, botli. in the number of 

 the stations, and, in some degree, in the character of the instruments. An 

 appropriation was made to furnish a larger number of stations than 

 previously with barometers and thermometers, by distributing these 

 instruments, in some cases entirely at the expense of the Institution, and 

 in others by selling them to the observers at half their original cost; 

 but the demand was so great, and the loss by breakage in transmitting 

 the instruments so frequent, that the appropriations were soon exhausted, 

 and until we can afford to devote a large sum to the object, and employ 

 a special agent to transport the articles to their destination, it will be 

 inadvisable to attempt anything more in this way. 



Though the instrutnents employed by these observers in some cases 

 cannot be relied on lor giving absolute results, yet they serve a good 

 purpose in determining changes of pressure and temperature ; and the 

 returns give all the varying phases of the sky. 



Thus far, the returns which have been received from this's^^stem have 

 been arranged in folio volumes ; and a l^eginning has been made in the 

 way of deducing general conclusions from them, which may test the 

 value of the observations and lead to their improvement, by suggesting 

 other objects of inquiry. The results already obtained give promise of 

 interesting and valuable additions to our knowledge of the nature of 

 the storms which traverse this continent duiing the winter seasons, and 

 will probably serve to settle definitely several theoretical questions of 

 much interest to the meteorologist. 



The meteorological correspondence of the Institution is principally 

 attended to by Professor Foreman, and the labor which this involves is 

 sufficient to occupy the greater portion of his time. The letters re- 

 ceived from this class of cooperators are not confined to the subject of 

 meteorology, but include the whole domain of physical science. We 

 consider it, as before observed, a duty in all such cases to give any 

 information required ; and if this is not in the possession of the officers 

 connected with the Institution, it is procured from other sources. 



For the details as to the management of the meteorological affairs of 

 the Institution, see Professor Foreman's report on this subject. 



Library mid Collections. 



It will be recollected that the income of the Institution was, by a 

 compromise alluded to in a former Report, to be divided into two equal 

 parts, one part to be devoted to the formation of a museum, a library, 



