209 



28. — Meteorological Observations takex at Waxsford House, 

 Watford, during the tear 1878. 



Ey John IIopkinsox, F.L.S., F.M.S., etc., Hon. Sec. 

 [Read 13th May, 1879.] 



In the year 1875 the Council appointed a Meteorological Com- 

 mittee to consider the question of having meteorological observations 

 taken for the Society at Watford. This committee held but one 

 meeting, presided over by the Earl of Essex, who was then takiug 

 meteorological observations at Cassiobuiy ; and at this meeting it 

 was recommended to the Council that an endeavour should be made 

 to induce some member of the Society to take observations with 

 verified instruments, and in accordance, in other respects also, with 

 the rules of the Meteorological Society, so as to be comparable 

 with observations taken at other places by that Society's observers. 



No member could, however, be found who possessed the requisite 

 instruments or was willing to obtain them and take regular obser- 

 vations ; and in this emergency I undertook to endeavour to fulfil 

 the requirements, procuring standard instruments which I had 

 verified at the Kew Observatory, and commencing regular obser- 

 vations at Holly Bank early in the following year. 



The results of these observations for a year and a half — March, 

 1876, to August, 1877 — have already been communicated to the 

 Society,''^ and during this period copies of the daily observations 

 from Avhich these results were deduced were forwarded monthly to 

 the Meteorological Society. 



In September, 1877, the observations were discontinued at Holly 

 Bank, and from the following month they have been taken with 

 the same instruments at my present residence, Wansford House. 

 I must however state that at Wansford House they have not been 

 taken quite in accordance with the Meteorological Society's rules, 

 for I have discontinued taking the 9 p.m. observations. In other 

 respects there has been no alteration ; but this deviation is im- 

 portant, and renders tlie results given in this communication not 

 strictly comparable with those previously given for Holly Bank, 

 even had there been no difference in the locality and no alteration 

 in the position of the instruments. 



The requirements of the Meteorological Society for its second 

 order stations, which are equivalent to the third order stations of 

 the Meteorological Department of the Board of Trade, are not there- 

 fore now complied with ; and I have given the foregoing particulars 

 of the origin of these observations that I may ask for assistance 

 from some member of the Society in relieving me of this work, 

 Avhich having been undertaken merely to supply a want, I would 

 gladly give up to any one who would carry it on, by taking either 

 only the 9 a.m., or, preferably, the 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. observations. 



* ' Transactions,' Vol. I, p. 217, and Vol. II, p. 91. 



