REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 37 



periodical phenomena, such as the appearance and disappearance of 

 birds and animals, first and last frosts, dates of the opening and clos- 

 ing of rivers, lakes, harbors, &c. ; also, detailed observations for the 

 investigation '<)f the principal storms of 1859,' general tables of tem- 

 peratures of several hundred places in North America, deduced from 

 a series of years from all the reliable sources which could be com- 

 manded; also, a series of tables of rain at different places, deduced 

 from observations for a series of years. The special object of the 

 extended table of temperature is to furnish the materials for a more 

 accurate isothermal map of the United States than has as yet been 

 projected; and that of the rain tables, to present the data for a more 

 reliable map of the average precipitation in the different parts of the 

 country. 



The volume will also contain special thermometric observations at 

 stations distributed over the area extending from the Arctic regions 

 to the northern States of South America, and from the Pacific to the 

 Atlantic coast, for the purpose of showing the progress of cold periods 

 across the continent, from the Rocky mountains to Bermuda. The 

 same volume will also contain daily notices of the weather for the 

 year 1859, gathered from published accounts, presenting items of in- 

 formation in a general and popular form, which may assist in the in- 

 vestigation of the movement of storms, and be of more interest to 

 the general reader than the tabular statements of the principal part of 

 the work. 



The ofiice work of the system of meteorology has continued in 

 charge of William Q. Force, esq., of this city, to whom has also been 

 intrusted the laborious duty of correcting the proof sheets of the 

 volumes above mentioned. 



Magnetic Ohsei^vatory. — It was stated in the last report that as the 

 changes in the direction and intensity of the magnetic force at Toronto 

 were almost precisely the same as at Washington, it was concluded 

 that more important service could be rendered to science by sepa- 

 rating the points of observation to a greater distance. In accordance 

 with this view, the instruments of the observatory on the Smithso- 

 nian grounds were sent to Key West, one of the Tortugas, where the 

 United States has a military post, and the Coast Survey a tidal sta- 

 tion. This location has been found well adapted to the purpose, and 

 notwithstanding its proximity to the seat of active war, the photo- 

 graphic registration has been uninterruptedly kept up during the 



