1865] WRITINGS OF JOSEPH HENRY. 449 



and publishing extensive tables for the reduction of obser- 

 vations, introducing standard instruments, and collecting 

 all public documents, printed matter, and manuscript records, 

 bearing on the meteorology of the American continent, sub- 

 mitting these materials to scientific discussion, and publish- 

 ing the results. In these labors the Institution has been in 

 continued harmonious co-operation with all the other efforts 

 made in this country to advance meteorology, except those 

 formerly conducted by the Navy Department under Lieuten- 

 ant Maury. These were confined exclusively to the sea, and 

 had no reference to those made at the same time on land. 

 Without desiring to disparage the labors of Lieutenant 

 Maury, I may say that his results would have lost nothing 

 of their value by the adoption of a less exclusive policy on 

 his part. The meteorology of the sea and that of the land 

 pertain to a connected series of phenomena which can be 

 properly studied only by a combined system of observations 

 relating to both. The method pursued by Lieutenant Maury 

 consisted in dividing the surface of a map of the ocean into 

 squares of ten degrees on a side, and in recording within 

 each of these the direction of the winds obtained from the 

 log-books of the vessels which had traversed the several 

 regions. In this way he accumulated a large amount of 

 data, which though published in connection with many 

 crude hypotheses, are of great value in the study of the 

 meteorology of the globe. 



In 1853 a meteorological system was commenced in Can- 

 ada, the senior grammar school in each county being pro- 

 vided with instruments ; and the observations have been 

 continued to the present time. In regard to this system, 

 Mr. Hodgins of the educational department remarks: "We 

 have never lost sight of the great practical importance to a 

 new and partially settled country, of establishing early in 

 its history, before its physical condition is materially changed, 

 a complete and comprehensive system of meteorological 

 observations, by which may be tested theories of science 

 which are yet unsettled, and which may be solved, relating 

 to natural phenomena which have long remained among 

 the sealed mysteries of nature." 



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