Ordinary Meeting, April 7th, 1885. 



J. P. Joule, D.C.L., LL.D., F.R.S., &c., Vice-President, 

 in the Chair. 



"Note from Davos Dorfli," by Arthur Wm. Waters, 

 F.G.S. 



If I was a strong man I should not be in Davos, and 

 meteorological observations ought to be undertaken by 

 those in health, and this will be sufficient explanation 

 why I am only able to make a small contribution to our 

 knowledge of the Davos climate ; and a severe illness last 

 summer prevented my putting up either of the electric 

 thermometers* which I devised especially for an extreme 

 winter climate. Instead, I used the variations in the electrical 

 resistance of wire, a plan which was described by Sir William 

 Siemens,-f- and has been employed in deep sea and other 

 measurements. 



Besides wishing to know the temperature without leaving 

 my room, I was anxious to become practically acquainted 

 with the advantages and difficulties of the system. 



The coils described by Sir W. Siemens are platinum wire, 

 wound on pipe-clay, and for furnace or deep sea measure- 

 ments this would not seem to have any disadvantage, but 

 for meteorological purposes the aim should rather be towards 

 an arrangement that will very rapidly take the temperature 

 of the air. As an experiment I therefore took some fine 

 copper wire (O'l millim.) and wound this in such a way 

 that it should be as much as possible exposed to the air 

 currents. Beginning near the centre I wound a number 



* New Method of reading a Thermometer and Hygrometer at a distance, by means of 

 Electricity.— Quart. Journ. of the Meteorol. Soc, vol. ix., p. 205. See also Proc. Manch. 

 Lit. and Phil. Soc, vol. xxii., p. 106. 



+ Electrical Resistance Thermometer and Pyrometer Trans. Soc. Telogr. Engineers 

 1875, See also " Nature," July, 1875. 



Peoceedings— Lit. & Phil. Soc— Vol. XXIV.— No. 9.— Session 1884-5. 



