LYIII EOTAL SOCIETY OF CANADA. 



In 1876, the issue of daily weather forecasts and stoi-m warnings was begun, and since that time 

 these have become so much a part of the eveiy-daj' life of the country, that it is unnecessary to enter 

 into any explanation of their character or to present any plea in their favour. They arc ecjually 

 imjjortant and necessary to the farmer as to the navigator, and are, in addition, of value in a hundred 

 other ways. 



In 1880, owing to failing health, Professor Kingston retired, and was then succeeded by the pre- 

 sent director, Mr. Carpmael, under whose control the service has grown, till there are at the present 

 time over four hundred stations in Canada reporting to tiie central office, of wliich twenty nine make 

 daily telegraphic reports, useful primarily in affording data for the weather forecasts. The meteoio- 

 logical service thus developed naturally from the Magnetic Observatory, and both have become merged 

 in a common organization, the growth of the meteorological work now perhaps overshadowing the 

 original magnetic purpose of the observatory in its immediate intore.-^t, though the importance of 

 the magnetic observations has never been lo.'^t sight of 



In Professor Kingston's first ic|)ort, already alluded to, he specifies three matters, which, as he 

 says, though unconnected with the subject of the report, by reason of their importance "justify my 

 introducing them to your notice." These are as follows : 



1. Arrangements foi- giving llic correct local time throughout the Dominion. 



2. The determination of the latitudes and longitudes of places. 



3. The rectification of the magnetic charts of British North America, and more particularlj- the 

 correct determination of the isogonic lines or lines of equal magnetic declination. 



I mention those desiderata here for the purpose of staling in how far they have since been suji- 

 plied. The first item has now, largely in consequence of the development of telegraphs and railway 

 lines, been pretty satisfactorily' covered. It has been greatly facilitated by the sy^tem of stand- 

 ard time, which one of our members, Mr. Sandfoid Fleming, C.M.G., has been so lai-gely connected 

 with bringing into employment. 



The determination of latitudes and longitudes yet remains to be fully accomplished. Much 

 accurate work of this kind has been done in connection with the Dominion land surveys in the far 

 west, but many large towns in the eastern provinces, not to mention places of smaller importance, 

 are still laid down on the map only apj^roximately and with large possible errors. The longitude of 

 Montreal has long been that most accurately fixed, this having been done by telegraphic comparisons 

 between the observatories of McGill and Harvard universities ; but the methods of efTeeting such com- 

 parisons have, of late years, been so much improved, that it became eminently desirable to effect a 

 new determination based directly upon the initial meridian of Gi-eenwich. The Eoyal Society of 

 Canada has been largely instrumental in bringing this about, and in securing the co-operation of the 

 Eoyal Observatory, the Admiralty, and the Department of Marine of Canada for this purpose. The 

 requisite observations have since been carried out, and it remains only to complete the reduction of 

 the observations to establish the result. Wo have thus now, in the observatory of Mctiill Univer- 

 sity in Montreal, an excellent point of reference for the exact determination of all other longitudes in 

 Canada. 



Respecting magnetic charts of the Dominion, much also remains to be done, for though scattered 

 observations of precision have been made, particularly in the vrest, no systematic attempt at a 

 magnetic survey has been undertaken since that accomplished in an extended journey tlirough the 

 northern parts of the country in 184-J and 1843, by Sir J. H. Lefroy. It is well to remember that the 

 magnetic pole itself is situated within the limits of Canada, and that problems of the greatest import- 

 ance, both from a purely scientific and from a practical point of view call for solution by a systematic 

 study of its secular movement as well as of any changes in intensity and dip by which this may be 

 accompanied. These are all strictly domestic problems and they should not be left for solution to 

 enterprise from abroad. 



In regard to further requirements in connection with the meteorological service, it is of course 

 much to be desired that the number of stations, and particulai-ly that of those reporting tel egiaphi- 



