LVIII THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 
been reached. A feature of interest in this ascent is that it was made 
in advance of an approaching cyclonic disturbance with the winds 
south-east all over Ontario. The balloon went away to the north-west 
and then, at about an altitude of 3,600’, changed its course towards the 
east-ward, and was picked up some 25 miles south-east of Peterboro. 
A kite station has been equipped near the Magnetic Observatory 
at Agincourt. The Dines kite will be used with the Dines Kite Meteor- 
ograph, which records pressure, temperature, humidity and wind velocity. 
So far an altitude of but 6,000’ has been attained, but there are good 
grounds for belief that great heights will be reached in the near future. 
It is proposed, when sufficient experience has been acquired and good 
data has been gathered at Agincourt, to make similar investigations 
of the upper air on the Alberta prairies in the path of the Chinook, 
and also in Bermuda which Station is under control of the Canadian 
service. The Service has been fortunate in securing Mr. John Patterson, 
M.A. (Cantab.) and late of the Meteorological Office of India, to super- 
intend the physics branch of the Central Office. 
MAGNETIC OBSERVATIONS. 
There have been no breaks in the Magnetic records at the Agincourt 
Observatory. The zeros of instruments were determined by absolute 
observations, taken weekly for declination and bi-monthly for hori- 
zontal force. Weekly observations were also made for the determination 
of the Inclination. The westerly declination has changed from 6° 2’.6 
in March, 1910, to 6°7’.1 in March, 1911, an increase of 4’.5. The 
Horizontal force has gradually decreased from 0.16274 C.G.S. units 
to 0.16232, and the Inclination has increased from 74° 38’ .6 to 74° 39’.2. 
Magnetic disturbances were of frequent occurrence throughout the 
year, but were small in amplitude. In declination the greatest vari- 
ation was recorded on the 9th and 10th of August, 1910, amounting 
to 1° 49’.1, the Horizontal force at the same time passed beyond the 
range of the recording instrument. The second largest disturbance 
was also recorded in August, on the 21st and 22nd, when the range of 
declination was 1° 18’.8, and of Horizontal force 532.5 7. The normal 
diurnal range for August in declination is about’ 15 minutes, and Hori- 
zontal force 45 7. 
During the year 54 theodolites with magnets attached, belonging 
to surveyors employed by the Surveys Branch, Department of the 
Interior, were compared with Agincourt, Standard Declinometer and 
index corrections for the magnets determined and supplied to the 
Surveyor General. Assistance was rendered to Messrs. Engler, Carson, 
Chartrand and Coté, of the Surveys Branch, to make comparisons 
between their dip and total force instruments and our standards, in 
> 
