60 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [ Marcu, 
Col. the Hon’ble R. Strachey made a communication to the effect, 
that the Government of India have lately resolved to place 4 lacs of 
rupees in deposit, which sum should be available for completing 
the new Museum building. He regretted the delay which has been 
caused in the construction of the building and stated that it was 
greatly due to the financial difficulty in which the Government of 
India found themselves a short time ago. Col. Strachey mentioned 
that the original approximate estimate amounted to about 3% lacs of 
rupees. This sum had been sanctioned by Government, and the work 
for the new building was commenced. Subsequently the regular 
estimate came up and it amounted to about 7 lacs. After about 4 lacs 
had already been spent, a revised estimate was called for, and this 
rose up to about 10 lacs. It was, therefore, not surprising that the 
Government stepped in and enquired into the whole matter carefully, 
and this caused such delay that it became impossible to complete the 
Museum within the appointed time, 23rd March, 1871. However 
he (Col. Strachey) hoped that the present action taken by Govern- 
ment in the matter would bring the building to its desired comple- 
tion at as early a date as possible. 
Col. Strachey’s communication was most favorably received by 
the meeting. 
Mr. H. F. Blanford exhibited several barometric and other 
meteorological curves and made the following observations : 
The diagrams that I have to lay before the meeting this evening, 
will, I think, be interesting to the Society, as they exhibit in a gra- 
phic and readily appreciable form certain important features of 
our local Meteorology. Beyond this, there is no especial connexion 
between them ; each illustrates certain special points, some of which 
have recently been discussed in the Society, and they must be re- 
garded as materials which have been generalized up a certain point; 
representing facts which may be of important service in any future 
scientific treatment of our Meteorology. 
The first sheet shews the mean diurnal variation of some of 
the principal Meteorological elements at Calcutta for each month of 
the year, as deduced from the hourly observations recorded for 16 
years at the Surveyor General’s Office. These elements are (1) the 
