124 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [ June, 
dress. This of course explains the mistake which would necessarily 
find its way into most people’s minds, that up to the time of his 
delivering his address, two and a half years of complete registration 
had been made in only 2 stations. The Registration of Meteorolo- 
gical Phenomena was only commenced in the middle of 1866.’ 
A. N. 
Had it not been for the especial request made in this second 
letter of Dr. Neil, he, (the President), should have considered himself 
justified in laying before the meeting only that portion of Dr. 
Neil’s first letter which he had already read, as being seemingly 
sufficient to satisfy Dr. Neil’s purpose. He felt himself, however, 
under the circumstances constrained to read the remainder, although 
before doing so he must premise that one passage, at least, in it 
appeared to him to have a much greater tendency to discredit the 
Punjab observations, than any words employed by him in his 
address could possibly have. The remainder of the letter was as 
follows :— 
‘I gather from your address that you are of opinion that the 
whole Meteorological Registration of India should be under one 
directing head. I am quite of opinion that it should be as much 
as possible conducted upon one system, but that the entire manage- 
ment, with any regard to useful result, is within the mental capa- 
city of one human being, is a question which hardly merits being 
argued. One definite system is requisite and necessary, and the 
simpler the system the better and more accurate will be the results. 
This most desirable starting-point would, I conceive, be best ob- 
tained by a conference of the present staff of Meteorologists. Hach 
should have his own province to manage upon the defined system, 
and each should interpret the data with which he is supplied ac- 
cording as his better knowledge of his own province will guide 
him. My field of observation is, you will admit, a tolerably large 
one. It embraces about 10 parallels of Latitude by about an 
equal number of degrees of Longitude. Within this area there is 
much for the Meteorologist to consider. He has to do his best to in- 
terpret the laws which regulate the climatic phases of a country, 
_part of which has an elevation of only a few hundred feet above 
sea level, while immense tracts have analtitude as high as any 
