40 Proceedings. 



barometer at different places — that is, difference of level in 

 atmospheric pressure — that affects the weather, not the 

 actual height in any one place. It is by carefuUy comparing 

 the weather-reports telegraphed to London from aU the 

 different stations that the Meteorological Officer is able to 

 foretell the weather, and issue forecasts and storm -warnings ; 

 without these, however experienced, he would be utterly at a 

 loss to do so. Our country is so situated that he cannot get 

 nearly enough knowledge of coming distm-bances for efficiently 

 warning our own coasts, as we have seen storms approach us 

 from the W., and we have no station farther W. than Valentia. 

 Storms have occasionally approached so raj)idly as to outstrip 

 such periodical notice as can be given by our present system 

 of telegraphic reports, much more to allow of warning being 

 issued. We have, however, a system of reporting to Ham- 

 burg, and there have been few instances in which our office 

 has not given them good notice of a coming storm. 



Evening Meeting. — Mabch 20th, 1885. 



On the nomination of the Committee, Mr. Sydney Webb, of 

 Dover, and Mr. N. E. Brown, of Kew, were elected as Honorary 

 Members of the Club, in consideration of valuable services 

 rendered to the Club. 



The following extracts were read fi'om a letter from the 

 Eev. W. H. Summers, dated from Beacousfield, February 27th, 

 1885. Eeferriug to a list of localities at p. 40 in the printed 

 ' Proceedings,' 1881-3, he says : — 



" I am afraid the two new species are somewhat doubtful. 

 One was a single plant, and Babington's lihinanthus major 

 seems to me almost to shade into the common species. The 

 Sedum was said by one of the members, whom I afterwards 

 showed it to, to be wrongly named. 



"With regard to Ins fa'tidissima, on a late visit to its 

 habitat I found, close by, a Pteony with double blossoms ; 

 hence I think that there is little doubt that it represents an 

 ancient cultivation, though the spot looks wild enough now. 



