64 REPORT—1845. 
daily changes at Toronto with those observed at Munich and other places in 
Europe, but do not think that any law can be found out till a greater num- 
ber of places in both hemispheres can be compared. 
* * * * # * 
The beginning of this letter might, if you think proper, be added to the 
one I wrote you in answer to the questions of the Committee. 
Believe me, my dear Sir, 
Yours most sincerely, 
Lamont. 
XVII.—From Professor Ch. F'. Gauss to Lieut.-Colonel Sabine. 
Gottingen, May 5, 1845. 
My prar Srr,—It has been long a nourished favourite wish of mine to 
pay once at least a visit to your happy island, the seat of so much grandeur 
in all pursuits that ennoble and embellish life, and certainly there could not 
be a more favourable opportunity than the congregation of the British Asso- 
ciation, where almost all, eminent in science, may be expected to be met 
with. 
The invitation of the President, and your kind offers to clear perplexities 
a stranger might be exposed to, have therefore been very strong temptations 
to me, and I have long balanced before submitting to the weighty reasons 
my state of health opposes at present to undertaking such a journey. Be 
pleased therefore to express to the President my excuses, and my deep regret 
for my not being able to profit by the honourable invitation, and accept 
yourself my warmest thanks for your kind intentions. 
Also I feel highly obliged to you for the volume of ‘'Toronto Observations,’ 
and the VIth part of your Contributions, which I received a few weeks ago. 
Beset as I have been by a train of urgent business, I could till now only look 
over hastily these precious materials. My anxious wishes for the permanent 
continuance of the Foreign British Magnetic Establishments have indeed 
been strengthened by the inspection of the ‘Toronto Observations ;’ but a 
work of this description deserves and requires a much closer scrutiny than at 
this moment is in my power to afford. For this same reason, and in consi- 
deration of the extremely short term prescribed by Sir John Herschel (which 
would have left only two or three days for gathering materials and writing 
down the note he desired), I felt disqualified to send any important addition 
to what I had already written on that head. 
Probably Dr. Weber will be under less impediment than myself to be pre- 
sent at the approaching meeting of the British Association, in which case I 
hope he will take his road by Gottingen, and favour me with some sojourn 
here. We may then confer between ourselves on the matter in hand, and 
exchange and rectify our views on that head, so that he may take to the de- 
bates the result of our joint opinions. 
Believe me to remain always, dear Sir, 
Your obliged, faithful servant, 
C. F. Gauss. 
— 
XIX.—Baron A. Von Humboldt to the Committee of the British Association. 
Par, le 15 Mai, 1845. 
InFINIMENT sensible aux marques de confiance bienveillante dont j'ai été 
honoré de la part du Committee of the British Association for the Advance- 
ment of Science, je ne puis plus explicitement répondre a la question qui m/a 
