80 M. Kupfter's Meteorological Obserrations iiicule al 



societies. The isolated philosopher will always choose as the 

 object of his labours researches whose result is not too re- 

 mote. He wishes to finisli himself what he has commenced, 

 and to gather the glory of the discoveries whicli his labours 

 have prepared. Now, the results which meteorological obser- 

 vations can furnish to science are only to be obtained after 

 much delay : and farther, these results are not numerous. 

 Years of careful observations, observations which demand the 

 attention and assiduity of every day, only offer as results cer- 

 tain means, which, referring merely to a single point of the 

 earth's surface, are lost in the numlier of results obtained else- 

 where. Such assiduity in labour, such self-denial, demand 

 o-reater efforts than. an isolated life can offer; the division of 

 labour alone can guarantee the success of such an enterprise. 

 It is only the active emidation which is established so quickly 

 by the community of labour, and the deep conviction that no- 

 thing one does shall be lost, that can support the interest of 

 so. painful an occupation. Meteorology does not possess, like 

 astronomy, establishments specially destined to extend its do- 

 main, and to furnish, without interruption, regular observa- 

 tions : this science has not yet, notwithstanding its importance, 

 attracted the attention of Government to such a degree as to 

 become an object of its particular care, and to call forth con- 

 siderable sacrifices in its behalf. Poor and forsaken, it flees 

 entirely for refuge to the fostering care of learned societies. 



" The Academy of Sciences of St Petersburg is one of 

 those where meteorology has been cultivated for many years 

 with the greatest care. The meteorological observations of 

 St Petersburg reach back to the year 1726. The first v,'hich 

 were made in this capital are not, indeed, so complete and 

 exact as those of the present day ; at that epoch, meteorology 

 was yet in its infancy. The register of the observations since 

 the vear 1726 has preserved the maxima and minima of the 

 barometrical heights of each month, the number of days of rain 

 and snow, and the dates of floods and aurorse boreales which 

 happened each year. Since 1744, the minima and maxima of 

 the temperature of each month are noted, expressed in degrees 

 of Delisle's thermometer. Since 1769, the barometrical height 

 of every day is marked, and the means of these observations 



