5.0 SEISMOLOGICAIi REPOUTvS. 



REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON TERRESTRIAL 

 MAGNETISM. 

 To THE Preside^^t OF Sectioiv A 



Sir, — I have the honour to report as follows on behalf of the 

 Committee on Tei'restrial Magnetism, viz. : — 



The magnetic observatory of Christchurch, New Zealand, and the 

 Melbourne Observatory are the only stations within the scope of the 

 Association where systematic registration of the magnetic elements 

 has been and is being carried out. Some isolated absolute measure- 

 ments have been made at Sydney Observatory during the last two 

 years. 



The report from the Christchurch Observatoiy will very probably 

 be presented to the section directly by Mr. Henry F. Skey, B.Sc, the 

 director. 



An abstract of the Sydney observations, supplied by the officer 

 in charge of the observatory, is appended. 



At Melbourne the usual routine work has been continued as in 

 pi'eceding years, and the measurement and reduction of the full series 

 of records, comprising the period 1868-1908, have been practically 

 completed, and the results are now being prepared for publication. 



It will be remembered that at the Sydney meeting of the 

 A.A.A.S.) in 1898, at the request of Section A, the Council urged upon 

 the Government of Victoria to give means and facilities to the Mel- 

 bourne Observatory for undertaking this important work, which were 

 obtained in due course; and, if its progress has been unavoidably 

 slow, yet, considering that it involved the measurement and tabula- 

 tion of hourly ordinates of more than 40,000 day-curves, it should be 

 gratifying to all concerned to know that such a task has now been 

 brought up to its final stage. 



It is expected that the results of the whole series will be ready 

 in manuscript within the present year. 



The magnetic committee was created in 1898, with the special 

 object of- promoting the following undertakings, viz. :• — 



{a) The execution of a magnetic survey of New Zealand, and 

 the establishment of a permanent magnetic observatory 

 in that country. 

 (6) The reduction of the Melbourne series of magnetic records. 



As these objects have now been accomplished, should a magnetic 

 committee be re-elected? and, if so, on what grounds? 



This question sliould be very carefully considered. It would not 

 be difficult to suggest new undertakings of first importance, and even 

 urgency, for the advancement of our knowledge of terrestrial mag- 

 netism, such as the establishment of permanent magnetic observa- 

 tories at Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, and Port Darwin, and 

 the initiation of a magnetic survey of Australia and Tasmania. The 

 assistance required for this kind of enterprise is, however, of the order 

 of that which might be expected from a Carnegie institution, and, 

 under present circumstances, it is extremely doubtful whether we in 

 Australia could advance such proposals with any probable chance of 



«"«««««• I have, &c., 



P. BARACCHI. 



