Greenwich Observatory, Meteorology 209 



seded in 1867 by a Meteorological Committee of the Royal 

 Society, which was entrusted with the whole of the meteoro- 

 logical work of the country. This was followed, in 1877, by 

 the Meteorological Council, consisting of the President and 

 four members nominated by the Royal Society, together with 

 the Hydrographer of the Navy. Since 1905 a special 

 Committee of H.M. Treasury, containing two representatives 

 of the Royal Society, is entrusted with the meteorological 

 organization of the country. 



In 1842 regular magnetical as well as meteorological 

 observations were instituted at Kew Observatory, built 

 in 1769 by King George III. for the purpose of observing 

 the transit of Venus which occurred in that year. It came 

 for a time under the direction of the British Association, 

 but was handed over to the Royal Society in 1881 ; it 

 passed to the National Physical Laboratory in 1905, and is 

 now under the control of the Meteorological Committee. 

 The Royal Society continues, however, to administer a Trust 

 Fund of 10,000 conveyed to it by John Peter Gassiot, for 

 the purpose of providing for magnetical and meteorological 

 observations, which are being taken at Kew and Eskdale- 

 muir. The directors of Kew Observatory included many 

 distinguished men; among them Francis Ronalds, inventor 

 of the first electric system of telegraphy, who designed and 

 introduced the self-registering meteorological instruments, 

 and Balfour Stewart, whose work has been mentioned in 

 Chapter V. 



It was chiefly through the influence of General Sabine 

 that the Royal Society was, during many years, the chief 

 promoter of the study of Terrestrial Magnetism. Observa- 

 tories all over the world were, directly and indirectly, organ- 

 ized by that powerful and energetic personality. The East 

 India Company gave valuable help, and when the Royal 

 Society in the year 1840 approached the Russian Government, 

 a speedy reply was received through the Foreign Office that, 

 in consequence of the representations made by the Society, 

 Russia had established ten magnetical observatories in her 

 Empire, and was willing to provide the funds for a further 

 one to be erected at Pekin. 



The National Physical Laboratory was established in 







