680 



OBSERVATORIES AND INSTRUMENTS. 



The equatorial mounting is on the German 

 plan, and the tuhe is of steel. The figuring of 

 the lenses is performed by machinery of Mr. 

 Cooke's invention. 



France. In accordance with an arrangement 

 some time since initiated by the Emperor, in 

 connection with M. Leverrier, Director of 

 the Imperial Observatory, Paris, daily meteor- 

 ological reports are received by telegraph at 

 the latter from (in 1864) at least sixty-five 

 regular stations situated in different parts of 

 Europe. From the materials so collected a 

 daily bulletin is published, now entitled the 

 "International Bulletin of the Imperial Ob- 

 servatory of Paris ; " of this, which makes up 

 yearly some 1,200 folio pages, the subscription 

 price is 36 francs. These bulletins give sum- 

 maries of the records of the barometer, thermom- 

 eter, wind, face of the sky, etc., as each day re- 

 ceived, being more recently accompanied daily 

 also with a small lithographic chart of Europe, 

 showing by diagrams the barometric curve at 

 the various stations, together with'the temper- 

 ature, and the direction and force of the wind ; 

 while to the whole are added statements of the 

 flight of meteors, etc., and the probable prog- 

 nostics of meterological changes for the next 

 day, including (for the use especially of vessels 

 about to leave port) the probable direction of 

 the wind. 



Of course, in proportion as it becomes possi- 

 ble to interpret more and more correctly the 

 indications thus obtained from so many points 

 upon the Continent the condition of the weather 

 which is to occur during a period immediately 

 following can be predicted beforehand with less 

 and less uncertainty. In order, at the same 

 time, to enlist the cooperation of nautical ob- 

 servers, the new Scientific Association (see 

 ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENA, etc.) has offered 

 considerable prizes five of 300 francs each, 

 according to one account for the several best 

 series of observations made at sea. An especial 

 purpose had in view in this is to obtain data 

 for recording the progress of storms; and the 

 captains of ships are solicited to keep during 

 their Atlantic voyages a record of the barom- 

 eter, which, in connection with minutes of the 

 day and hour, of the ship's place as shown by 

 the log-book, of the direction and force of the 

 wind, and of the state of the sky and sea, would 

 furnish the data required. Proceeding upon 

 such of these as it had been able to procure, the 

 Imperial Observatory was already prepared- 

 spring of 1865 to publish, under the title of 

 Storm-maps, a series of charts showing the 

 movement of the tempests of the preceding 

 year. The meteorological department of the 

 Observatory is in charge of M. Marie-Davy, 

 well known for his researches in connection 

 with the science under consideration. 



The daily bulletins already mentioned, and 

 containing, of course, the weather "forecasts" 

 for the following day, are, as soon as issued, 

 despatched to the principal seaports of France, 

 and also to the Observatory at Brussels, from 



which latter they are sent to ports on the coast 

 of Flanders. At the important ports the bulle- 

 tins are posted in public places ; and announce- 

 ments are also furnished to the newspapers for 

 publication. The benefits of the system have 

 already been acknowledged in strong terms by 

 chambers of commerce and by intelligent sea- 

 men ; while the published statements are likely 

 to prove of great service also to agriculture and 

 the public health. 



In respect to the work of astronomical obser- 

 vatories in France, little information has been 

 met with. M. Foucault continues to construct 

 telescopes of unusual excellence, and one of 

 which, of large size, he has lately furnished to 

 the Observatory at Marseilles. These telescopes 

 are fitted with the regulating mechanism by 

 which the instrument is made to keep pace ex- 

 actly with the apparent movement of a star or 

 group under observation a result of course de- 

 sirable where continued examination is sought, 

 but still more so in the work of obtaining star- 

 photographs, as securing time for the due im- 

 pression of the sensitive paper or surface used. 



Russia. The system of meteorological ob- 

 servations which has of late been in course of 

 extension and perfecting upon a grand scale in 

 Russia, was, until his death in the early part 

 of the year 1865, under the control of Dr. 

 Kupffer, Director of the Central Physical Ob- 

 servatory at St. Petersburg, who had already 

 established a great number of meteorological 

 observatories throughout the vast extent of the 

 empire, from Western Europe to the confines 

 of Eastern Asia. At Revel, Helsingfors, Niko- 

 laiev, Astrakhan, Archangel, and perhaps other 

 points, are central stations, each having a num- 

 ber of posts subsidiary to it. From the latter, 

 daily telegraphic reports are forwarded to the 

 central stations; while from each of these a 

 report is despatched to St. Petersburg, where, 

 as in Paris, a daily summary is published, ao 

 companied with a meteorological map. 



In the " Quarterly Journal of Science " ap- 

 pear abstracts of an account by Mr. W. De IF 

 Rue of his visit to the Pulkowa Observatory, 

 situated ten miles southwest from St. Petersburg, 

 and of his descriptions of some of the improved 

 instruments and arrangements employed in it. 

 Since the death of F. G. W. Struve, his son, M. 

 Otto Struve, holds the position of director. 

 Great pains have, during the past few years, 

 been taken here to secure accuracy of the in- 

 struments, and in particular to get by them the 

 absolute places of the celestial bodies. The 

 automatic recording of transit-observations is 

 in use, but on a plan somewhat differing from 

 that at Greenwich. Meidinger's modification 

 of Daniell's battery is employed, the tappet ap- 

 paratus not being attached to the transit, but 

 held in the hand. The observer, seeing a star 

 enter the field, makes on the registration paper 

 as unrolled, his record in Morse's alphabetic 

 signals, and also any additional remarks he may 

 deem necessary. 



Very great improvements have been made in 



