312 Correspondence with the Board of Trade [June, 



April 1st, 1863, and terminating March 31st, 1864, and its actual state, 

 as reported in the three days following the exhibition of the signals ; and 

 Mr. Babington has since been so obliging as to communicate in manuscript 

 a return having the same object in view for the year April 1st, 1864, to 

 March 3 1st, 1865. 



"From the first of these documents, the President and Council learn 

 (in p. 7) that the whole number of signals which were hoisted at different 

 places, and of which reports were received, between April 1, 1863, and 

 March 31, 1864, amounted to 2288; of these the number which proved 

 correct in respect to the Force of the wind equalling or exceeding ' a fresh 

 gale,' was 1 284 ; in 462 cases the stations were reached by the gale (or a 

 still stronger wind blew) before the signal was hoisted ; and in 726 within 

 forty-eight hours after the signal was hoisted. Hence we may conclude 

 that (omitting the 96 cases in which the gale occurred between 48 and 72 

 hours after the signal was hoisted) 1188 signals, or more than half the 

 whole number of 2288, were justified by the state of the weather, either 

 when the telegraphic message reached the station, or within forty-eight 

 hours afterwards. 



" With respect to direction of wind in a gale indicated by signal, the 

 ' warnings' are reported to have been much less frequent. Of the 402 

 signals indicating direction as well as force, 271 agreed, and 131 did not 

 agree with the real direction of the wind being a proportion of about two 

 correct to one incorrect. 



" The] manuscript with which Mr. Babington has favoured the Council 

 since the receipt of your letter of May 26, 1865, contains a summary of 

 the cautionary signals between April 1, 1864, and March 31, 1865, with 

 notes stating their success or failure. From these it appears that signals 

 were hoisted on 40 days in the course of the year, 29 of which appear to 

 have been justified by the event, 8 to have been failures either in respect 

 to force or direction, and 3 were late, the gale having already commenced. 

 There are also 5 cases in which it is admitted that signals might have been 

 made with advantage when none were sent. 



"It seems not unreasonable to attribute to increased experience the 

 marked improvement of these results upon those of the preceding year, and 

 to anticipate still further improvement. 



"The method adopted in preparing the storm-warnings has been very 

 ably and lucidly explained by Mr. Babington in a paper dated May 11, 

 1865, presented by him to Mr. Farrer, by whom a copy has been sent to 

 the President and Council. Possibly it may be viewed as the best arrange- 

 ment that this branch of the duties of the office shonld continue as at 

 present under the direction of Mr. Babington, by whom it has been virtually 

 carried on for several months past. 



"On the subject of storms of a cyclonic character originating in the 

 British Islands or in their vicinity, the interest of which was adverted to 

 in the reply from the Royal Society to the Board of Trade, March 27, 1863, 





