31 6 Correspondence with the Board of Trade [June 



O / 



Glasgow University and Observatory Lat. 55 51 



Aberdeen University 57 9 



"To these six stations the President and Council would have been very 

 glud to have added two others, one in the south-west and one in the north- 

 west of Ireland. For the former of these, possibly Yalentia may present 

 a fitting locality, when an establishment shall have been formed there as 

 the connecting link, by means of the Atlantic Telegraph between Europe 

 and America. 



" Having answered thus generally, it may perhaps be desirable to add 

 specific replies on the several points enumerated in Questions 1 to 9. 

 Preserving the order in which the inquiries are made, the replies are as 

 follows : 



" Question 1. The President and Council are of opinion that the objects 

 specified in the Royal Society's letter of February 22, 1855, are as 

 important for the interests of science and navigation as they were 

 then considered. 



" Question 2. Much has without doubt been accomplished in the col- 

 lection of facts bearing on Marine Meteorology, but as no syste- 

 matic publication of the results has yet been made, the President 

 and Council are unable to reply more specifically. 

 " Question 3. The President and Council recommend that the Sea 

 Observations should be placed in the hands of the Hydrographer, 

 with a view to the introduction of the results into the Admiralty 

 Charts. They, however, at present have not sufficient information 

 on the subject of the Land Observations which may exist in the 

 office of the Board of Trade to justify them in offering any recom- 

 mendation thereon. 



"Question 4. The President and Council consider it very desirable 



that further observations should be made, especially with reference 



to oceanic currents and great barometric depressions, and generally 



on all subjects comprehended under the denomination of ' Ocean 



Statistics.' 



" Questions 5 & 6. It appears from the late Admiral FitzRoy's reports, 

 as well as from the explanations of Mr. Babington, that the storm- 

 warnings have been based on inferences drawn from observations 

 extending over a considerable area ; and the President and Council 

 recommend that they should be continued under the superin- 

 tendence of that gentleman. Respecting the daily forecasts of 

 weather, however, they decline expressing any opinion. 

 " Question 7. The President and Council are of opinion that it would 

 be desirable that an annual report in a modified form should be 

 made to the Board of Trade of the results from the storm-warnings 

 in the preceding year, and should be communicated to Parliament, 

 and thereby become known to the public. 



