1865.] and on the Meteorological Department. 521 



the first and chief place, to place in the hands of those interested in ship- 

 ping, the means of making themselves acquainted with the results of recent 

 observation, which the Royal Society say can now be made available in 

 practice, and the Board of Trade supposed, and still hope, that this may be 

 done without involving the necessity of Government interference with, and 

 supervision over, the Mercantile Marine. 



" I have the honour to be, Sir, 



" Your obedient Servant, 



" Major-General Saline, $c. $c. $c., " T. H. FAKKEK." 



President Royal Society" 



Mr. Farrer to General Saline. 



" Office of Committee of Privy Council for Trade, 

 Whitehall, 24th October, 1865. 



" SIE, I am directed by the Lords of the Committee of Privy Council 

 for Trade, to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 15th June last, 

 on the subject of the Meteorological Department of the Board of Trade, 

 and to thank yourself and the Council of the Royal Society for the valu- 

 able information, advice, and suggestions which it contains. 



" The Council of the Royal Society discuss the system of Weather Tele- 

 graphy, and recommend that it shall be continued ; they approve of the 

 proposal to hand over to the Hydrographer to the Admiralty such part of 

 the observations collected in the Meteorological Department of the Board 

 of Trade as he can make use of in constructing Charts for the use of sea- 

 faring men. And they discuss and recommend the adoption of a new 

 system of making and recording Meteorological Observations on land. 



" As regards, however, one branch of the subject, viz. Meteorological 

 Observations made at sea, which formed the original object of the Meteo- 

 rological Department, and the chief subject of the letter from the Royal 

 Society of the 22nd February, 1855, the Board of Trade are not satisfied 

 that they fully understand the present views of the Royal Society. 



" Your letter says in answer to Question 1, contained in my letter of 

 the 26th May last, asking ' Are the objects specified in the Royal Soci- 

 ety's letter of the 22nd February, 1855, still as important for the inte- 

 rests of Science and Navigation as they were then considered ?' that ' The 

 President and Council are of opinion that the objects specified in the 

 Royal Society's letter of 22nd February, 1855, are as important for the 

 interests of Science as they were then considered.' 



" And it further says in answer to Question 2, asking ' To what extent 

 have any of these objects been answered by what has already been done 

 by the Meteorological Department ?' that ' Much has without doubt been 

 accomplished in the collection of facts bearing on Marine Meteorology; 

 but as no systematic publication of the results has yet been made, the 

 President and Council are unable to reply more specifically.' It is pro- 

 bably for the reasons contained in this answer, that whilst the other sub- 



