1865.] and on the Meteorological Department. 523 



Staff -Commander Evans, R.N., to General Sabine. 



"Ilydrographic Office, October 23rd, 1865. 



" MY DEAR SIR, I have forwarded to Burlington House for your accept- 

 ance, a copy of my letter of suggestions relative to iron ships and their 

 compasses, drawn up for the Board of Trade. 



" I gathered from a recent conversation that you were desirous of having 

 this document, with the possible view of showing it to the Council of the 

 Royal Society. I hope it may be found useful, as supplementary to your 

 and their labours." 



" I am, my dear Sir, 



" Yours very faithfully, 

 " General Sabine, cj-c. $c. cjv." " FRED. JNO. EVANS." 



Copy of Letter, with Appendices, from Staff- Commander Evans, H.N., 

 to the Hydrographer of the Admiralty. 



" Admiralty, Ilydrographic Department, September 1865. 



" SIR, Having carefully examined the correspondence between the 

 President and Council of the Royal Society and the Board of Trade on the 

 Magnetism of Ships, together with the Memorandum appended to the. 

 President's letter of the 18th May, and having also considered the requi- 

 sitions made by the Board of Trade to the Admiralty, by letter of the 28th 

 July, 1865, to be furnished through the Compass Department with any 

 information or suggestions on the subject, I have to submit the following 

 for your consideration. 



" The Memorandum of the Royal Society is so comprehensive in its 

 general views of the subject, that little remains to be added to the argu- 

 ments and reasons therein advanced ; but in those matters of detail which 

 would require attention in the event of action being taken on the recom- 

 mendations of that body, there are several suggestions which present them- 

 selves, and which possibly may be useful to the Board of Trade. To these 

 I address myself. 



" To clearly understand the existing difference of administration, in com- 

 pass-equipment and efficiency, between the Royal and Mercantile Marine, 

 it is necessary to point out the views the Board of Admiralty entertained, 

 and the steps they deemed it necessary to take on the introduction of 

 steam machinery, and of so much iron in the general construction of ships 

 of the Royal Navy. 



" Passing over the investigations successively made under their auspices 

 by Flinders in 1814, Barlow in 1821, and Johnson in 1830 the Admiralty 

 in 1837, ' deeming it necessary to apply some remedy to an evil so pregnant 

 with mischief,' referring to the then defective state of the compasses sup- 

 plied to Her Majesty's ships, < have determined to have the subject fully in- 

 vestigated by a Committee of Officers conversant with magnetic instru- 

 ments.' Resulting from the labours of this Committee, which extended 



VOL. XIV. 2 R 



