1865.J and on the Meteorological Department. 533 



" The Board of Trade in its answer recognizes the importance of the 

 subject, and admits that ' the present practice is far from satisfactory,' 

 and that ' the steps taken by the Board of Trade under the provisions 

 of existing Acts are not such as to remedy the evil ; ' but states that the 

 Board see considerable difficulty in adopting all the suggestions made by 

 the Royal Society. 



" The difficulties are stated to be, 



" ' 1. That the powers under which the Board acts apply only to pas- 

 senger-steamers, while the want which the Royal Society wish to meet 

 is felt just as much in the case of other iron vessels, which are becoming 

 more numerous every day. 



" * 2. That the powers of the Board of Trade only extend to obtaining a 

 Certificate that the compasses have been properly adjusted. They do not 

 enable the Board of Trade or its officers to see that the compasses are good, 

 or to require, what the Royal Society appear to consider the most im- 

 portant condition of all, that there should be a Standard Compass (in addition 

 to the Steering-Compass) so placed as to be free from local attraction.' 



" With regard to the first of these difficulties, it cannot be necessary to 

 suggest that the want of power as regards one class of vessels is no reason 

 for not exercising the powers and discharging the duties of the Board as to 

 another class of vessels. There are, however, other considerations which 

 tend to show that it is not necessary to wait for extended powers. In the 

 first place, on the establishment of a new department having new duties, 

 there are some advantages in those duties being confined to a limited 

 number of vessels. Again, all the indirect, and these not the least, advan- 

 tages to be derived from such a department extend as much to vessels 

 which do not come within the direct operation of the department as to 

 those which do ; and lastly, Shipowners and Underwriters, when the advan- 

 tages of the department have been ascertained, may cause a voluntary sub- 

 mission of many vessels to the supervision of the Department. 



" It is thus quite possible that experience may show that it is not neces- 

 sary to obtain any legislative extension of the class of vessels to which 

 the authority of the Board of Trade extends. If, on the other hand, it 

 shall hereafter appear desirable to extend it, it is not to be anticipated 

 that the Legislature will refuse to give extended powers. 



"With regard to the second difficulty, it may be observed that the 

 Board of Trade appear to put an unnecessarily restricted interpretation on 

 the expression 'compasses properly adjusted' in the Merchant Shipping 

 Act, 1854, Sec. 301. 



" It is submitted with confidence that the expression in question enables 

 and requires the Board of Trade and its Officers to see that one compass 

 at least shall be in a position in which it is capable of being properly 

 adjusted a condition not generally consistent with its being the Steer- 

 ing-Compass and therefore to require a special Certificate in the case 

 of any Shipowner insisting on sending his ship to sea with only one com- 



