Report of the Kew Committee. 21 



On the 2nd of December the suspension-thread of the Declinometer 

 gave way and was replaced by a new one. 



Arrangements have been made to dismount the Magnetograph instru- 

 ments in the course of the ensuing year, on the occasion of painting 

 the basement story, in order to have them thoroughly examined and 

 readjusted a step which has become necessary, as their continuous action 

 has not been interrupted for 15 years. 



As regards the Magnetic Reductions, the Tabulations of Declination 

 have been continued to the end of 1872 ; and copies of the results have 

 been intrusted, for discussion, to the two Sergeants of the Eoyal Artillery 

 who are located at Kew, as explained in the last Report. Magnetic data 

 have been supplied to Prof. Balfour Stewart, F.R.S., Owens Coll., 

 Manchester, Prof. Atkinson, R. Mil. Coll., Sandhurst, Mr. W. Gee, 

 Cheetham Hill, Manchester, Mr. H. Proctor, N. Shields, Mr. Reid, and 

 to Dr. Stein of Frankfort. 



The stock of forms having become exhausted, care has been taken in 

 ordering a fresh supply to procure a quantity sufficient to meet possible 

 requisitions from other observatories. 



AUnifilar and Dip-circle, formerly in store at the Observatory, have been 

 repaired and set to rights, preparatory to their being lent to the Rev. 

 S. J. Perry for use on the expedition to observe the Transit of Venus. 



Meteorological Work. The several self-recording instruments, register- 

 ing respectively the Pressure, Temperature, Vapour-tension, Rainfall, and 

 Wind, have been maintained in constant action under the superintendence 

 of Mr. T. W. Baker, Second Assistant, aided by Mr. Figg ; and the daily 

 standard eye-observations for control of the photographic records have 

 been made regularly. 



The instrumental traces with hourly tabulated values are sent monthly 

 to the Meteorological Office as in former years. The Barograms and Ther- 

 mograms are printed off in duplicate, and one copy is preserved at Kew. 

 As regards the Anemograms and Rain-records, the copy has been ob- 

 tained by the method of tracing. 



In addition to the regular work of Kew as a Magnetical and Meteoro- 

 logical Observatory, the duty of examining and checking the work of all 

 the seven Self-recording Observatories in connexion with the Meteoro- 

 logical Office has been carried on, in accordance with the method described 

 in the Report of the British Association for 1869. This portion of the 

 work has been performed by Messrs. Rigby and Foster. 



A series of experiments are being carried on at the expense of the 

 Meteorological Committee, at the Pagoda in Kew Gardens, to test the 

 influence of height above the ground on temperature. The thermometers 

 are placed at three different levels, viz. 22 feet 6 inches, 69 feet, and 

 128 feet 10 inches above the ground. 



Copies of Meteorological data have been supplied to Mr. G. J. Symons 

 and the Secretary of the Institute of Mining Engineers. 



