494 Report of the Kew Committee. 



and the attendant photographic operations, he returned to Kew, 

 leaving the establishment in good working order on July 14. 



Owing to the cost of gas, mineral oil is used as the illuminant, as is 

 the case at Valencia Observatory also. 



III. SOLAR OBSERVATIONS. 



Sketches of Sun-spots have been made on 198 days, and the groups 

 numbered after Schwabe's method. 



Time Signals. These have been received with great regularity all 

 through the year, failure in transmission having only occurred on 

 six days, on one of which the signal was duly received at the proper 

 time, but was not recorded, the chronograph clock having been 

 deranged by an accident. 



Transit Observations. Solar and sidereal transits have been occa- 

 sionally observed as a check on the signalled times. 



During the past summer 225 series of observations of the Sun's 

 actinic power have been made with Violle's actinometer, described 

 in the last Annual Report, upon the plan arranged by General 

 Strachey and Mr. Blant'ord. Copies of the instrumental readings will 

 be transmitted to the Meteorological Office for discussion, the cost of 

 the experiments being defrayed by that establishment. 



By the kindness of Mr. C. Baker, of High Holborn, the Observa- 

 tory has received the original sunshine record cards obtained by the 

 late Mr. Rand Capron, F.R.A.S., at his observatory near Guildford, 

 Surrey, during the years 1880 to 1887. 



The Winsfcanley radiograph, deposited at the Observatory in 1880, 

 was recently repaired at the suggestion of Mr. R. H. Scott, and set 

 up on the lawn. Its action is, however,, not considered satisfactory, 

 and it has been decided to return it to the owner. 



IV. EXPERIMENTAL WORK. 



The Electrical Anemograph, after working on the staging erected 

 on the roof, 14 feet to the north of the Beckley instrument, and 

 recording by means of a battery composed of eighteen Fuller's cells, 

 was dismounted on July 22, and packed for storage. During the 

 period it was at work, the traces were forwarded weekly to the 

 Meteorological Office. 



Oils. At the request of the Meteorological Office, various speci- 

 mens of lubricating oils have been applied to the gearing of the 

 anemograph with the view of determining the best for use under the 

 varying conditions to which it is exposed. 



Pendulums. The swinging of the invariable pendulums at the 

 Royal Observatory, Greenwich, having been completed during the 

 past winter, the apparatus was dismounted and returned to Kew, 



