308 Report of the Kew Committee. 



Daring the year there also occurred the death of Mr. H. McLaugh- 

 lin, Librarian and Accountant, whone connexion with the Observatory 

 had extended over twenty years. 



The Committee having invited applications for the vacant post of 

 Superintendent, selected from amongst the candidates Mr. Charles 

 Chree, M.A., Fellow of King's College, Cambridge, Sixth Wrangler 

 1883, First Division Part III of the Mathematical Tripos, and First 

 Class in Part II of the Natural Sciences Tripos, 1884. Mr. Chree 

 entered on his duties on May 15. 



During the earlier part of the year the work of the Observatory 

 was carried out by Mr. Baker, the Chief Assistant, to the entire 

 satisfaction of the Committee. They desire that his services should 

 be specially recorded, and they are glad to state that the routine 

 work of the Observatory has in no way suffered owing to the en- 

 forced absence of the Superintendent for the early months of the past 

 year. 



The work at the Observatory may be considered under the fol- 

 lowing heads : 



1st. Magnetic observations. 



2nd. Meteorological observations. 



3rd. Solar observations. 



4th. Experimental, in connexion with any of the above departments. 



5th. Verification of instruments. 



6th. Rating of Watches and Marine Chronometers. 



7th. Miscellaneous. 



I. MAGNETIC OBSERVATIONS. 



The magnetographs have been in constant operation throughout 

 the year, and the scale values of all the instruments were determined 

 in January. 



The ordinates of the various photographic curves were then found 

 to be ae follows : 



Declinometer : 1 inch = 22'"04. 1 cm. = 8'7. 



Bifilar, January 18, 1893, for 1 inch SH = 0'0274 foot grain unit. 



1 cm. = 0-00050 C.G.S. unit. 

 Balance, January 19, 1893, for 1 inch oV= 0'0277 foot grain unit. 



1 cm. = 0-00050 C.G.S. unit. 



The distance between the dots of light upon the Vertical Force 

 cylinder having become too small for satisfactory registration, the 

 position of the zero dot was altered on January 23. 



The toothed wheel of the Declination cylinder being much worn, 



