390 



NATURE 



{Sept. 9, 1875 



not recommend the establishment of an independent 

 Government observatory for the cultivation of astrono- 

 mical physics in England. 



In connection with some points on which differences of 

 opinion have been expressed in this evidence, a paper was 

 banded in by Col. Strange, consisting of questions ad- 

 dressed by him to Prof. Sir W. Thomson, Prof. Hilgard, 

 the Secretary of the American National Academy of 

 Sciences, and Prof. Balfour Stewart, and to M. Faye, the 

 President of the French Academy of Science. 



Col. Strange's questions were as follows : — 



" I. Is the systematic study of the solar constitution 

 likely to throw light on subjects of terrestrial physics, such 

 as meteorology and magnetism ? 



" 2. What means, at present known to science, are 

 available for studying the sun .'' 



"3. Do you consider that photography (one of the 

 assumed means) will suffice for the purpose ? 



"4. Do you consider that the class of observations 

 (defined in your answer to my question 2) are such as 

 can be efficiently made in an observatory maintained by 

 the State, or that any of them would be better left to the 

 zeal of volunteer astronomers 1 



" 5. Do you consider that it would be advantageous to 

 carry on physico-astronomical researches on an extensive 

 scale, and meridional observations, in one and the same 

 observatory, under a single director 1 " 



We regret that our space will not permit us to give the 

 replies of these eminent men to Col. Strange's questions. 

 They were, however, strongly in favour of the establishment 

 of physical observatories on a footing quite distinct from 

 existing meridional observatories, and equipped with the 

 laboratories and workshops without which such institu- 

 tions would be useless. We commend to all who are 

 interested in this question the perusal of this correspon- 

 dence, which is to be found as Appendix vii. to vol. ii. 

 pp. 27-31. Its value is enhanced by the fact that two of 

 the writers, Prof Hilgard and M. Faye, are distinguished 

 foreign men of science. 



Evidence relating to Meteorology. 



Under this head a considerable amount of evidence 

 was taken, particularly as to the constitution, objects, and 

 results of the Meteorological Office. 



This Office is under the management of the Meteoro- 

 logical Committee of the Royal Society, the functions of 

 which are thus described in the report annually presented 

 to Parliament : — 



" The Meteorological Committee consists of Fellows of 

 the Royal Society who were nominated by its President 

 and Council, at the request of the Board of Trade, for the 

 purpose of superintending the meteorological duties for- 

 merly undertaken by a Government Department, under 

 the charge of Admiral Fitzroy. 



" The Committee are credited with a sum of 10,0000/. 

 voted annually in the Estimates, for the administration 

 of which they are wholly responsible, and over which 

 they are given the entire control. 



" The meetings of the Committee are held once a fort- 

 night, or oftener when necessary, when every subject on 

 which action has to be taken by their executive officers 

 receives their careful consideration. The duties of the 

 Committee are onerous and entirely gi'atuitoiis ; they 

 were accepted and are very willingly performed by the 

 members, on account of the earnest desire they severally 

 feel for the improvement of meteorological science." 



The position of the Committee is anomalous. In the 

 words of the director of the Meteorological Office — 



" The Government distinctly disclaims all connection 

 with us, whilst the Royal Society equally disclaims all 

 control over us, except merely the nomination of the 

 members of the Committee." 



" As a matter of fact, all that the Royal Society does 

 is to nominate the members of the Committee? — That 

 is all." 



", Having so done, it ceases to have any control what- 

 ever, does It not? — Entirely." 



" What is the precise relation between the Office and 

 the Government ?— That the Government gives a vote of 

 10,000/. every year, and that it calls for no account of this 

 money excepting the account annually presented to 

 Parliament." 



" Who audits the accounts ? — The members of the 

 Committee. There is no formal audit, because, as the 

 Government would not recognise any audit excepting its 

 own, the Committee considered that it was not worth 

 while paying an auditor if such audit would not be recog- 

 nised, and, as a matter of fact, two of the members take 

 the trouble of auditing the accounts every year." 



" What, in your opinion, are the chief advantages and 

 disadvantages of such an arrangement as compared with 

 those of the direct management of the Office by the 

 Government 1 — The chief advantage is the perfect free- 

 dom from political management. The risk in bemg con- 

 nected with the Government is that if a new President of 

 the Board of Trade comes, he may reverse the action ot 

 the preceding one. The existence of a scientific super- 

 vision for the Office is exceedingly important ; it acts as 

 an intermediate party between the pubhc and the Office. 

 I may mention a decided disadvantage which results from 

 the Office not being connected with the Government, 

 ramely, the loss of prestige. The difficulty is, that if we 

 are sending instruments by sea or by railroad, if we do 

 not call them Government instruments we cannot get as 

 much attention paid to them ; and it is my opinion that 

 we should get more co-operation from the merchant navy 

 if we were an office of the Board of Trade. We should 

 have more prestige as acting directly from the Govern- 

 ment." 



A very clear account of the'objects which the Meteoro- 

 logical Committee propose to themselves is given in the 

 evidence of Major-General Strachey, one of the mem- 

 bers : — 



The Commissioners remark that it is admitted that the 

 objects thus described do not exhaust the whole of meteo- 

 rology, and that the Committee in their selection of these 

 objects have been, to a great extent, guided by the pro- 

 ceedings of the Meteorological Department of the Board 

 of Trade, which existed prior to, and which has been 

 superseded by the Committee. Thus Major-General 

 Strachey says : — 



" The Committee is now in reality doing no more than 

 continuing the exercise of certain functions which had, 

 in the course of time, been thrown upon the Board of 

 Trade by the position which that department occupies in 

 connection with the public administration." 



" Has the consequence been that the action of the 

 Committee has been from the outset rather in a practical 

 direction than in one of original research or scientific 

 observation, properly so called ?— I think distinctly that 

 such is the case, and that it has necessarily followed from 

 the position in which the Committee was placed. If a 

 reference is made to the earlier papers, and to the report 

 of the gentlemen on whose suggestions the present 

 arrangements originated, there perhaps is an indication 

 that they anticipated something more in the way of 

 scientific research than has actually occurred ; but the 

 turn that things have taken seems to me the necessary 

 result of the sort of duties that were put upon the Com* 



