58 



,NATURE 



\_May 15, 1879 



tria) Dr. Hann, Dr. Lorenz, Dr. Paugger, Dr. Miiller, 

 and Lieut. Weyprecht ; (Hungary) Dr. Schenzl ; (Bava- 

 ria) Dr. V. Bezold ; (Belgium) Prof. Houzeau ; (Den- 

 mark) Capt. Hoffmeyer ; (England) Prof. Smith and 

 Mr. Scott; (France) M. Hervd Mangon, Prof. Mascart, 

 Lieut. Brault; (Germany) Dr. Neumayer, Dr. Bruhns, 

 Dr. Auwers ; (Greece) Prof. Kokides ; (Holland) Dr. 

 Snellen ; (Norway) Prof. Mohn ; (Portugal) Capt. de 

 Brito Capello; (Russia) Prof. Wild; (Spain) M. Aguilar, 

 Capt. Pujazon ; (Sweden) Prof. Rubenson ; (Switzerland) 

 Prof. Plantamour ; Italy sent Prof. Blasema, Prof. Pal- 

 mieri, Padre Denza, Prof. Tacchini, M. Salvatori, Prof. 

 Pittei, and Prof. Cantoni. Of foreign guests there were 

 present Dr. Hellmann, Prof. Mendeleef, Prof. Weihrauch, 

 and Prof. Zenger. 



Prof. Buys Ballot, the president of the Committee 

 ■which had made the preparations for the Congress, was 

 unavoidably absent, owing to domestic affliction, and his 

 place was taken by Prof. Cantoni, who was elected presi- 

 dent of the Congress. MM. Plantamour ' and Wild were 

 elected vice-presidents, with Capt. Hoffmeyer and Mr. 

 Scott as secretaries. 



The proceedings were opened on April 14 by M. De- 

 pretis, the Premier, in the absence of the Minister of 

 Agriculture and Commerce, M. Majorana Calatabiano. 

 A reply to his speech had been prepared by Prof. Buys 

 Ballot, and was read by M. Mascart. Mr. Scott then 

 read the Report of the Permanent Committee of the 

 Vienna Congress, containing a list of the special treatises 

 prepared for submission to the Congress at Rome. The 

 existence of these treatises, several of which are of con- 

 siderable value, forms the most important feature of the 

 proceedings of the meeting of 1879. 



For the consideration of the several questions of the 

 programme, five committees were appointed : i. Organi- 

 sation; 2. Publications ; 3. Instruments and Observa- 

 tions ; 4. Telegraphy, Maritime Meteorology and Agricul- 

 tural Meteorology ; 5. Distant Stations and Mountain 

 Observations. The Committees met frequently, and the 

 Congress held five general meetings, concluding its busi- 

 ness in eight days of very hard work. 



The following will give a general idea of the resolutions 

 adopted : — 



The idea of an international institute met with very 

 little favour, but instead thereof, an international meteo- 

 rological committee consisting of nine members was 

 elected. This body possesses no executive powers, but is 

 charged with the duty of endeavouring to forward the 

 prosecution of definite inquiries into various meteoro- 

 logical problems by friendly co-operation between the 

 several institutes and individuals who may be disposed to 

 undertake such inquiries, as, e.g., the construction of 

 isobaric charts for the globe. The committee has also to 

 see to the carrying out of the resolutions of the Congress, 

 and to report on the degree to which those of the Vienna 

 congress have been carried out. The members of the 

 committee are chosen from different countries, and their 

 names are as follows : — 



Buys-Ballot (Holland), Cantoni (Italy), Capello (Portu- 

 gal), Hann (Austria), Mascart (France^ Mohn (Norway^, 

 Neumayer (Germany), Scott (England), Secretary, Wild 

 (Russia), President. All communications are to be ad- 

 dressed to Mr. Scott. As regards the form of publica- 

 tions, the schedules proposed in 1874 by the permanent 

 committee of the Vienna congress were adopted, and, ir 

 fact, are already very generally in use. The Congress 

 took no measures to enforce uniformity of hours of obser- 

 vation, the problem presenting too many difficulties. 

 Each country was invited to prepare for its own principal 

 stations corrections for diurnal range for the more im- 

 portant elements. The preparation of a catalogue of 

 existing meteorological literature, including papers in 



M. Plantamour'* name was inadvcrtc.itly omitted from our note of 

 Nature, vol. xix. p. 590. 



periodicals, was recommended, such catalogues having 

 already appeared at Brussels and in London (for the 

 library of the Meteorological Society). 



With reference to the subjects embraced under " instru- 

 ments and observations," the most important resolutions 

 were the following : — • 



The different institutes were recommended to effect a 

 comparison of their respective standard instruments ; the 

 method of determining the fixed points of thermometers 

 proposed by M. Pernet in his report on the subject was 

 provisionally approved ; the Congress ^did not venture to 

 prescribe a single mode of exposure for thermometers 

 suitable to all climates ; the subject of earth-temperature 

 was strongly recommended for study. The Congress 

 received a communication from a M. de Rossi, on what 

 he calls "endogenous meteorology," i.e., the influence of 

 atmospherical changes on earthquakes, and recom- 

 mended him to prosecute his studies further. 



The regulation of the Vienna congress in favour of very 

 large rain gauges was rescinded, as well as that pre- 

 scribing a height of 4J feet above the ground for the 

 instrument. 



The international telegraphic code proposed in 1874 

 was recommended for general adoption. It was not 

 found practicable to introduce into it a notice of " cirrus " 

 cloud observations, but this latter subject was strongly 

 recommended for study. 



The subject of ocean meteorology was left to the special 

 offices which are occupied therewith. With reference to 

 the simultaneous observations made for the U.S. Signal 

 Office, the Congress hoped they will be continued. As to 

 the construction of daily synoptic weather charts for the 

 Atlantic and Europe, a joint proposal by Dr. Neumayer 

 and Capt. Hoffmeyer to continue and enlarge the scope 

 of the charts pubhshed by the latter gentleman was 

 approved. In regard of agricultural meteorology, it was 

 decided to recommend that a private conference of 

 persons interested in and possessing special knowledge of 

 the subject should be held in the course of the next twelve 

 months. 



With reference to the establishment of stations ifti 

 distant islands, as, e.g., in the Pacific Ocean, it was 

 decided that none such could be organised by interna- 

 tional co-operation, but that individual governments 

 should be requested to found stations in such locahties. 

 and that all maritime nations should be requested to in^ 

 struct the officers of any exploring expeditions they ma; 

 respectively send out to visit any such outlying stations ai 

 occasion may offer. 



As regards Continental stations in low latitudes, the 

 Congress resolved to request the Brazilian Government to 

 establish meteorological stations, and to request the Royal 

 Society of London to endeavour to secure the continua- 

 tion of the publication of Mr. J. Allan Broun' s work at 

 Trevandrum. Several resolutions were passed relating to 

 the importance of observations taken in balloons and on 

 mountain lops. The subject of the changes in the size of 

 glaciers, as indicating changes of chmate, was recom- 

 mended to the notice of the Alpine Clubs. 



The final resolution of the Congress had reference to 

 the proposal of Count Wilczek and Lieut. Weyprecht to 

 maintain for a year a series of observing stations round 

 the North Pole. It was resolved that, if possible, an 

 official conference of representatives from governments 

 disposed to co-operate in the undertaking should be held 

 at Hamburg in October next ; M. Weyprecht explaining 

 that he could not accept a later date for the conference, 

 as his own departure for Nova Zembla, his chosen post, 

 would take place before next spring, and as the funds fir 

 his expedition were already contributed. The meetings- 

 terminated on April 22. 



The Congress was entertained with the most splendid 

 hospitality. His Majesty the King received the delegates 

 at a banquet on April 2 1, on which occasion they were 



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