August 21, 1879] 



NATURE 



383 



from continent to continent, and of the times and direc- 

 tions they may take in such movements ; the movement 

 of areas of high and of low barometer ; the conditions 

 of temperature, pressure, and wind-direction existing 

 around the earth at a fixed instant of time, permitting 

 thus the effects of day and night to be contrasted ; the 

 distribution and amount of rainfall, and other studies, 

 many and valuable, only suggested by this enumeration, 

 may be by such studies settled. It seems not impossible 

 that in the future questions of climatology, and perhaps 

 others bearing upon the prediction of weather changes 

 far in advance of the time at which these changes may 

 happen, or questions of the character of coming seasons 

 even, may be answered by the researches these charts 

 will make practicable. 



"The very great aid and material furnished in this 

 elaborated form gives to the search for generalisation, or 

 for data in the support of theories, was referred to in the 

 last annual report. In frequent cases little more than 

 collation is necessary. 



" As a means of better combining the work and the 

 interests of the several nations ; of certainly securing that 

 co-operation at sea which will enable the lines of the 

 charting to be drawn as fully and as well over oceans as 

 over continents ; and which will give the world ultimately 

 a knowledge as practical of the movement of areas of 

 disturbance in the midst of the seas as is now had of 

 such movements on some continents, the undertaking is 

 of much importance. 



" It is an advantage of the charting draughted from 

 simultaneous reports that studies by normals, not possible 

 in any other way, can be made. The normal pressure, 

 temperature, &c., arrived at from observations taken at 

 any one place, at the saras and a fixed instant of time 

 every day, become established as to that place and time 

 with accuracy. Many causes of error are eliminated. 



" The intercomparison of these normals with the normals 

 taken at other places simultaneously with the first and 

 under the similar condition that the normals to be found 

 for those places are to be from observations taken at those 

 places at a fixed time and on every day, give* results 

 reliable and different from those to be had by the use of 

 normal readings arrived at in any other manner. 

 Normals for the year, for the season, and for the month, 

 may be determined by such procedure. The comparison 

 of such normals will show in the case of abnormal changes 

 in any district or section for any season whether and how 

 they are compensated by compensating variations else- 

 where. There are interesting studies as to what sequences 

 there may be to follow such atmospheric variations 

 occurring over any region or country — either in that 

 region or country, or elsewhere— and how and where the 

 compensating variations occur, and with what concomi- 

 tants or sequences of meteoric changes. 



" There is the hope to gain in this way or by studies 

 such study will suggest information to affect the com- 

 mercial and agricultural interests of the world. 



"There is the further hope that as it is more fully 

 realised by the different peoples, how close in the future 

 the practice of such investigations draws, each member 

 of the family of nations will find its own interests in 

 labours of this description, and draw more closely the 

 bonds and join with energy in a work which has so begun 

 to connect them. The undertaking, world-wide in extent, 

 is capable of rendering a world-wide benefit." 



The chart before our readers bears information condensed 

 from thirty— one for each day of the month— of the world 

 weather charts above described, and exhibits one path of 

 study to be pursued. It shows for one month the lines 

 of mean pressure, mean temperature, and average wind 

 direction on land and sea within the limits of civilisation 

 on the Northern Hemisphere. The appearance of the 

 map marks the commencement of the first actual and 



current study of the atmosphere of the whole Northern 

 Hemisphere for practical use. 



It will be noticed from the Report that the Chief Signal 

 Officer, General Myer, while pressing forward month 

 after month his plan, commenced on the American Con- 

 tinent nine years ago — in 1870 — of mapping by weather 

 charts and simultaneously the Northern Hemisphere, 

 and fixing its success, reaches out a helping hand to 

 every people. The Report asks all nations to stand side 

 by side with the United States in carrying forward the 

 work now marked out, and announces that so far as the 

 United States is concerned the least of the co-operators 

 shall receive the perfected work as fully as the greatest. 

 Every separate observer or ship at sea co-operating in 

 this work receives a copy of the chart he has helped to 

 make. Aside from any national benefit the work is to 

 benefit the human race. 



THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION 

 'TPHE Forty-ninth Annual Meeting of the British 

 -*■ Association was opened yesterday at Sheffield, 

 under the presidency of Prof. Allman, F.R.S. The new 

 secretary, Mr. J. E. H. Gordon, has made several inno- 

 vations in the conduct of the business of the Association, 

 which, when fairly established, will no doubt be decided 

 improvements. 



At the end of last week all the arrangements for the 

 meeting were in an unusually forward state. Circulars 

 had been sent to every member of the Association, and 

 all the more prominent members who had replied have 

 been well provided for by private hospitality, unless 

 they desired to be otherwise accommodated. It is ex- 

 pected that the meeting will in all respects be a very 

 good one. At all events, no efforts have been spared by 

 the town of Sheffield to make it so, and the local secre- 

 taries and other officers have been at their posts from 

 soon after eight in the moqiing to late every evening. 

 A handy Guide-Book to Sheffield and its neighbourhood 

 has been compiled for the special use of those attending 

 the meeting of the Association. 



There will be an excellent display of all the more recent 

 scientific inventions at the second sotrt'e given by the Local- 

 Committee on Tuesday the 26th. Independently of the large 

 number of excursions arranged for Saturday the 23rd, 

 and Thursday the aSth, most of the leading manufac- 

 tories will be opened to the members, or will be visited 

 by parties invited for special days. The Firth College, 

 the gift to the town of Mr. Mark Firth, will now be used 

 for the first time, and will be found admirably adapted 

 for the reception-room and offices. It is to be formally 

 opened for educational purposes in October by Prince 

 Leopold. At one time much anxiety was felt with refer- 

 ence to this building. The long and severe winter delayed 

 operations so much, that but for subsequent great energy 

 it could not have been finished for the meeting. For the 

 last two weeks it has been used for the temporary offices 

 of the Association, though the secretaries and others 

 have been compelled to carry on their business along 

 with all sorts of workmen. If, as originally fixed, the 

 meeting had commenced on August 6, it would have been 

 almost impossible to have used the college for the recep- 

 tion-room. 



The Local Committee have had a good deal of 

 trouble, we believe, in the matter of lodging accommo- 

 dation ; but this has happily been surmounted. The 

 citizens of Sheffield have most liberally responded to the 

 request for hospitality, and special arrangements have 

 been made for the adequate refreshment of members 

 who conscientiously attend to the thirsty and appetising 

 work of the Sections; for it seems Sheffield is rather 



