654 The Smithsonian Institution 



first of all, a corps of meteorological observers, and a circular 

 signed by Henry and Espy, requesting the cooperation of 

 those interested in the subject was issued on November i, 

 1848. This document was distributed by members of Con- 

 gress 1 during the winter of 1848 -'49, to such of their constit- 

 uents as were judged to be favorable to the undertaking, 

 including a list of all persons who, as far as they were known, 

 had hitherto been accustomed to make meteorological obser- 

 vations in North America. These names were furnished by 

 Professor James H. Coffin, of Lafayette College. 2 Coopera- 

 tion was also solicited from the existing systems under the 

 direction of the Surgeon -General and of those in the States 

 of New York and Pennsylvania. 3 



A large number of communications were received in reply 

 to this circular, and in February, 1849, the necessary answers 

 were prepared and sent out with blank forms for the register 

 of the weather. The number of persons who volunteered 

 their assistance at that time, or from whom cooperation might 

 be expected, was 412, of which 143 were correspondents of 

 Professor Espy, and had been previously engaged in collecting 

 observations under the direction of the Navy Department. 4 

 At once the service came into active operation, and as a re- 

 sult Henry was able to report in 1849 that already "from lo- 

 calities widely separated from each other, and distributed over 

 the greater portion of the United States, about one hundred 

 and fifty monthly returns are now regularly received," 5 and 

 "it will be seen we are in a fair way of establishing a general 

 system of meteorology, extending over a great portion of 

 North America, including many stations furnished with com- 

 pared instruments referred to the same standard." 1 



1 " Smithsonian Report," 1851, page 68. legislature. See Agricultural Report for 1855, 



2 Ibidem, 1847, page 15. page 370. 



3 A system of State observation was estab- 4 " Smithsonian Report," 1851, page 68. 

 lished in Pennsylvania in 1837, by the appro- 5 Ibidem, 1848, page 12. 



priation of the sum of $4,000 by the State 6 Ibidem, 1848, page 15. 



