i8o 



objectionable, as these are employed for many other 

 purposes besides storm signalling. Of such solids there 

 are three simple forms, the sphere, or ball, the cylinder, 

 or drum, and the cone. If any of these are hoisted 

 on a flagstaff they will always present the same form 

 to the eye at a distance, no matter how they are blown 

 about. The ball will be a circle, the drum a rectangle, 

 and the cone a triangle. 



Of these forms the ball was already pre-engaged, at 

 least in our harbours, e.g., for conveying tidal signals as 

 to the height of water on a bar. Admiral FitzRoy, how- 

 ever, adopted the two others. 



With him, the cone, point upwards, indicated a gale 

 from a northern point ; reversed, it showed that the gale 

 was to be expected from a southern quarter, and the 

 drum announced " dangerous winds from opposite quarters 

 successively." 



In this country the use of the drum has been abandoned, 

 as it was found that little practical advantage could be 

 gained from it. Our area is so small that we generally 

 have only time to announce the existence of a storm, 

 without attempting to indicate its probable violence a 

 quality only to be learnt from reports of its effects. 



The cone and drum, in various combinations, are the 

 signals used throughout Europe generally, except in 

 Holland, and the drum is employed to emphasize the 

 cone, to show when a very severe storm has been already 

 reported from the outlying stations. My audience will 

 remember that for such information ours are the outlying 

 stations for Central Europe and North Germany at least, 

 the storms striking the coast of Ireland or Scotland 

 first. 



The Dutch system is on a totally different plan, and in 



