672 The Smithsonian Institution 



(1856) j 1 "Record of Aurora Phenomena observed in the 

 Higher Northern Latitudes," by Peter Force (1856) ; 2 "On 

 Certain Storms in Europe and America," by Elias Loomis 

 (1860) ; 3 "The Orbit and Phenomena of a Meteoric Fire 

 Ball seen July, 1860," by James H. Coffin (1869)," and "The 

 Winds of the Globe," by James H. Coffin (i875). 5 To this 

 splendid collection of meteorological works there might well be 

 added certain smaller monographs that are contained in the 

 Miscellaneous Collections and Smithsonian Reports, but space 

 is wanting. 6 In the series of Records of Scientific Progress, 

 meteorology was not neglected, and from 1879 till i884 7 the 

 admirable summaries of this science that were contributed to 

 the Smithsonian Reports were from the able pen of Professor 

 Cleveland Abbe. 



With the beginning of the civil war came the loss of the 

 appropriation by means of which it had been up to that time 

 possible to secure the reduction of the observations. At the 

 same time the telegraphic service became unsatisfactory. In 

 the annual Report for 1860 Henry says: "We regret that 

 frequent intermissions take place in the receipt of the tele- 

 grams from places directly west of the city of Washington, 

 especially as we are more immediately interested in these, 

 since they afford the means of predicting with considerable 

 certainty the character of the weather sometimes a day or 

 more in advance." 8 A year later the popular system of daily 

 telegraphic reports of the condition of the weather from dis- 

 tant parts of the United States had been discontinued ; " the 



ISee "Smithsonian Report," 1854, page 6 "The Scientific Writings of Joseph 



12, for analysis. Henry" contain his Meteorological Essays 



2 Ibidem. and cover more than 400 pages, and consist 



3 See " Smithsonian Report," 1859, page chiefly of those published during the years 

 28, for detailed description. 1855 -'59. 



4 See "Smithsonian Report," 1868, page 7 These were contained in the annual Re- 

 49, for description. ports for 1881, 1882, 1883, 1884, and 1885, and 



6 See " Smithsonian Report," 1875, page were also issued as separates. 

 20, for detailed description. 8 Smithsonian Report," 1860, page 36. 



