June 23, 1904] 



NATURE 



In other directions wireless telegraphy is showing 

 that it has won. the right to consideration as a 

 thoroughly practical means of communication. The 

 e.Ktract from a letter from the " wireless " correspon- 

 dent of the Times in the Far East which was printed in 

 last week's Natire shows to how great an extent 

 it is being used in the Russo-Japanese war. The 

 letter also shows that, whatever may be said to the 

 contrary, syntonisation in the true sense is still a 

 problem awaiting solution. The most that can be done 

 at present seems to amount to this : a receiving station 

 can be syntonised sufficiently well to enable it to pick 

 up messages from a particular transmitting station in 

 preference to, or with greater ease than, those froin 

 any other, and thus it may be enabled to work over 

 greater ranges. It does not, however, seem in the 

 least possible so to tune the transmitter that intercep- 

 tion of messages is impossible, nor does it seem likely 

 that this will ever be accomplished until experimenters 

 have succeeded in producing continuous trains of un- 

 damped oscillations, a direction in which many are 

 working. It is noteworthy that Dr. de Forest 

 recently expressed the opinion that without this 

 svntonisation is only partially possible ; in this limited 

 sense we believe all systems are making use of the 

 principle with more or less success. The system 

 designed bv Dr. de Forest appears from many accounts 

 to be the most efficient of those at work at the seat of 

 war, as it has already been one of the most successful 

 of those tried in America. The lengthy wireless 

 messages transmitted with marked regularity in 

 Irving circumstances from the Haimiin to the Times 

 afford evidence of this, and it is noteworthy also that 

 ,-1 speed of about thirty words a minute seems to be 

 easily attained, which is a high speed for wireless 

 telegraphy. The comparisons which the Times corre- 

 spondent makes between the working of his system 

 .ind that on the British warships at Wei-hai-vvei, 

 though much to the detriment of the latter, are hardly 

 fair to the Marconi system, as the naval installations 

 are not of the latest date. 



As to the prospect of attaining thorough syntonisa- 

 tion, it is to be noted that Dr. de Forest is working 

 on the lines of producing continuous oscillations on 

 the principle of Duddell's singing arc, a method which, 

 we pointed out in N.wure (vol. Ixviii. p. 248), seemed 

 the most promising. Others, we believe, are also 

 working on the same lines. It is noteworthy also that 

 mucli progress has been made on the scientific side, 

 and that we are in a better position now to make 

 quantitative measurements of the energy transmitted 

 and received. In this connection also Mr. Duddell 

 has contributed towards our advance; he recently 

 exhibited before the Physical Society an instrument 

 I w hich we hope to describe on another occasion) which 

 i^ave considerable deflections with the currents received 

 in the aerial wires. As this affords the first means 

 we have of accurately measuring these currents, it 

 mav prove of great value in the development of the 

 science. Mai'rice Soi-Omon. 



REPORT OF THE METEOROLOGICAL GRANT 

 COMMITTEE. 



IX December, 1902, a committee was appointed by the 

 Treasury " to inquire and report as to the administra- 

 tion by the iVIeteorological Council of the existing parlia- 

 mentary grant, and as to whether any changes in its 

 apportionment are desirable in the interest of meteor- 

 ological science, and to make any further recommend- 

 ations which may occur to them with a \iew to increasing 

 the utility of that grant." The committee was composed 

 of Sir Herbert E. Maxwell, Bart., M.P. (chairman), Mr. 



J. A. Dewar, M.P., Sir W. de W. Abney, K.C.B., F.R.S., 

 Sir F. Hopwood, K.C.B., C.M.G., Board of Trade, Sir 

 T. H. Elliott, K.C.B., Board of Agriculture, Mr. T. L. 

 Heath, Treasury, Dr. R. T. Glazebrook, F.R.S., and 

 Prof. Joseph Larmor, F.R.S. 



The report of the committee has just been published as 

 a Blue-book (Cd. 2123, price 2^^'.}, and a summary of 

 some of the points of scientific interest in it is subjoined. 



Scientific Research. 



The committee of 1877 recommended that " the council 

 should be at liberty to appropriate a part of their annual 

 grant to the purposes of any special researches which they 

 may think important, and in such cases it should rest with 

 them to select the investigators and fix the remuneration." 



The council, as might be expected ol a body appointed by, 

 and reporting annually to, the Royal Society, has never 

 lost sight of this part of its functions ; but the expansion 

 of the routine work of the office, including therein the 

 receipt, discussion and reduction of observations, the pre- 

 paration and issue of forecasts and warnings, the supply 

 of instruments and the annual inspection of observatories, 

 X.C., has absorbed nearly the whole of the grant, leaving a 

 comparatively trifling sum — 700/. to 800!. — to be devoted 

 to meteorological research. The council has made a strong 

 representation that, for the effective performance of this 

 part of its duties, the staff requires strengthening by the 

 addition of " a few assistants specially qualified by a know- 

 ledge of mathematics and physics for undertaking the in- 

 vestigation of such questions as are contemplated." The 

 additional annual cost of three such assistants, with the 

 incidental expenses, was estimated at 2250!. It appears 

 from the evidence that it would be desirable for the council 

 to have access to a meteorological laboratory properly 

 equipped, which would serve as one of the first-order observ- 

 ing stations. 



We believe that the time has arrived when one of two 

 alternatives must be taken, viz. either to provide the Meteor- 

 ological Office with the additional funds necessary for the 

 effective prosecution of independent and cooperative research, 

 or practically to confine the functions of the Meteorological 

 Office to the ordinary routine work. In this latter case it 

 would be necessary to rely upon members of the council 

 who are appointed by the Royal Society to keep abreast of 

 the advance in meteorology which may be achieved by 

 British and foreign scientific societies and by the Govern- 

 ments of foreign countries independently of the office. 



We do not believe that a middle course can be pursued 

 with anv advantage. The present grant is little more than 

 enough to maintain the office, the five observatories depend- 

 ing thereon, and the library, and to provide for the super- 

 annuation of the staff. It would be better to circumscribe 

 the operations of the council to routine than to expect them 

 to undertake investigations for which they have not 

 adequate means. 



.\n example of the difficulty arising under present con- 

 ditions may be cited in the invitation forwarded by the 

 Foreign Office to the council in iqo2 to join in an inter- 

 national scheme for investigating the upper atmosphere by 

 means of kites and balloons. The invitation had to be 

 declined for want of the requisite 500!. a year. 



It is clear that, from the first, it was intended that the 

 directors of the Meteorological Office should be chosen with 

 a view to their capacity for directing experiment and re- 

 search ; otherwise their appointment would not have been 

 committed to the Royal Society. On the other hand, we 

 perceive strong objections to granting money for scientific 

 research in meteorology, except on the direct responsibility 

 of a Minister of the Crown. This brings us back to the 

 repeated recommendation of the Royal Society that the 

 Meteorological Office should form part of one of the Govern- 

 ment departments — a recommendation which we have in- 

 cluded among those now submitted to your lordships. 



It appears' that the present constitution of the Meteor- 

 ological Oflice was never re.ijarded by the Royal Society 

 as a permanent one, but as " a temporary measure till some 

 other organisation should be carried out." We regard this 

 as a favourable opportunity for placing the Meteorological 

 Office upon a permanent footing. 



NO. 1808, VOL. 70] 



