NATURE 



[November 2, 1905 



ASTRONOMY AND METEOROLOGY IN 

 AUSTRALIA. 



A VERY important paper has been issued recently 

 •**■ by the Government printer of Adelaide, South 

 Australia. 1 It is a report of an Inter-State Astro- 

 nomical and Meteorological Conference, convened in 

 May last, in view of the possible transfer of the 

 observatory departments to the Federal Government 

 as provided for in the Commonwealth Constitution 

 Act. The official directors of the observatory depart- 

 ments of the several States were invited, and there 

 were present Sir Charles Todd, K.C.M.G., F.R.S. 

 (Government astronomer for South Australia), who 

 was called to the chair, Mr. H. A. Lenehan (acting 

 Government astronomer for New South Wales), Mr. 

 VV. E. Cooke (Government astronomer for Western 

 Australia), Mr. P. Baracchi (Government astronomer 

 for Victoria), Mr. A. A. Spowers (chief surveyor for 

 Queensland), and Mr. H. C. Kingsmill (Government 

 meteorologist for Tasmania). 



The report represents briefly, in the first place, the 

 present arrangements for public astronomical and 

 meteorological work in the several colonies and the 

 provision for weather telegrams. It then proceeds to 

 give its proposals for the "future in twenty-two resolu- 

 tions. Six of them refer to work in astronomy, 

 magnetism, or seismology ; the remaining sixteen 

 indicate a scheme of organisation of the meteor- 

 ological service of the Commonwealth. The scheme 

 is framed on the idea of the establishment of a central 

 federal institution for theoretical and scientific 

 meteorology, " where the observations for the whole 

 of Australia should be collected, discussed and pub- 

 lished, and where all the higher problems of meteor- 

 ological science may be investigated; but such 

 institution should have nothing to do with the daily- 

 weather service and issue of forecasts." Duties con- 

 nected with the latter services, according to the 

 scheme, are to be entrusted to an official in each State; 

 and to the regulation of those services and their rela- 

 tion to the telegraph service the greater number of the 

 twenty-two recommendations are devoted. 



Appendices give the separate views of Mr. 

 Baracchi, Mr. Cooke, and Mr. Kingsmill upon some 

 of (he recommendations. 



The really important matter is the proposal for a 

 separate establishment for the discussion of meteor- 

 ological observations for the whole Commonwealth. 

 The idea will be warmly welcomed by all those who 

 desire to see the multitudes of meteorological observ- 

 ations brought into the most effective relation with 

 practical life. That such an institution should have 

 " nothing to do with the daily weather service and 

 issue of forecasts " should probablv be understood in 

 an administrative sense. The ultimate effect of a 

 scientific establishment upon forecasting would be a 

 good deal more than nothing. 



Th.- calling together of the Inter-State Conference 

 fl " the business-like discussion of the organisation 

 of astronomical and meteorological work' will also 

 be warmly applauded in this "country. It is one 

 more expression of the' fact that work in astronomy 

 and meteorology is of more than local interest and 

 importance. While doubtless real progress in either 

 must still depend upon individual energy and in- 

 dividual genius, exchange of material has" become a 

 recognised necessity, and exchange of ideas an in- 

 dispensable assis|;ill( e. 



It is therefore a pleasant duty to chronicle the 

 appearance of this most promising scheme, which 

 will put the Australian Commonwealth in a position 

 to continue the excellent work of Russell and take 

 1 Report of Inter-State Astronomical and Meteoroloeical Conference, 

 Adelaide, May, 1905 (By Authority, C. E. Bristoiv, Government Printer.) 



NO. l8/9 VOI . 7-5] 



its share in tracing out the mysteries of the meteor- 

 ology of the Indian Ocean. When we remember the 

 powerful appeal of Sir J. Eliot at Cambridge for the 

 cooperation of the British dominions in working out 

 meteorological problems of the widest application the 

 solution of which is foreshadowed by the suggestions 

 of relationship between meteorological phenomena in 

 different parts of the world and "of their connection 

 with solar changes, we can only hope that this pro- 

 posal for the federation of Australia for scientific 

 prosecution of meteorological work is a step in the 

 direction of a wider federation for a similar purpose. 



On this planet, north and south and east and west 

 are not so far apart that we in this countrv or our 

 comrades in America or Africa can affect to regard 

 the meteorological organisation of Australia as a ques- 

 tion which does not concern us, and we shall watch 

 the development of the scheme which is put forward, 

 confident in its power of contributing in large measure 

 to the pursuit of a common purpose in an organised 

 manner. \\\ \. S. 



FERDINAND BARON VON RICHTHOFEN. 

 '"PHE unlooked-for death of this distinguished man 



- 1 of science has sent a thrill of deep regret all 

 over the world among those who take interest in the 

 progress of geology and geography. Though he had 

 passed the limit of three-score years and ten, he re- 

 mained up to the last so active in mind and body, so 

 full of an almost youthful interest in the advances 

 of science, so keenly solicitous and enthusiastic over 

 the welfare of the institutions with which he was 

 connected, that all who knew him looked forward to 

 still many years during which his inspiration and 

 guidance would continue to be at the service of those 

 departments of investigation which have long been 

 so deeply indebted to him; but this augury proved 

 vain White sitting it his writing tabic app :r ntlv 

 in his ordinary health, a sudden seizure deprived him 

 of speech. Yet, as he remained otherwise fully 

 conscious, it was hoped that the symptoms might 

 soon pass away. A little later, however, another 

 seizure attacked him during a deep sleep, and after 

 two days and a half lie passed peacefully away on 

 October o, without illness or suffering of anv kind. 



Belonging to a noble family that possesses large 

 estates in Silesia, Richthofen was born there on Mav5, 

 1833. His early education was received at a seminary 

 under the management of Roman Catholic ecclesi- 

 astics, from which he passed to the University of 

 Breslau and then to that of Berlin, where he took 

 his degree of Doctor in Philosophy in 1856. By this 

 time a study of the writings of Leopold von Buch 

 and Alexander von Humboldt had kindled in him a 

 vivid appreciation of the attractions of geological and 

 geographical research. Like' the two great masters 

 from whom he drew his inspiration, he appears to 

 have begun his career as an author by publishing 

 some of the results of his investigation of eruptive 

 rocks. His earliest papers, which began in 1S56, 

 dealt with the intrusive melaphvres of Moravia and 

 the trachytes of Hungary. 



Repairing to Vienna, he made the acquaintance of 

 the geologists of that capital, and notably of the 

 eminent director of the Austrian Geological Survey, 

 Ritter von Hauer, with whom he formed a lasting 

 friendship. He was induced to become a volunteer 

 in this survey and to assist in working out the com- 

 plicated structure of parts of the eastern Alps. He 

 spent two busy seasons among the Dolomite Moun- 

 tains, which in after years he looked back upon as 

 one of the happiest periods of his life. The results 

 of these field-survevs were embodied bv him in his 



