224 



NA TURE 



\7tily 19, 1877 



that the objections brought against her have been much 

 too hghtly treated ; and thpt the disclosure of her 

 condition, with the circumstances that have followed it, 

 have excited just surprise and dissatisfaction. The 

 subject must be anxiously watched through its future 

 stages. 



THE NEW METEOROLOGICAL COUNCIL 



THE final stage of the labours of the Treasury Com- 

 mittee, to which we have made frequent reference, 

 has now been reached. The Royal Society has been 

 appealed to to nominate the new council ; they have done 

 so, and the Government has accepted the nominations, 

 which are as follows : — Prof H. J. S. Smith, Savilian 

 Professor of Geometry in the University of Oxford and 

 Keeper of the University Museum (Chairman) ; Prof 

 Stokes, Lucasian Professor of Mathematics in the Uni- 

 versity of Cambridge, and Secretary of the Royal Society ; 

 Dr. Warren de la Rue, Mr. F. Galton, and Gen. Strachey, 

 Member of the Indian Council. In addition to these 

 there is Capt. Evans, the Hydrographer of the Navy, as 

 an ex-officio member. 



The new Meteorological Council, then, like the old 

 Meteorological Committee, is composed of Members of 

 the Royal Society, who severally hold distinguished 

 positions in special departments of science, and who 

 collectively represent considerable administrative ability. 

 The addition to the new Council of two distinguished 

 mathematicians and physicists, such as Professors Smith 

 and Stokes, will be generally regarded with satisfaction, 

 particularly when it is considered that it is to the mathe- 

 matician and physicist that meteorologists must always 

 look for information and guidance on many matters 

 affecting the intricate and difficult problems with which 

 they, in the position the science has attained, must now 

 deal. 



It is, however, matter of general surprise among meteoro- 

 lo.;!sts, or we should rather say of wide-spread regret, 

 that the New Council will resemble the old Committee in 

 having no meteorologist upon it. The omission, so far as 

 concerned the Meteorological Committee, was a serious 

 one, and led to mistakes ; so far as concerns the new one 

 it will be well if it does not seriously rnar its usefulness 

 and retard the foundation of the future science of physical 

 meteorology. At the same time it is only just to point 

 out that because the science is of the future, the choice of 

 the Royal Society was small, and that considerations not on 

 the surface may have had to be borne in mind. However 

 this may be, there is no doubt that the Royal Society and 

 the new Council have accepted a great responsibility, and 

 that the action of the latter will be most keenly watched. 

 The Royal Society, in a report to the Government, has 

 stated :— 



"The Council of the Royal Society is of opinion that 

 the most practical method of advancing meteorology is 

 to endeavour by research and experiment to place that 

 science on a firm basis. They are also of opmion that 

 this can be done only by the devotion of the time of 

 scientific men to the necessary research and experi- 

 ment." 



Men of science, therefore, will be justified in looking 

 both for research and experiment from the new council 



in addition to the dreary piles of observations which have 

 cumbered all scientific libraries for the last half-century. 



And here is the rub. Will the busy— not to say 

 already over-workcJ — members of the Council adopt this 

 "practical method," and conduct researches ? or do they 

 propose to content themselves by going into the market 

 with the 1,000/. which is given for research, and, be it 

 remarked, not for mere observations ? In the latter case 

 it is to be hoped that their advances will be met in no 

 narrow spirit ; for if the new council only fosters research 

 and experiment, it will be a great gain. 



While, on the one hand then, we have a right to expect 

 results of a high order from the new Council, on the 

 other we are glad to see they are to be no longer an un- 

 paid body. Besides the 1,000/. devoted to research there 

 is another 1,000/. devoted to the payment of the members. 

 This sum is to be spent partly in retaining fees and partly 

 in payment for attendance. 



The vote asked for the present year and agreed to on 

 Tuesday is 10,000/., and the Secretary of the Treasury 

 then stated that the Committee had recommended an 

 expenditure of 4,000/. a year by the Meteorological 

 Council, and, in the judgment of the Treasury, the 

 recommendation was one that ought to be adopted. A 

 supplementary vote will be asked for this at an early date. 

 As regards the meteorological societies, on whom must 

 devolve the practical working out of the large problem 

 of the comparative climatology of the various districts 

 of the United Kingdom— the working out of this problem 

 being beyond the scope of the operations of the New 

 Council just as certainly as it is beyond the resources 

 originally placed at its disposal — we cannot but suppose 

 that the Government have, in handing over the adminis- 

 tration of the meteorological grant to the New Council, 

 made provision that a portion of the additional 4,000/. 

 will be spent in adequately aiding these societies in doing 

 important national work which they are in a position to 

 do so economically, and which, judging from the past, 

 they can do so effectively. 



This now seems to be the Treasury view, for in the 

 warm debate very properly raised by the Scotch members 

 in favour of the claims of the Scottish Meteorological 

 Society, Mr. W. H. Smith stated that, as to the tests that 

 ought to be applied in such cases, special regard ought to 

 be paid to two points. The object to be attained ought 

 to be distinctly national, and not one in which particular 

 individuals or classes were concerned, and security ought 

 to be taken that the persons who sought assistance were 

 contributing largely to promote the object in view. There 

 is no doubt that the Scottish Society satisfies both these 

 requirements. 



The Chancellor of the Exchequer also stated that it 

 would be for the Council to consider how far they could 

 avail themselves of the services of the Scottish Meteo- 

 rological Society in the conduct of their business, and on 

 what terms that assistance should be rendered. 



The Council have lost no time in entering upon their 

 duties, and it is devoutly to be wished that some sign 

 may soon be given that if its constitution is not what 

 was generally looked for, it is still well qualified to dis- 

 charge its functions and to merit the confidence of 

 meteorologists, although they have had so little to say 

 to its apijointmcn:. 



