56 
[Mov. 17, 1870 

solved that the existing relations between the Kew Committee - 
and the British Association be referred to the Council to report 
thereon. In consequence of this resolution, the Kew Committee, 
on the 23rd November, 1869, prepared for the information of the 
Council a statement on the past and present condition of the 
Observatory, which was presented to the Council on the 11th 
December. In this statement it was shown that while the 
establishment at Kew Observatory received its main support from 
the British Association, and was under the control of that body, 
yet much of the apparatus in use at Kew was furnished fron 
other sources. Thus, the Royal Society had from the Govern- 
ment-Grant Fund supplied the establishment with the apparatus 
for testing barometers, with that for testing sextants, with the 
dividing-machine for constructing standard thermometers, and 
also with the set of self-recording magnetographs at present in 
use, while from the Donation Fund they had furnished the photo- 
heliograph and the Whitworth lathe and planing-machine. 
The Royal Society had likewise defrayed from the Donation 
Fund the expense of introducing gas into the Observatory, and 
of building a house for the verification of magnetic instruments, 
besides which they had borne from the Government-Grant Fund 
since 1863 the whole expense of working the Photoheliozraph 
(including the purchase of a chronometer) and of reducing its 
results. The instruments used at Kew for determining the ab- 
solute magnetic elements are the property of Her Majesty’s 
Government, and have been lent to the Kew Observatory by the 
Magnetic Olfice at Woolwich, under the direction of Sir E. 
Sabine, and many of those magnetic instruments with which 
Kew has been the means of furnishing scientific travellers have 
been derived from the same source. Of late Kew has become 
the central observatory of the Meteorological Committee, and a 
commodious workshop has been erected near the Observatory by 
that committee, since otherwise the main building would have | 
been too small for the access of work consequent upon the ar- 
rangement entered into. The statement prepared by the Kew 
Committee contained likewise a summary of the scientific work 
done at the Observatory, as well as some interesting historical 
remarks connected with the origin of the establishment, drawn up 
by Sir C. Wheatstone, and in this shape it was submitted to the 
Council of the British Association, The Council then recom- 
mended ‘‘That the present existing relations between the Kew 
Observatory and the British Association be continued unaltered 
until the completion, in 1872, of the magnetical and solar decen- 
nial period, and that after that date all connection between them 
should cease.”” In consequence of this recommendation, the 
Kew Committee were led to contemplate the dissolution of the 
Kew establishment in 1872, and they became anxious to make 
such arrangements as might enable them to complete their scien- 
tific labours in a creditable manner before the time of the 
anticipated dissolution. The'magnetic work in particular caused 
them anxiety ; for the annual income of the establishment is 
insufficient to permit of that work being fully completed by the 
time of the annual meeting of the Association in 1872. Under 
these circumstances the chairman offered to supplement the de- 
ficiency. It will be seen by this report that the magnetical 
tabulations and reductions are now proceeding very fast. The 
recommendation of the Council was also a matter of anxiety to 
the superintendent, Mr. Stewart ; and as the Professorship of 
Natural Philosophy at Owens College, Manchester, became 
vacant about this time, he applied for the appointment and was 
successful in obtaining it. This will render it necessary for Mr. 
Stewart to reside in Manchester, but the sta‘f at the Observatory 
are such that Mr. Stewart will undertake by their aid to assist 
the committee in the superintendence of the work of the Obser- 
vatory uatil 1872. 
(A) Work DONE BY Kew OBSERVATORY UNDER THE 
DIRECTION OF THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION. : 
1. Magnetic Work.—In the present state of magnetical science 
it would appear to be desirable to preserve as completely as 
possible the details of observations, so that future theorists may 
have a large and valuable source of information by which to 
test their speculations. The Committee are therefore desirous 
that by the autumn of 1872 a manuscript record should be com- 
pleted, containing all the hourly tabulated values from the Kew 
Magnetographs arranged in monthly tables. This record should 
be carefully preserved, along with the original photographic 
traces, in the exchives of the Association. Pursuing the method 
indicated by Sir E. Sabine, and adopting the separating values 
finally determined by him, the Committee further propose to ob- 
tain monthly results indicating the following points tor each of 
NATURE 


the three magnetic elements, distributed according to the hour 
of the day :— 
1. Aggregate of disturbance tending to increase the numeri- 
cal values. 
2. Agyregate of disturbance tending to decrease the same, _ 
3. Solar-diurnal range of the undisturbed observations. 
They suggest that the monthly results embodying these facts 
should be published in detail. Finally, they propose to continue 
the discussion of the lunar-diurnal variations commenced by Sir 
E. Sabine, and carried on by him up to the end of the year 1864. 
In order to work this scheme with sufficient rapidity to complete 
it before the autumn of 1872, additional assistance has been pro- 
cured, the expense of which has been defrayed by the chairman. 
Mr. Whipple, magnetical assistant, has displayed much zeal 
and ability in organising the work and in superintending its 
immediate execution, Already the hourly numerical values of 
the three magnetic elements have been obtained and tabulated in 
monthly forms from the commencement of the series in 1858 to 
the present date ; and considerable progress has also been made 
in the next step of the reduction. A unifilar, formerly employed 
by Captain Haig, and of which the constants have been deter- 
mined at the Observatory, has been lent to Lieut. Elagin, of 
the Russian navy, for use in the Japanese seas and elsewhere. 
A dip-circle, by Dover, has been verified and sent to Prof. 
Jelinek, of Vienna, and another, by the same maker, has been 
verified for Dr. A. B, Meyer, for use in the East Indies. This 
gentleman has likewise received magnetic instruction at the 
Observatory. A dip-circle by Adie, furnished with a deflecting 
cylinder apparatus, has been verified and despatched to Prof. 
Bolzani, of the University of Kasan. Three dipping-needles 
have likewise been constructed for Dr. Bergsma, of Batavia, and 
one for Mr. Chambers, of the Colaba Observatory, Bombay. 
A deflection-bar has been procured and verified for the Russian 
Central Observatory. A declinometer has been sent to the 
Lisbon Observatory, anda Fox’s circle has been lent to Dr. 
Neumayer, after having been repaired by Adie. The instrument 
devised by Mr. Broun for the purpose of estimating the magnetic 
dip by means of soft iron, and constructed at the expense of the 
British Association in pursuance of a re olution of that body 
passed at the Oxford meeting, has been forwarded to that gen- 
tleman at his request. The usual monthly absolute determi- 
nations of the magnetic elements continue to be made by Mr. 
Whipple, magnetic assistant. A paper embodying the results 
of the absolute observations of dip and horizontal force, made 
at Kew from April 1863 to April 1869, has been communicated 
by the superintendent to the Royal Society, and published in the 
‘* Proceedings” of that body, The results obtained evidence 
the accuracy with which the monthly observations have been 
made by Mr. Whipple. The self-recording magnetographs are 
in constant operation as heretofore, also under his charge ; and 
the photographic department connected with these instruments 
remains under the charge of Mr. Page. 
2. Meteorological work.—The meteorological work of the 
Observatory continues in the charge of Mr. Baker. Since the 
Exeter meeting, 150 barometers have been verified, and thirty 
have been rejected ; 1,160 thermometers and 103 hydrometers 
have likewise been verified. Nineteen standard thermometers 
have been constructed for Prof. Tait, and two for the Meteoro- 
logical Office. The self-recording meteorological instruments 
now in work at Kew will be again mentioned in the second divi- 
sion of this report. These are in the charge of Mr. Baker, the 
photography being superintended by Mr. Page. 
3. Photoheliogript.—Vhe Kew heliograph, in charge of Mr. 
Warren De la Rue, continues to be worked in a satisfactory 
manner. During the past year 351 pictures have been taken on 
237 days. It was considered desirable that six prints should be 
obtained from each of the negatives of the sun pictures taken at 
the Observatory during the whole time that the photoheliograph 
should remain at work, which will probably be from February 
1862 to February 1872. In order to accomplish this, an outlay 
of 120/. spread over two years was found to be necessary, and 
this sum has been voted from the Donation Fund of the Royal 
Society. A large number of these prints has already been 
obtained, and it is proposed to present complete sets to the 
following institutions :— 
The Royal Astronomical Society, 
The Imperial Academy of Paris, 
The Imperial Academy of St, Petersburg, 
The Royal Society of Berlin, 
The Smithsonian Institution, United States, 
a Oo ae le 
