84 



NA TURE 



[May 23, 1907 



charts and the identification of closed isobars as 

 cyclonic and anticyclonic areas were novelties, he was 

 the first to trace the course of a " depression " across 

 the Atlantic ; and subsequently, by the collection and 

 discussion of data from all parts of the world, to give 

 in a paper before the Royal Society of Edinburgh 

 " the mean pressure of the atmosphere and the pre- 

 vailing winds over the globe." 



This was followed by the monthly charts and tables 

 representing the atmospheric circulation in the volume 

 contributed to the Challenger Reports and published 

 in 1889, and the corresponding results for " oceanic 

 circulation " in 1895. 



His monthly maps of forty-year averages for the 

 British Isles developed likewise (with the assistance 

 of Dr. A. J. Herbertson) into the compilation of the 

 wonderful atlas of pictorial meteorology published by 

 Bartholomew in 1899. Therein is, indeed, a worthy 

 representation of Buchan's meteorological method. 



It was by the method of the map that he proposed 

 to deal witli the outstanding results of the Ben Nevis 

 observations, which were collected largely under his 

 own supervision, and have been already the subject 

 of numerous papers. His capacity for dealing in this 

 way with huge masses of figures was amazing. I 

 have often gone with him over the details of daily 

 maps exhibiting the results for Scottish weather at 

 official stations, lighthouses, and private stations to 

 trace some generalisation which had been suggested 

 by his work. His programme was to correlate these 

 daily maps with the observations at the summit and 

 base of the mountain. The methodical care in order- 

 ing the entries, and their arrangement as regards 

 colour or design to bring out any salient features, were 

 thoroughly characteristic of his work. 



From 7877 until last year, when it was arranged 

 that he should continue the work upon the Ben Nevis 

 observations instead, he was inspector of Scottish 

 stations for the Meteorological Office. Throughout 

 Scotland he succeeded in eliciting from the observers an 

 enthusiasm for accurate work that is truly remark- 

 able. Last year I followed myself the course of his 

 rounds, and was interested to verify the eulogistic 

 phrases about the Scottish stations which used to be 

 characteristic of the reports of the annual visitation. 



In 1887, Buchan succeeded Stokes as a member 

 of the Meteorological Council. Sir R. Strachey, Sir 

 W. Wharton, Sir G. H. Darwin, Mr. Galton, Mr. 

 E. J. Stone, and subsequently myself, were his col- 

 leagues. 



The period of his tenure almost synchronises with 

 that of the final form of the work on Ben Nevis, which 

 was brought into full activity by the endowment by 

 the council of the base observatory at Fort William in 

 1890. It may also be regarded, not inaptly, as the 

 period during which the interest of meteorological 

 work passed from the geographical extension of ob- 

 servations over the earth's surface to the exploration 

 of the upper air, begun by Welsh, continued by 

 Glaisher, but afterwards allowed to drop. The great 

 enterprise of maintaining a station of the first order 

 at the highest point of the British Isles absorbed 

 practically all the energy of the Scottish society during 

 Buchan's membership of the Meteorological Council. 

 Ultimately it proved to be a greater charge than the 

 society could support, and appeal was made first to the 

 council, who were themselves experiencing the pinch 

 of straitened circumstances, and then to the Govern- 

 ment, _ who after a lengthy inquiry by means of a 

 committee arrived at a misunderstanding; and the 

 closing of the observatories was the result. 



Indeed, the course of the negotiations began, as it 

 ended, in a misunderstanding. The financial posi- 

 NO. i960, VOL. 76] 



tion of the office was well known ; but at the time 

 the National Physical Laboratory was in course of 

 formation, and it was supposed that, being itself in 

 receipt of Parliamentary aid, it would maintain its 

 physical observatory at Kew out of its own resources. 

 The annual sum of 400/. voted by the Meteorological 

 Council would thus become free for meteorological en- 

 terprise elsewhere. But it was ordered otherwise ; 

 the payment to Kew still goes on. 



In the course of the appeal some hard things were 

 said of the council in its corporate capacity, but they 

 were not followed by any diminution of mutual respect 

 between its members. The only real difference of 

 opinion was as to the ways and means of enlisting 

 the practical support of Parliament for meteorological 

 work. The motives which actuate the decisions upon 

 such matters are not even now sufficiently clear to 

 obviate legitimate difference of opinion upon the sub- 

 ject. 



However one may regret the termination of a 

 great enterprise, it is fair to say that the only pos- 

 sible conditions for its continuance were a sufficient 

 supply of funds. All are agreed that a precarious 

 existence under financial conditions involving semi- 

 starvation of the work of research could not be 

 regarded as an alternative. 



Buchan was an honorary LL.D. of Glasgow, and 

 a Fellow of the Royal Societies of London and Edin- 

 burgh. He was curator of the library and museum of 

 the latter, and received the Makdougall-Brisbane 

 prize from the society in 1876, and the Gunning prize 

 in 1893. He was the first recipient of the Symons 

 medal of the Royal Meteorological Society of London 

 in 1902. He served for some time on the committee 

 of the Government grant for scientific research. He 

 was president of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh 

 in 1870-1. He was also an honorary member of the 

 Royal Society of Sciences of Upsala, of the Philoso- 

 phical societies of Manchester, Glasgow, and Emden, 

 and of the meteorological societies of Austria, Ger- 

 many, Mauritius, Algiers, &c. 



In Edinburgh society, and indeed throughout Scot- 

 land, he was a well-known figure. His striking ap- 

 pearance, his geniality, his familiar acquaintance with 

 Scottish literature and literary men, and his enthusi- 

 astic devotion to his work, easily account for the high 

 degree of respect and affection with which he was 

 regarded in the Scottish capital. He was at his best 

 at the hospitable gatherings of the Royal Society 

 Club, with the management of which he was asso- 

 ciated for many years. 



He married in 1864 Sarah, daughter of David 

 Ritchie, of Musselburgh, who died also on May 13 

 seven years ago. He leaves a son, Dr. A. Hill 

 Buchan, with whom he lived, and who was his com- 

 panion on many journeys. 



In thus taking leave of a kindly master and a 

 valued friend, it is not too much to say that the work 

 of Buchan's life has contributed largely to justify the 

 claim of meteorology to be regarded as a separate 

 scientific subject, entitled to separate academic recog- 

 nition. The physics of the atmosphere has its geo- 

 graphical aspect, but it is not a branch of geography ; 

 it has its mathematical aspect, but it is not a branch 

 of mathematics; it has its experimental aspect, but 

 it is not a branch of experimental physics. The con- 

 stitutional affection of the throat prevented Buchan 

 from using his natural powers of exposition to their 

 full extent, but may we not hope that the L^niversity 

 of Edinburgh will see her way to recognise the devo- 

 tion of her distinguished alumnus by providing the 

 subject of his devotion with a voice among the 

 sciences which she fosters? W. N. Sh;\w. 



