58 BEP0RT8 ON THE STATE OF SCIENCE. 



Meteorological Observations on Ben Nevis.— Report of the Committee, 

 consisting of Lord McLaren (Chairman), Professor Crum Brown 

 (Secretary), Sir John Murray, Professor F. W. Dyson, and Mr. 

 II. T. Om'ond. 



Since the closiDg of the Ben Nevis Observatories in October 1904 the 

 Committee has directed its attention to the completion of the publication 

 of the meteorological observations made at the observatories. The obser- 

 vations from the opening of the observatories, 1883, to the end of 1897, 

 have been published in extenso in volumes xxxiv., xlii., and xliii. of the 

 'Transactions' of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. The records down to 

 the end of 1900 are in type, and the printing of those of the remaining 

 years is being proceeded with. 



The British Association last year gave a grant of 251. to assist the 

 publication of these records. This has been wholly expended in printing. 

 This sum and grants received from other sources have provided sufficient 

 funds to ensure the publication in the ' Transactions ' of the Royal Society 

 of Edinburgh of all the hourly observations made at the Ben Nevis 

 Observatories, and of certain discussions of these observations made by 

 the late Dr. Buchan, Mr. R. T. Omond, and others. 



The arrangements for the publication of the final volume of obser- 

 vations having now been completed, the Committee do not desire 

 reappointment. 



The further Tabulation qf Bessel Functions. — Report of the Committee, 

 consisting of Professor M. J. M. Hill (Chairman), Dr. L. N. G. 

 FiLON (Secretary), and Professor Alfred Lodge. 



Further progress has been made this year with the calculations. The 



values of log sin a and thence of a have been worked out for ?i=^, 1^, 



2^, . . . 6^ (the notation being identical with the one employed in last year's 



a;" 

 Report). Values of log j, where A;=|(4n^—1), have also been calculated. 



These were found to give a sequence suitable for interpolation. The 

 accuracy of the results have been tested from the formula 



sec. (a„^i-«„)=R„R„+i. 



The work, however, is not sufficiently advanced for the tables to be 

 printed. As the greater part of the work will now be done by members 

 of the Committee personally, the necessity for a grant disappears, and 

 the Committee therefore ask for reappointment without a grant. 



