184 . REPORT— 1898. 



29. Physikalisches Central Observatorium. — Admiral Rykatcheff. Wass.-Ostr., 

 23 Linci Haus No. 2, 12/24, February, 1898. ;S'^, Petersbury. 



The Russian Meteorological OfBce think of establishing two instru- 

 ments of the type recommended by the Seismological Committee of the 

 British Association. It would, however, he first necessary to obtain the 

 opinion of the directors of observatories where the instruments might 

 be installed. Copies of instructions respecting the working of the instru- 

 ments were required. 



Three copies of instructions were forwarded to St. Petersburg on 

 March 3, 1898. 



30. Kaiser liclte Akadnnie der Wissenschaften, Wien. March 5, 1898. 



The earthquake commission of the above Academy inquii'ed respecting 

 the cost of a seismometer. 



I replied stating the price of instrument and its accessories, gave the 

 address of the maker, and sent the Toronto Report for 1897. 



31. Australia: Melbourne. The Observatory. — P, Baracchi, Esq. 



The Director of the above observatory wrote on February 1, 1898, in 

 reply to the circular issued by our committee that he had applied to the 

 Victorian Government to take part in our work, and had laid the matter 

 before Section A of the Australian Association for the Advancement of 

 Science. It is hoped that co-operation may be extended to us in the 

 early future. 



The following abstract of a report of the Seismological Committee, of 

 the Australian Society for the Advancement of Science is taken from 

 'Symons' Monthly Meteorological Magazine,' March 1898, p. 2G :— 



' Seismological Committee. 



' This report was presented by the Secretary, Mr. George Hoglsen, M. A., 

 of Timaru, New Zealand, and stated that the most interesting result of 

 the labours of the observers was the fact, based upon rough calculations, 

 that the great South Australian earthquake of May 10, 1897, proceeded 

 from a line parallel to the coast near Beachport and Kingston, and 

 was possibly due to a sliding of one part of the crust upon another, such 

 as forms what is called in geology a " fault." This was probably deep, but 

 the later and slighter shocks were surface ones, caused by readjustments 

 of the immediate crust. The subject was still under investigation by the 

 Secretary. But IMr. Hogben pointed out that it was as part of a world- 

 system of seismological observations that the work of the Committee might 

 be most useful. An international seismological committee had been set 

 up, embracing all the ablest workers in every part of the world, and in 

 co-operation with that committee were committees of the British Associa- 

 tion and of the Royal Society. They desire especially to be able to track 

 the microseismic vibrations or minute earthquake waves, which travelled 

 from the sources of disturbance all round the earth's surface, or it might 

 be right through the solid mass of our world (if it is solid). The speed 

 of these finer waves was many times greater than that of the larger waves 

 felt by us, reaching a velocity as great as 12 miles per second, or even 

 more. For the purpose of observing them the international committee 

 had agreed upon a certain type of instrument — the horizontal pendulum — 



