156 National Geographic Magazine. 



A few remarks in connection with this unparalleled set of 

 observations may not be out of place. The congress which agreed 

 upon this work, met in accordance with invitations issued by the 

 Austrian Government in September, 1873. The co-operation de- 

 cided upon at this congress took practical shape January 1, 18*74, 

 at which date one daily simultaneous report was commenced from 

 the Russian and Turkish Empires, the British Islands, and the 

 United States : the energetic co-operation of these nations being 

 assured through Professor H. Wild for Russia ; Professor A. 

 Coumbary for Turkey ; Mr. Robert H. Scott for Great Britain ; 

 and Bvt. Brig. General A. J. Meyer, for the United States. Con- 

 current action followed shortly after on the part of Austria, 

 through Professor Carl Jelinek ; Belgium through Professor E. 

 Quetelet ; Denmark through Capt. Hoffmeyer ; France through 

 Monsieurs U. J. Leverrier, Marie Davy, and St. Claire Deville ; 

 Algiers by General Farre ; Italy by Professor Giovanni Cantoni ; 

 the Netherlands by Professor Buys Ballot ; Norway by Professor 

 H. Mohn ; Spain by Professor A. Aquilar ; Portugal by Professor 

 F. de Silveira ; Switzerland by Professor E. Plantamour ; and the 

 dominion of Canada by Professor G. T. Kingston. Within a year 

 the average number of daily simultaneous observations made out- 

 side the limits of the United States increased to 214. Later, the 

 co-operation of the Governments of India, Mexico, Australia, 

 Japan, Brazil, Cape Colony, Germany, and Greece, was obtained, 

 and also of many private observatories at widely separated points 

 throughout the Northern Hemisphere. 



In the sixteen years during which simultaneous meteorological 

 observations were continued, reports were received from nearly 

 fifteen hundred different stations, about one-half being from land 

 stations, and the others from vessels of the navies and the mer- 

 chant marine of the various countries. 



The total number of storm centers, counting one for each 6-de- 

 gree square over which the centre has been traced from the In- 

 ternational Simultaneous observations of 1878 to 1887, inclusive, 

 aggregates over forty-two thousand, an annual average of over 

 four thousand two hundred. Less than ^-^ of 1 per cent, 

 of these storms occurred south of the parallel of 10°, and 

 only ^ of 1 per cent, south of the parallel of 15°. In marked 

 contradistinction to this freedom of the equatorial regions from 

 storms, there is to be noted the excessive prevalence of these 

 phenomena between the parallels of 40° and 60°, north ; in which 



