Proceedijigs of the British Association. 321 



proper regulations suffering to be inspected, standard instru- 

 ments : 3d. making and recording observations, in nnmber and 

 with a regularity" not to be expected, and scarcely ever obtained, 

 in observatories maintained by individuals. Private stationary 

 observations were next noticed, and suggestions thrown out ; 

 and lastly, traveling observations. 



A report was then read, on the application of a portion of the 

 sum of £50, voted in 1839, for discussion of tide observations, 

 and placed at the disposal of Rev. W. Whewell. The subject 

 has been diligently prosecuted during the year, and is still m 

 progress. 



Sir David Brewster gave in his report on the hourly meteoro- 

 logical observations made at Kingussie, (N. lat. 57° ; W. Ion. 4°,) 

 and at Inverness, (N. lat. 57° 29^'; W. Ion. 4i°.) Having se- 

 lected Inverness and Kingussie as two suitable stations for carry- 

 ing out two series of hourly observations with the thermometer 

 and barometer, and having prevailed upon Rev. Mr. Rutherford, 

 of Kingussie, and Mr. Thomas Mackenzie, of Inverness, to un- 

 dertake the observations, the necessary instruments were made 

 by Mr. Adie of Edinburgh, under the superintendence of Prof 

 Forbes, and the observations begun Nov. 1, 1838, that month be- 

 ing the commencement of the meteorological year, or the first of 

 the group of winter months. I have now the satisfaction of lay- 

 ing before the Association the observations themselves, forming 

 two quarto volumes, — a work of stupendous labor, executed for 

 the first time, by educated individuals, with the aid of properly 

 instructed assistants. The observations made at Kingussie, and 

 to a certain extent those made at Inverness, contain ampler details 

 of meteorological phenomena than any series of hourly observa- 

 tions with which we are acquainted. In addition to the ther- 

 mometrical observations, the height of the barometer, and the 

 temperature of the mercurial column were observed every hour. 

 The general character of the weather was carefully noted. The 

 character and direction of the wind at every hour was recorded. 

 The number of hours of wind, of breeze, of calm, of rain, of 

 snow, and of cloudy and clear weather, were regularly marked ; 

 and the number and nature of the auroras boreales were recorded 

 and described. When these observations are compared with those 

 made at Leith under my superintendence for four years, with 

 those made at Plymouth from 1832 to 1840, at the expense of 



