May 20, 1898.] 



SCIENCE. 



709 



■with provision for the conduct of the business 

 connected with Loans of Art Objects and the 

 Art Schools. They are satisfied that the whole 

 of this space is required for the Art Schools, 

 the due exhibition of the Art Collection and 

 the administration connected with such a mu- 

 seum. 



2. That provision for the whole of the Sci- 

 ence Collection, the Science Library, for Loans 

 of Scientific Objects and for the Science Schools 

 be made on the west side of the Exhibition- 

 road. 



They are convinced that this concentration 

 of Art on one side of the road and of Science 

 on the other is essential to good administration, 

 to satisfactory results from the money ex- 

 pended, and efiB-ciency both in the museum and 

 in the schools. This arrangement would allow 

 space for the future development both of the 

 Art and of the Science branches. 



They also unanimously recommend that the 

 Geological Museum in Jermyn-street be no 

 longer occupied for the same purposes as now, 

 and that the collections there exhibited be re- 

 moved to the west side of Exhibition-road and 

 made part of the Science collections. 



OBSEEVATOEIES ON THE AZOEES. 



As we have already stated, the Prince of 

 Monaco, on April 29th, brought to the notice of 

 the Eoyal Society the project which he suggested 

 to the British Association in 1892, of establish- 

 ing a meteorological station on the Azores. 

 As reported in the London Times, he said its 

 objects, as he conceived them, were the obser- 

 vation of certain atmospheric disturbances ap- 

 parently formed in this region, and the correc- 

 tion of the path assigned to others that are 

 announced from America at too great a distance 

 of time and space for there to be any assurance 

 that their strength and direction may not be 

 considerably modified before they reach Euro- 

 pean coasts. He pointed out that at such an 

 observatory the study of seismic phenomena 

 could be advantageously carried on, because in 

 certain circumstances earthquakes felt in 

 Europe had previously affected the Azores. 

 Moreover, in the study of terrestrial magnetism, 

 being situated in mid-ocean, it could render 

 useful service, for the increasing use of elec- 



tricity for lighting and traction was making it 

 more necessary that magnetic observations 

 should be carried ovit in very remote places. 

 Observations made on the Azores would benefit 

 many countries directly, because they interested 

 all branches of the nautical profession as well 

 as the populations of the western coasts of 

 Europe. Since the scheme was first mentioned, 

 in 1892, an event which he had awaited with 

 much impatience had, the Prince said, arrived 

 to help it, and that was the establishment of 

 telegraphic communication between the Azores 

 and Europe. Soon after this was done the 

 Portuguese government gave effect to his views 

 by setting up on the Island of San Miguel, 

 under the direction of Captain Chaves, a regular 

 meteorological station, which, however, wasmost 

 modestly equipped. Finall5', last year Captain 

 Chaves was commissioned to establish on the 

 Island of Flores, the most westerly of the 

 Azores, a second station whose observations 

 would usefully supplement those of San Miguel. 

 Unfortunately this was even poorer than the 

 other, and was not yet reached by the telegraph 

 cable. In order that science might the sooner 

 profit by the advantages promised by this ob- 

 servatory, and in order to guard against inter- 

 ruption of its functions, he proposed to give it 

 a constitution founded on the principle of an 

 international guarantee to be secured by the 

 pecuniary contributions of the countries con- 

 cerned. He suggested that this arrangement 

 might be carried out by the various countries 

 bearing the expense of the particular class of 

 observation in which each was interested. One, 

 for instance, might support observations on 

 magnetic phenomena, another on those of the 

 winds, and so on. Portugal, accepting the 

 principle of an international regime, had com- 

 missioned Captain Chaves to invite the mari- 

 time nations concerned to give their adhesion 

 to the project and to associate themselves with 

 the organization of this meteorological service. 

 It might, therefore, be hoped that in the near 

 future an understanding would be arrived at 

 as to the development of the observatories on 

 the Azores, and he asked the Eoyal Society to 

 use its great influence in the domain of science 

 for securing the accession of England to the 

 ideas he was upholding. 



