SCIENCE. 



FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 1883. 

 THE U. S. SIGNAL SERVICE. 



n. 



If must be said that the annual report woiiUl 

 be vastly" improved bj' being made either one 

 thing or the other, or, better, two separate 

 things. At present it is at once a rexume of 

 meteorological work done during the year, and 

 a government blue-book. As the former, it 

 falls far short, not of the ideal, but of the possi- 

 ble : it is probably equally deficient considered 

 as the latter. It is certainh- desirable that the 

 summarized results of such great labor, com- 

 prehending so vast a field, should be published 

 annually in such a form as to be useful' to those 

 who are engaged in meteorological study and 

 research, and it ought to be done with reason- 

 able promjjtness. 



The size of the volume might be reduced to 

 at le.ast one-half of what it is at present, and 

 that without material loss. The report proper 

 of the chief signal officer ought to be rewritten ; 

 and it does not seem too much to ask that it be 

 prepared afresh every year, and that it should 

 be confined to a statement and discussion of the 

 actual progress made during the j-ear. Expen- 

 sive reprinting is a luxury that only govern- 

 ment offices can afford to indulge in, and it is 

 sometimes carried to an extent that is not only 

 wasteful, but positively objectionable. A large 

 portion of this annual report is made up of a re- 

 publication of the monthly weather-reviews for 

 the year. These have already been printed and 

 circulated among those to whom they would be 

 useful. Another large part consists of material 

 already printed and circulated as ' Instructions 

 to observers,' and might well be dispensed with 

 here. The ' annual meteorological summary,' 

 occupying about one-fourth of the volume, is 

 susceptible of considerable condensation with- 

 out loss of value to the student of meteorology. 

 Many of the appendices are ni.ade up entirely of 

 matter which is, of itself, not without value, and 



No. 33.— 1883. 



which may well be kept on file and accessible at 

 the central office, but which is entirelj' without 

 interest or value to the m.ijority of those into 

 whcse hands this report is intended to fall. A 

 much smaller volume, embodying the real me- 

 teorological work of the year, with such discus- 

 sions thereof as could be given, as everybody 

 Icuows, by persons iu the employ of the govern- 

 ment at the central office, would be welcomed 

 everywhere, and would be a real boon to stu- 

 dents. As at present issued, the report is un- 

 manageable, uninviting, and unsatisfactory. 



As already intimated, the report for 1881 

 contains evidence of some important changes 

 in the organization of the central office, and in 

 the general policy of the service. It seems 

 now to be recognized, that meteorology is, or 

 will be, a science ^ and that it is wisdom on the 

 part of the government to secure the coopera- 

 tion of scientific men in the work which it has 

 undertaken, as well as to employ an important 

 portion of its own staff in the investigation of 

 meteorological problems, and the carrying-on 

 of special researches. This is a step which, 

 although tardy, will be highly appreciated. 



Among the most tangible results thus far 

 may be mentioned the permanent establish- 

 ment of a ' scientific and study division.' The 

 wisdom of placing this entirely under the con- 

 trol of Professor Abbe, and of permitting him 

 to select his own assistants, cannot be too 

 highly commended. His selection of Messrs. 

 Upton, Ilazen, and AValdo for tliis important 

 service has been Justified by the numerous 

 valuable contributions wliicii they have already 

 made under his direction. The transfer of 

 Professor Ferrel from the coast snrvej' to the 

 meteorological bureau is another step in the 

 same direction, which is likely to materially- 

 increase the strength of the division. In many 

 otiier directions, the chief signal oflicer has 

 shown his appreciation of the ' eternal fitness 

 of things.' He has sought and obtained the 

 cooperation of the National academj', in the 



