July 5, 1895.] 



SCIENCE. 



17 



features before his eyes, by constructing the 

 oi'thogonal projection of such features, 

 graphically, in a simple manner, from their 

 perspective views. 



J. A. Flemee. 

 Washington, D. C. 



the meteorological ajs'd magnetical ob- 

 seevatoey zi-ka-wei, keae 



SHANGHAI, CHnSTA. 



The Zi-ka-wei Observatory, founded in 

 1873 by the French Koman Catholic Mis- 

 sion of Kiang-nan, has been provided by 

 the same with all the instruments necessary 

 for the study of meteorology and terrestrial 

 magnetism, and from that time it has not 

 ceased to pursue actively the study of those 

 two branches of science. The work of the 

 Observatory comprises 3 parts : 



(1) The first part is a public service ac- 

 cepted out of good will ; and it may be said 

 gratuitously, in behalf of the port of Shang- 

 hai. This manifold service includes : the 

 service of the time-ball by which the exact 

 time is given to the port of Shanghai by 

 the fall of a meridian ball ; a daily bulletin, 

 posted up at Shanghai, contains informa- 

 tion on the weather at Shanghai and along 

 the coast of China ; the typhoon and storm 

 warnings bj' means of signals hoisted up at 

 a semaphore. (2) The second part of our 

 work is composed of hourly meteorological 

 and magnetical observations published in 

 monthljr bulletins, which make at the end 

 of each year a volume in.-4to of over 200 

 pages. (3) The third part comprises spe- 

 cial studies on meteorological or magnetical 

 subjects, the whole of which comprises 

 already 26 memoirs. 



But up to the present the studj^ of astron- 

 omy has been altogether left aside. When 

 the service of the time-ball was inaugurated 

 at Shanghai, twelve years ago, by the care 

 of the Municipal Council of the French 

 ♦Settlement, the Observatory received, at the 

 expenses of that Council, a little transit in- 



strument, good for the determination of the 

 time, but altogether inadequate to astronom- 

 ical observations properly so called. This 

 absence of instruments fit for astronomical 

 studies we have seen it regretted by many 

 learned men. To quote but one only, Mr. 

 A. Tissandier, relating in La Nature No. 94^4 

 his visit to the Zi-ka-wei Observatory, ex- 

 pressed his regret of seeing us neglecting 

 astronomy. Our too limited staff had pre- 

 vented us till now, just as much as the lack 

 of pecuniary means, to think seriously 

 about giving to our Observatory a so-eagerly- 

 longed-for development. At present we 

 would be in a better condition even to 

 undertake a series of studies in that so in- 

 teresting branch of science. But it is quite 

 impossible that the Catholic Mission, which 

 has made so many expenses to found the 

 Observatory and maintain it in its present 

 state, make to itself the expenses for such 

 an establishment. It is even impossible 

 that it can suffice for the cost of the instru- 

 ment which we wish to set up in the first 

 place, i. e., an equatorial telescope of be- 

 coming size. We must then necessarily 

 have recourse to the generosity of those in- 

 terested in the advance of science and par- 

 ticularly in the studies made at Zi-ka-wei. 

 The city of Shanghai profiting above all by 

 our work, it was then quite natural that we 

 first of all address ourselves to it. And 

 that we have done in demanding from the 

 two Settlements (English and French) to 

 be so kind as to contribute each for a sum 

 of £400 to the setting up of an equatorial 

 telescope at the Zi-ka-wei Observatory. 

 That proposal, brought before the meeting 

 of the Eatepayers of the English Settle- 

 ment on the 12th March by Mr. G. J. 

 Morrison and seconded by Mr. J. Hen- 

 ningsen, has been received with the marks 

 of the greatest sympathy and voted unan- 

 imously. 



A similiar reception of my demand has 

 been made at the meeting of the French 



