184 ALLISON — OlSr THE MKTEOROLOGY OF HALIFAX. 



own neighbourhood being fairly known, tolerable accuracy will 

 already attend the constant and careful consideration of a pains- 

 taking observer. Through the public press, and private ears, I 

 have lately urged the beginning- of a w^eather signal system for 

 ■which this country is now ripe. If on a future evening I can report 

 to this Institute — from which I have received so much encourage- 

 ment for several years — the beneficial working of such a system, 1 

 shall be satisfied. 



While for centuries false ideas, mingled with tiny truths, have 

 gained general credence, let us now pursue an opposite course, and 

 place faith only in substantiated doctrines. 



I conclude this somewhat rambling paper with extracts from 

 correspondence passing during last w^inter, illustrative of some of 

 the details of weather telegraphy. These first remarks came to my 

 hands from Mr. Kingston, chief meteorological superintendent at 

 the central station for Canada — Toronto : — 



" The present form of vv^eather telegraphy is to record at numer- 

 ous points the readings of the instruments, and certain facts 

 descriptive of the weather, three times in the 24 hours ; the 

 observations being made simultaneously at all the stations, and 

 regularly, in fine as well as in bad or threatening weather. Accord- 

 ing to the new Washington code the message from each station 

 consists of ten words, and, subject as they are in the States, 

 to numerous and varied combinations, the message there could 

 hardly allow of compression ; but 1 have little doubt that, with our 

 far more simple mode of operation the ten words could be reduced 

 to six. Hence, if you were to have reports from ten stations com- 

 bined, you would have, for each observation, one message of 60 

 words." 



** It \vill be the duty of the agent " (^. e. the chief meteorological 

 agent in each District, or Province ; which post in Nova Scotia I 

 have the honour to hold) "to superintend the translation of the 

 telegrams, and arrange the figures in the form of a weather bulletin, 

 which exhibits the present atmospheric conditions, and the changes 

 since the previous report. Two or three copies of the bulletin 

 should be posted in conspicuous places ; and it should also be print- 



