328 REPORT— 1841. 



remain unappropriated, and will not be required for the purpose for which 

 the Committee was appointed. 



Signed, J. F. W. Herschel, on the part of the Committee. 



Report of the Astronomer Royal on the publication of the Hourly 

 Observations made at Plymouth, under the superintendence of 

 Mr. W. S. Harris. 



1. The first series of observations of the thermometer extends from May 

 1832, to December 1836, containing readings of the thermometer for every 

 hour of the day and night. The means of the readings are taken for each 

 day ; and for each hour the means for groups of ten or eleven days are taken. 

 — 2. The second series of observations of the thermometer extends from 

 January 1837 to December 1839, and contains readings of the wet and 

 dry thermometer for every hour of the day and night. The means of the 

 readings are taken for each day. — 3. The observations of the barometer 

 extend from January 1837 to December 1839, and contain readings of 

 the barometer and attached thermometer for every hour of the day and night. 

 The means are taken for each day. 



I am not aware that there exists any such collection of regular, consecutive, 

 and uniform observations. But I must beg that this, my statement, be re- 

 ceived with caution, for the two following reasons : first, that I am little 

 acquainted with the current literature of Meteorology ; secondly, that I 

 know nothing whatever of Mr. Harris's instruments, and especially, that I 

 have no assurance either of the identity of the instruments through the 

 series, or of the verification of their zero points ; two matters of capital im- 

 portance. Assuming, however, that the instruments have been the same, 

 and properly verified, I have no hesitation in recommending that the obser- 

 vations be printed in full. And (considering that many of the purposes to 

 which they may at future times be applied are yet unknown) I do not see 

 that any further deduction should be drawn, in the printed arrangement, 

 than is drawn by Mr. Harris, except that I would submit for Mr. Harris's 

 consideration, whether the means of the observations of several days, at the 

 same hour, should not be taken for the second and third series, in the same 

 manner as for the first. G. B. Airy. 



On the Translation of Foreign Scientific Memoirs. 



The Committee have received in the current year translations of the follow- 

 ing memoirs, presented to the Committee for the purpose of insertion in Mr. 

 Taylor's collection of " Foreign Scientific Memoirs," viz. 



From Professor Thomas Graham — 



Redtenbacher on the Composition of the Stearic Acid. 



Provostaye on the Action of Sulphurous Acid on Hyponitric Acid, and on the 

 Theory of the formation of Sulphuric Acid. 



From Sir William Jardine, Bart. — 

 Bischoff on the Anatomy of the Lepidosiren. 

 Miiller on the Anatomy of Myxine, &c. 



From Lieut-Colonel Sabine — 



Gauss on a Method of facilitating the Observations of Deflection. 

 Gauss on the Laws of the Mutual Action of Bodies whose elements attract or 

 repel in the inverse ratio of the square of the distance. 



These memoirs have been given to Mr. Richard Taylor. 



