xvi President's Address 



hours, so that the " probabilities " (as they are called) and 

 * storm warnings " can be disseminated throughout the con- 

 tinents, in time to enable mariners, farmers, and others 

 to take advantage of the ominous or cheering forecasts of 

 coming weather. 



Within the last two years international meteorological 

 conferences haye been held in Europe, at which representa- 

 tives of all the western world nations were present, and 

 scientific alliances have been formed, by help of which it is 

 proposed to carry out a grand scheme of ocean and land 

 meteorolgy. This scheme provides for the exchange, several 

 times in the day, of weather telegrams between England, 

 most parts of Europe, America, and the portions of the 

 African coast of the Mediterranean already connected by 

 wire with Europe. Central offices have already been esta- 

 blished in the chief cities, where these telegrams are received, 

 fitted together, and plotted on skeleton maps ; from the 

 graphic representations thus afforded of what is going on in 

 the atmosphere and on the earth's surface, deductions are 

 made concerning the rising and movements of storms, strong 

 winds, rain, or dry weather. The deductions so made are in 

 some countries disseminated as "forecasts" of probable 

 approaching weather, while in others " warnings " only are 

 given on the approach of dangerous storms. In the United 

 States " probabilities " are daily disseminated to all the post 

 offices, where they are posted for public inspection. 



The system of storm warnings instituted by the late 

 Admiral Fitzroy, and adopted on many parts of the British 

 coast some years ago, which was simply based upon a com- 

 paratively very incomplete chain of observing stations, is 

 estimated to have saved an immense amount of life and 

 property from shipwreck. How much more good then is 

 likely to come from the great scheme I have referred to. 



The first and mast important objects to be obtained relate 



