xviii President's Address 



Washington, in which are printed the observations received 

 at the central office, and the forecasts deduced from them, 

 which are posted up at all important places in the States, to 

 which is appended the actual weather which occurred, the 

 fulfilment or otherwise of the forecast ; and it is remarkable 

 how often the forecasts are verified, more especially in those 

 cases where warnings are most valuable, such as the approach 

 of storms, and very low temperatures. In England and 

 Europe generally, the same system is carried out by a very 

 complete system of storm warnings, which have already 

 proved invaluable, although the system is yet only in its 

 infancy. I advocated in this place last year the carrying 

 out of a somewhat similar system in Australia, and although 

 no final scheme is yet decided upon, the chief features have 

 been discussed by the principal colonial observers, and many 

 points agreed upon. 



It must be borne in mind that meteorological observations 

 for obtaining a knowledge of a climate is in a great measure 

 distinct from such as are required for the more general 

 observation necessary for obtaining a knowledge of the great 

 atmospheric movements and disturbances which must form 

 the basis of any forecasting. Our ordinar} r meteorological 

 observations of pressure and temperature of air, the direction 

 and velocity of its movements at a few places distributed over 

 a small area, like our own colony for instance, would be 

 valueless for such a purpose unless supplemented by similar 

 work from the surrounding colonies. The climatic statistics 

 of a country are of great value pro tanto, and so far as 

 experience has gone it appears that no averages can be- 

 safely taken as representing the averages to come, so that 

 meteorological observations for this purpose alone must be 

 carried on ; but the grander objects of this science are 

 undoubtedly those I have referred to, requiring wider 

 considerations than those involved in the simple climatology 



