242 



SYSTEM OF SIMULTANEOUS METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 



[1854. 



tute — the following brief and imperfect outline of what I then 

 wished for, as being the most unpretending, or, at least, most 

 natural way of connecting myself with the undertaking now 

 proposed, and at the same time evincing the long-continued in- 

 terest I have taken in its object. 



" You will perceive (I observed in a letter to Dr. C.) in my 

 late Discourse,* a wish expressed by me for a simultaneous set 

 of comparative meteorological diaries being kept in different parts 

 of the country, with the view of ascertaining the various shades 

 of climate in different quarters; and I had it in contemplation to 

 invite the co-operation of several gentlemen, either individually 

 or through the medium of the various existing philosophical 

 societies in the accomplishment of the object; and, among 

 others, I looked particularly to the then unknown keeper of the 

 Ancaster Register, Dr. C. As circumstances have turned out, 

 however, I now at once frankly avail myself of the opportunity 

 of giving you an outline of what I would suggest, and shall be 

 glad to be favored with your opinion on the subject. 



" I would propose that the different Registers should be all 

 kept in the same form, and include the variations of the baro- 

 meter as well as of the thermometer; but I fear this would 

 not be so easily accomplished, from there being so few baro- 

 meters in this country. Those, however, who possess no 

 barometer might leave the column for that instrument blank ; 

 and I would wish the registry to be at the same hours, and at 

 least at four daily periods ; and that a column should be allotted 

 for the direction of the winds ; and also that the weather column 

 should include, among other et-ceteras, the wind's rates, and any 

 temporary extra variations of either barometer or thermometer. 

 The form would accordingly be as follows: — 



" Meteorological Register kept at . 



Date. Thermometer. 



Barometer. 



"Winds. 



AVeather, 

 &c. 



1 6 a.m. 



1 



9 a.m. 



2p,m. 



9 p.m. 



6 a.m. 



9 a.m. 



2p.m, 



9 p.m. 



a.m. 



p.m. 





1 



1 























The thermometer at each place to be of course exposed to the 

 same aspect, i. e., the north. A Rain Table could also be kept 

 separate. But to ensure uniformity, the size and form of all the 

 rain guages should be the same, and the entries made in exactly 

 a similar wa)', which may be easily pre-arranged. If you should 

 approve of the above, let me know, and I will prepare a sketch 

 of the thing in time to be submitted to our little society at our 

 next quarterly meeting, with the view of entering into a corres- 

 pondence with the different philosophical societies on the subject." 



No sooner had I proposed the above than I became persuaded 

 that, with very little additional trouble, another interesting philo- 

 sophical object which I had equally long had at heart could be 

 readily connected therewith — namely, a daily Register of the fluc- 

 tuations in the level of the great Lakes, so as, in a reasonable 

 number of years, to set at rest not only the disputed existence 

 of the traditional septennial flux and reflux of their waters, but 

 also the extent of the better known, annual variations in their 

 level; at the same time that the facts gradually recorded would 

 either tend to confirm or demolish a theory long entertained by 

 myself, that, though there is no regularly recurring flood in any 

 of our Lakes, and far less a simultaneous septennial flood in them 

 all, there is a tendency to irregular independent floods in each ; 

 or, in other words, that it may be at the flood in one Lake, while 



* The discourse alluded to will be found appended to a small Pam- 

 phlet, which I take the liberty of transmitting herewith, as further 

 evidence of my having been a humble well-wisher to the advancement 

 of useful knowledge. 



it is at the ebb in another. As, however, I propose laying the 

 results of my accumulated notes on this interesting subject be- 

 fore the Institute in a connected form, at some future time, I 

 forbear further alluding to it at present than as a debateable 

 philosophical question, well worthy of being more fully investi- 

 gated, and which I therefore propose incorporating with the sug- 

 gested system of meteorological observations. 



"With regard, then, to the latter and principal branch of the 

 subject, I would further observe, that having, about a year ago, 

 when President of the Natural History Society here, had occasion 

 to correspond with our late distinguished President, Capt. Le- 

 froy, I availed myself of the opportunity for adverting to my old ■ 

 favourite project, and expressing a hope that it might at last be 

 happily carried into effect under his scientific auspices, with the 

 lines of electric telegraphs acting as magically powerful assist- 

 ants ! — a hope in which I was about the same time encouraged 

 by another talented meteorological observer, Dr. Smallwood of 

 St. Martins, j- as well as by Judge McCord. But I found that I 

 was unfortunately too late; as Captain Lefroy informed me that 

 " he was then busy preparing to leave Canada, and that it would 

 therefore be out of his power to co-operate, as he should other- 

 wise have been delighted to do, in any extended meteorological 

 scheme." He, however, frankly " referred me for information 

 on so desirable a subject to .the report of the British Association 

 for 1851 (p. 320) ; and also to that of the American Association 

 for the same year, for an account of what was doing in this way 

 in the United States ;" and he further suggested " that the Na- 

 tural History Society could not do better than invite a commu- 

 nication from the Smithsonian Institution at Washington, as to 

 what they wished to be effected in Canada, and express a wish to 

 co-operate." Captain Lefroy at the same time observed that 

 " he greatly desired to see extensive observations organized in 

 Canada, but that it must be a work of time ; and that the ac- 

 quisition and comparison of the instruments alone would take a 

 season ; and also that there should be a station at least every 

 100 miles from E. to W., and from N. to S., on the line of the 

 Ottawa. With regard, also, to the expense, he considered that 

 about £10 per station would be sufficient, exclusive of publica- 

 tions, to furnish barometer, wet and dry thermometer, rain guage, 

 and wind vane, &c. 



To this encouraging quotation from Captain Lefroy's charac- 

 teristically frank, though hurried valuable hints, I regret to add 

 that, though I have lately been enabled to refer to the proceed- 

 ings of the American Association alluded to by him, as will be 

 found evinced in some apposite extracts therefrom, I have as yet 

 been unable to meet with the report of the Briiish Association ; 

 and also that, during the time I continued to fill the office of 

 President of the Natural History Society, I unfortunately never 

 felt myself in a sufficiently encouraging position to attempt to 

 carry out Captain Lefroy's suggestion for opening a communi- 

 cation with the Smithsonian Institution. It will, therefore, be 

 for the Canadian Institute to consider whether that creditable 

 leading step shall be taken by it, should my project be deemed 

 worthy of adoption; and to enable it to judge, it now remains 

 for me to state my own unpretending ideas on the subject, and 

 then leave the matter for mature deliberation by a special com- 

 mittee at as early a day as may be convenient. 



f It is alike due to Dr. Smallwood and Captain Lefroy to state here, 

 that the following were the terms in which the former expressed him- 

 self in a letter, dated 12th January, 1853:— »" I will aid and assist 

 you to the best of my abilities, and go heart and hand in any plan you 

 may adopt, more especially under the masterly guidance of Captain 

 Lefroy, who, from his great scientific acquirements, will give one and 

 all full confidence in any plan of proceeding he may suggest." 



