406 



ON A SYSTEM OF PROVINCIAL METEOROLOGICAL 0E3ERVATI0NS. 



[1855. 



Southhold, District of London C. W., on tte loth Fov. 1854. 



"Where the bones were found is a swale of blackish peat 

 two or three feet deep, beneath is a whitish grey clay. The 

 bones had not been forced into the clay more thr. a +heir weight 

 had sunk them when the clay was in a soft state 



The single incisor in the lower jaw which Prof. Owen gives 

 as a distinguishing mark of the M. Giganteus is beautifully 

 preserved, the tip is worn and polished by the continued 

 friction of the trunk; it does not seem to have protruded far 

 beyond the integuments ; the length of the tooth beyond the 

 bone is about five inches. 



The bones can be seen in Barnett's museum. 



T. J. C. 



Woodstock, Deo. 1855. 



Suplementaryl Remarks 



IN BEHALF OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A PROVINCIAL 



SYSTEM OF METEOKOLOGIGAL OBSERVATIONS. 



BY MAJOR LACHLAN, MONTREAL. 

 Read hefore the Canadian Institute, January, 1855. 



Although greatly disappointed in finding no action taken by 

 the Canadian Institute to bring the important subject of the 

 establishment of a Provincial System of simultaneous Bleteor- 

 ological Observations before the Legislature during the last 

 session of Parliament, I still continue to regard the object aimed 

 at as a desideratum of too much philosophical as well as public 

 interest and value to be abandoned without a further eifort in 

 its behalf; and I therefore trust that I shall neither be accused 

 of undue pertinacity nor self-conceit, in bringing the matter 

 once more before the Association, in the hope that the additional 

 arguments and information which I am enabled to advance in 

 its favor will leave no difiiculties whatever in the way of a suc- 

 cessful movement before the next Session. 



As a necessary preliminary to the observations about to be 

 made, it reriuires to be borne in mind that my first paper on 

 the establishment of Systematic Meteorological Observations 

 throughout British America was read at the Institute so long 

 ago as in April, 1854,* and that my Essay on the periodical 

 Rise and Fall of the great Lakes, was presented in the following 

 month ; and that at the conclusion of the reading of the 

 former it was moved by Professor Cherriman that the matter 

 should be referred to the Council, and a select Committee ap- 

 pointed, in accordance with my wishes, to report on the same; 

 and further, that at the nest meeting that Committee was duly 

 named ; but that owing to some unfortunate or embarrassing 

 circumstances, the only progress made by it during the remain- 

 der of that year was reporting, on the 2d December, that, 

 " considering it necessary, before taking any special steps, to 

 obtain information with reference to the working of a similar 

 system in the United States, they had deputed Professor 

 Cherrimai^ to communicate with Professor Henry, of the Smith- 

 sonian Institution, on the subject; but that not having receiv- 

 ed the desired information, they were not yet prepared to take 

 any special action." 



Such continued to be the state of matters till the annual 

 meeting of the Institute iu January last, when our worthy 

 President judged proper to bring the subject promptly forward 

 in the annual Address in such strong, and to me very flatter- 

 ing, terms, that I naturally expected that immediate decisive 



* The Canadian Journal of March, 1854. 



action would follow. In this, however, I was disappointed, 

 Parliamsnt being prorogued five months afterwards without 

 any further steps being taken. 



Passing over some lengthy correspondence, which, took place 

 in consequence, I shall here only observe that there appearing to 

 me to have "ueen some obstacle in the way of obtaining from 

 Professor Henry the required information alluded to in the 

 Committee's minute of the 2d December, 1854, I resi Ived to 

 endeavor, if possible to ascertain what it was, by opening a 

 correspondence with that gentleman myself; and this i accord- 

 ingly did in the month of June last; and the result, lam 

 happy t'T say, proved equally successful and satisfactoi'v , I hav- 

 ing lately been furnished, by Professor Heniy, with m.-arly fill 

 the information I desired, in addition to being favored with 

 a copy of a small volume containing seven of his successive 

 annual Reports to the Smithsonian Institution, which supply 

 many additional interesting particulars. 



Deeming it unnecessary to enter into the details of the view 

 all along taken by me of the grest philosophical as well as 

 public benefits to be derj-ed from the adoption of my proposi- 

 tion, I am content to refer you to my article on the subject in 

 the II. volume of the Cmiac^/aji Jowrna/, but more particularly 

 to pp. 242 and 3, and to add here, in few words, that I looked 

 forward to the Canadian Institute measures being in concert 

 with the Smithsonian Institution, in fact, adopting the same 

 system, and embracing the same objects as are now successfully 

 carried out in the United States under the direction of that 

 jurisdiction, with the sole addition of a systematic Registry of 

 the periodical rise and fall of the great Lakes ; and that it ap- 

 peared to me that branches of the undertaking, though resting 

 mainly on a philosophical foundation, were, in a provincial point 

 of view, so decidedly and essentially of a useful and beneficial 

 puhlic character that, if appealed to, our government would 

 not hesitate to bear a part in the promotion of them,— and the 

 more so, as forming important necessary links in a great chain 

 of valuable philosophical researches in physical geography now 

 in progress all over the loorld. I, however, considered that 

 the Parliamentary assistance might in the first instance be 

 limited to granting an appropriation sufficient to meet the ex- 

 pense of furnishing a set of well adjusted Instruments for each 

 Station of Observation, and authorizing all such public officers 

 as Harbour Masters, Light-House keepers, and Collectors of 

 Customs, to give their valuable assistance ; and that the Com- 

 mander of the Forces should at the same time be solicited to 

 aid the undertaking, by requesting all Medical Officers in 

 charge of Hospitals to furnish to the Institute a copy of the 

 Meteorological Record transmitted periodically to the Inspector 

 General in London ; and that the valuable co-operation of the 

 Governor of the Hudson's Bay Territory should not be over- 

 looked; and further, that every University, College, and other 

 Educational Institution, together with every Literary and 

 Philosophical Society, and every Mechanics Institute, through- 

 out the Province should be invited to lend their assistance; 

 and fina"v, that the co-operation of the Governments of Nova 

 Scotia, iNew Brunswick, and Prince Edward's Islands -liauld 

 be invoked in the laudable work. 



These, it may be said, are, at best, only the opinions of a 

 single individual ; but that much more is required. I have, 

 therefore, the pleasure of adding that they have been encour- 

 aged and confirmed by net only your late distingTiished Presi- 

 dent Lieut. Col. Lefroy, and experienced Canadian Meteorologi- 

 cal observers, such as Doctors Smallwood, and ""raigie, and 

 others, on the one hand, and the talented and energetic Secre- 

 tary of the Smithsonian Institution at Washington on the 



