MONTREAL NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 409 



Perry, at Toronto, during the greater part of the intervening time ; and, therefore, 

 beg further time for that purpose. Respectfully submitted, 



Jos. T. Dutton. 



Montreal, 31st March, 1856. 



The report was received and adopted ; and the Committee allowed until next'or- 

 dinary meeting to draw up their report. 



The following donations were received, and the thanks of the Society ordered 

 to be conveyed to the respective donors : — from Dr. Kingdom, R. C. Rifles, three 

 volumes of Reports, embracing the Meteorology of the United States, from 1826 to 

 ] 842 inclusive. From W. Woodwork, Esq., of St. Eustache, two curious specimens 

 of Indian corn. 



Dr. Barnston read the following report : 

 Report of the Sub-Committee authorised by the Committee appointed by the Coun- 

 cil of the Natural History Society of Montreal, at a special meeting held 19th 

 March, 1856, to examine the Meteorological Observatory of Charles S?nalhoood, 

 M. J)., at St. Martin, Isle Jesus, C.E. and to report thereon. 

 On Tuesday, March 25th, the Committee, consisting of the Vice-Presidents, Drs. 

 Workman and Hingston, Mr. Renuie, and Dr. Barnston, assembled at the Council- 

 room of the Natural History Society, and left town at half past three in the after- 

 noon, in company with a few other gentlemen interested in the promotion of Me- 

 teorological science. After a somewhat perilous journey over bad roads, they 

 arrived safely in the village of St Martin, where they were received by Dr Small- 

 wood, who shewed everv attention to his visitors, and exhibited the whole appara- 

 tus connected with his Observatory, at the same time explaining the nature and 

 uses of each instrument. From the information derived through his kindness, 'the 

 Sub-Committee are enabled to furnish the Society with the following details, which 

 are by no means so minute and extended as they could desire. 



The Observatory is situated in the village of St. Martin, on the Isle Jesus, about 

 nine miles due west of Montreal, in lat. 45° 32' N. and long. 13° 36' W., or 

 4 h. 54 m. 20 s. in time from Greenwich. It is a small square wooden building, 

 conveniently situated in an open space, a few yards N. W. of his dwelling house. 

 It is placed in the magnetic meridian, and its roof is furnished with a sliding shut- 

 ter, which, when opened, enables him to obtain observations of stars as they pass 

 the meridian, for which purpose a small transit instrument is used. The appara- 

 tus to be seen within tlje building may be described as follows: 



Of the Barometers there are — 1. A Newman's standard, the brass scale of which 

 extends from the cistern to the top of the tube. The tube itself is 0.6 of an inch 

 in diameter internally, and is so contrived that its oscillations can be taken by pho- 

 tography ; — 2. A standard by Negretti and Zambe ; and — 3. Another instrument 

 with a smaller tube. The cistern of the barometer is 118 feet above the level of 

 the sea. 



The Thermometers consist of Rutherford & Lixes' self-registering — a standard 

 thermometer where the reading coincides with that existing at the Kow Observa- 

 tory. There is likewise a wet bulb-thermometer (or psyehromatic) from which are 

 deduced the temperature ef the dew point, the elastic force and weight of aqueous 

 vapour, and the humidity of the atmosphere. 



The observatory also possesses an instrument for registering the intensity of the 

 solar rays, and another for terrestrial radiation — the latter being furnished with a 

 parabolic speculum, possessing 100 inch focus. 



E* 



