THE MANILA OBSERVATORY 42i> 



The forewarning of this typlioon brought such honor to the obser- 

 vatory of Manila that its storm warnings have ever since been care- 

 fully heeded throughout the Philippine Archipelago. In the year 

 1880 telegraphic communication by cable was established between 

 Manila and Hongkong, and this gave an even greater importance to 

 the already very useful t3'phoon warnings of Manila. In the same 

 year the announcements of various t3'phoons were sent from Manila 

 to Hongkong, where their im[)ortance was fully appreciated and 

 favorably commented upon in the papers of that colony, especially 

 in the Hongkong Daily Press. Soon afterward the British government, 

 informed of the great value of these storm warnings, established in 

 Hongkong a government observatory, the principal object of which 

 is to give timel}^ notice whenever any ty[)hoon threatens the colony. 



Various typhoons occurred during the succeeding years, and the 

 warnings of the observatory concerning nearly every one of them 

 proved to be correct. A new subscription was started in 1881 to i»ro- 

 vide the institution with still more and better instrunients than it 

 already possessed. From the subscription (910 Afexican dollars) two 

 very fine instruments were obtained, namely, a Beckley aneryiograph 

 and a standard barometer of Negretti. When the news reached the 

 colony of Hongkong, there also a subscription was taken u^) and the 

 money so obtained sent to the manager of the Manila newspaj)er El 

 Coviercio, and by him given to the observatory, where it was em[)loyed 

 in the purchase of other valuable instruments for meteorological ob- 

 servation. 'J'hus it is apparent that the appreciation of the Manila 

 Observatory was as great in Hongkong as it Avas in Manila. Several 

 articles in the newspapers of that colony, especially those of the Hong- 

 kong Daily Press dated October 5 and 12, s|)oke in very high terms of 

 the work accomplished at Manila. The same ])aiier' stated that in 

 the course of the year 1881 eight or nine typhoons were announced 

 to Hongkong from Manila, and thiit every one of the warnings 

 proved correct. 



We need not tarry in the description of these storms ; a very inter- 

 esting study of them was made by Father Faura, whose work on this 

 subject has been lionorably mentioned l)y distinguished meteorolo- 

 gists. The same father published soon afterward another i)ani])hk't 

 on the characteristic signs of an approaching typhoon, entitled 

 Seaales Preoirsoras de Temporal en el Archljnclago FiH}>ino. It is well 

 known throughout the islands, and is one of the most useful and 

 popular {)aj)ers on typhoons ever ))ublished. 



