1888.] ElecHon of Office-hearers and Members of Council, 71 



The forecast of weather in India for 24 hours in advance is, for the 



greater part of the year, a very easy matter, thongh, owing to the great 



distances, it is not easy to disseminate the information in time to be of 



practical value to those immediately interested. Seasonal forecasts have 



now been attempted with fair success for some years ; and it is this 



branch of the science which seems likely to develop into a very useful 



aid to the administration. The recent disastrous shipwrecks drew at 



tention to the storm-signal service for the protection of the Hughli and 



its approaches, and to the necessity for connecting Port Blair with the 



Meteorological office in Calcutta, and the Eastern Channel Light-ship 



by a cable with the mainland, in order to watch the progress of the 



larger cyclones. I regret that neither of these measures has, as yet, 



been carried into execution. Arrangements have, however, been 



made for warning all the more important ports in the Bay of 



Bengal from Maulmain to Negapatam of the existence and approach 



of dangerous storms, and arrangements are in progress for warning 



the ports at present unprotected on the Bombay side, which, when 



completed, will place the whole coast of India in communication with 



the telegraphic signal service. 



The daily report, issued by the Simla office and based on observa- 

 tions at about 100 stations, has been considerably improved during the 

 past year. It is now issued with a chart shewing the distribution 

 of pressure, rainfall, wind direction and force throughout India for the 

 day reported on. The charts of the Arabian Sea shewing the mean 

 distribution of pressure, wind and currents, month by month, have been 

 published on the same plan as those of the Bay of Bengal, noticed by 

 me last year. Charts of the Bay of Bengal, shewing the specific gravity, 

 distribution of the temperature of the air and of the surface water, have 

 also been issued, and similar charts for the Arabian Sea are in prepara- 

 tion, thus completing the work commenced some years ago on marine 

 meteorology, and based on the observations accumulated by the Board 

 of Trade, during the years 1855—1878. 



The President announced that the Scrutineers reported the result 

 of the election of Office-Bearers and Members of Council to be as 

 follows : — 



President. 

 Lieut.-Col. J. Waterhouse, B. S. C. 



Vice-Presidents. 



E. T. Atkinson, Esq., B. A., C. S. 

 Raja Rajendralala Mitra, C. I. E., D. L. 

 J. Wood-Mason, Esq. 



