308 Recommendations of the [July, 



each science accurately detailed — and if Societies shall concur in thus meet- 

 in<* each other — in proposing certain common objects — in communicating 

 from year to year the means which they are employing, and the progress 

 •which they are making, it seems impossible that this should be done in the 

 presence of an assembly concentrating a great part of the scientific talent of 

 the nation, without kindling an increased ardour of emulous activity ; it 

 seems impossible, that the deputies of any Society should attend such meetings 

 without bringing back into its bosom an enlargement of views, and com- 

 municating to its members new lights of knowledge, new motives for inquiry, 

 and new encouragement to perseverance." 



The following are the recommendations of the Sub-Committees, drawn 

 up and circulated after the first meeting. 



Committee of Mathematical and Physical Science. 



Mathematics. — The Committee recommend that the Vice-President of the Asso- 

 ciation residing at Cambridge be requested to use his utmost efforts to procure 

 from some competent individual, a report to the next Meeting on the progress 

 of Mathematical Science. 



Astronomy. — That Professor Airy be requested to favour the Association with 

 a report on the state and progress of Physical Astronomy, together with suck 

 remarks on the improvements of Practical Astronomy as he may deem it 

 useful to add. 



Theory of Tides. — That J. W. Lubbock, Esq. be requested to furnish a state- 

 ment of the means whick we possess, or wkick we want, for forming accurate 

 tables for calculating tke time and keight of Higk-water at a given place. 



Meteorology. — That James D. Forbes, Esq. be requested to draw up a report 

 for the next meeting, on the present state of Meteorological Science. 



The Committee, considering that the science of Meteorology is in more want 

 than perhaps any other of that systematic direction which it is one great object 

 of the Association to give, has thought it advisable to propose the following 

 points for investigation. 



I. That the Association should employ all tke means in its power to procure 

 a Register of the Thermometer during every hour of tke day and night, to 

 be kept at some military or naval station in the south of England. 



Note*. — Until the pkaenomena and distribution of diurnal temperature are 

 more tkorougkly understood tkan at present, we can kardly kope that any 

 very sure footing has been obtained in the study of Meteorology. The hourly 

 register kept for several years at the military station of Leith Fort in lat. 56°, 

 kas skown that we want nothing but tke combination of a sufficient number 

 of trust-wortky observations, in order to obtain results of primary importance 

 to the science, and which may one day enable us to arrive at tke true form of 

 tke daily and annual curves of mean temperature, witk a precision almost mathe- 

 matical. In order, however, to extend the benefit of suck investigations, it is 



* The notes appended to the Recommendations have been drawn up by some of the 

 members of the Committees since the meeting 1 . 



