568 European Scientific Intelligence. [Dec. 



Proceedings of the Indian Committee of the British Association for the 



Promotion of Science. 



In virtue of a resolution of the General Committee of the British Association on 

 the 3rd March, 1832, the Rev. W. V. Harcourt, Vice-President, in the Chair, the 

 following gentlemen were appointed a Local Committee in India, to co-operate in 

 the objects of the Institution — Sir Edward R\ T an, Mr. George Swinton, Mr. James 

 Calder, Major Benson, Captain J. D. Herbert, Dr. Turnbull Christie, (since dead,) 

 and Mr. James Prinsep. 



A first meeting of the resident members of this Committee was held at the 

 house of Mr. Swinton, on the 3rd October, when Sir Edward Ryan kindly under- 

 took the office of President, and Mr. J. Prinsep that of Secretary. Mr. Swinton 

 signified the assent of Major Everest, Surveyor General of India, to become a mem- 

 ber of the Committee, and stated that he had addressed circulars to the members 

 absent from Calcutta, together with printed copies of the first report received from 

 the Rev. Mr. Harcourt. On the 14th Nov. a second meeting was held at the house 

 of Sir Edward Ryan, when it was resolved to submit an application to the Govern- 

 ment, for permission to borrow from the Surveyor General's office such Barometers 

 and other Meteorological instruments as he might be able to spare, for distribution 

 to those gentlemen who may volunteer to prosecute the inquiry into atmospherical 

 phenomena on this continent, so urgently recommended to the attention of the 

 Indian Committee by the Association. With reference to this subject, a letter from 

 Dr. T. Christie* acquainted the meeting, that the Madras Government had strenu- 

 ously taken up the subject of meteorology, and had at his recommendation sent to 

 England for twenty complete sets of the best instruments, to be distributed among 

 observers on the peninsula ; and had caused to be printed, at the Government 

 Lithographic Press, a note of instructions, with tables and forms of registers, 

 prepared by himself. 



Captain Herbert's reply to the circular from Mr. Swinton pointed out, that he 

 had been for some time engaged in investigating the theory of the wet bulb 

 thermometer, and that he hoped soon to be able to throw some light on that simple 

 form of hygrometric instrument. 



Mr. Prinsep stated, that he was already in possession of one or two good series 

 of meteorological observations, and had every expectation of soon possessing a 

 valuable mass of such information. 



IX. — European Scientific Intelligence. 



1. — New Nautical Almanac. 



The Report of the Nautical Almanac Committee is printed in the 2d part, 

 vol. IV. of the Memoirs of the Astronomical Society. Their suggestions have been 

 adopted throughout by the Admiralty, and are ordered to take effect from 1834. 

 We extract the appendix to the report, which gives a clear view of important im- 



* Whose lamented death we reported in our last. 



