1864.] 



Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 



603 



character, and tending to the same end, were also adduced; and finally 

 the Council stated that they would he prepared to submit a definite 

 plan without loss of time, should the general views they had expressed 

 be approved by His Excellency the Governor General in Council. 



The reply of Government to this letter was received in February 

 1863. The Government intimated that it fully recognized the value 

 of Meteorological observations properly conducted and collated by 

 persons really competent to the task, and that it would afford all 

 reasonable assistance, if a scheme can be devised likely to effect the 

 object desired by the Asiatic Society. Further, the Government 

 would be glad to receive and take into consideration the definite 

 proposals of the Society, concluding that the nature of the observations, 

 and the forms of recording them, will be proposed by the Society with 

 a due regard to the circumstances under which, and the persons by 

 whom, they may have in many cases to be conducted, and also to the 

 great importance of ensuring as far as possible that they may he relied 

 on as accurate. 



This letter being referred to the Meteorological Committee, the 

 preparation of a draft Report was entrusted to Colonel Strachey, on 

 his intimation that he had a detailed scheme of operations which he 

 wished to recommend to the Society. 



Colonel Strachey's draft was received in April 1864, but in the 

 interim, viz., in November 1863, a memo, was received from the 

 Military Department, intimating that the Government would be glad 

 to be favoured with an early reply to the previous letter. 



On the receipt of Colonel Strachey's draft it was at once circulated 

 to the Committee, and a number of alterations were suggested which 

 retaining the fundamental propositions of Colonel Strachey's draft 

 were embodied in a second draft, for circulation to the absent members 

 of the Committee, and others, not members of the Committee but 

 whose suggestions might, it was thought, be useful to the end in 

 view. It was desired to obtain the fullest expression of opinion on 

 the part of those, who, from their scientific acquirements or their 

 special interest in Meteorology, might be in a position to give impor- 

 tant aid to the Committee; and the Draft, as agreed upon by the 

 resident members of the Committee, was therefore printed with half 

 margin, and circulated as already mentioned. To these circulars a 



