METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORIES. 161 



much wanted at the summit, to which they returned the same day in 

 scorching sunshine. The whole narrative, as told by M. Vallot, is 

 instructive as well as amusing. 



On his next ascent he was accompanied by our esteemed Fellow, Mr. 

 Kotch (of Bine Hill Observatory, Boston, United States), who at once 

 commenced some important experiments on sunlight. M. Vallot has 

 ascended many times, and he has published in his interesting Annals 

 the scientific results of his observations. ISTo one passes the winter on 

 Mont Blanc, though M. Vallot has had an earnest letter from a lady, 

 who says she is fond of solitude, and who wishes to pass the winter 

 there in making observations. 



The observatory contains various rooms for beds and a saloon for 

 the guides, a spectroscopic and photographic observatory, a laboratory, 

 a kitchen, and a room for the self-registering instruments. It is avail- 

 able for students of all nations, and already it has been utilized by 

 observers, there having been, in 1893, four French scientific visitors, 

 three Swi s, one German, one Italian, and one American. It is curious 

 that our nation has not been among the first to make use of this build- 

 ing, nobly and gratuitously placed at their service by the heroic 

 founder, who as soon as he knew I was about to read this paper sent 

 me the photographs you have seen and the following letter, a transla- 

 tion of which will be interesting to you all : 



January 2, 1890. 



My first scientific expedition to the summit of Mont Blanc was in 

 1887, and some of the observations then taken are published in my 

 Annals of the Observatory. 



In 1890 I constructed the observatory on the "Bosses" rock at 4,305 

 meters altitude. Higher than this the summit is capped by a glacier, 

 except where a few rocky points emerge from the surface, but which 

 are too small to build upon. 



No one lives in the observatory. During the summer only the self- 

 registering instruments are attended to about every fifteen days. I have 

 no experience of the winter there, but I have devoted three summers 

 (1890 to 1893) to observations, which will be published in. my Annals 

 (Vol. II) sometime during this winter. 



In 1893 M. Janssen, having announced that he was about to estab- 

 lish continuous observations, I ceased this class of work, so as not to 

 do it twice over, and I am now devoting myself above all to the study 

 of terrestrial physics, and I hope during this winter to publish my 

 works on actinometry, on atmospheric whirls, on storm clouds, and on 

 the transformation of snow into glacier ice. 



Besides the observatory on the summit I have two meteorological sta- 

 tions, one on the Grands Mulets rocks at 3,000 meters and the other at 

 Chamounix at 1,000 meters elevation. The last only is in constant use. 

 The otliers are put in action when desired, and as I have said the four 

 summers' observations that I already possess will suffice to give us some 

 knowledge of the march of the ordinary phenomena of the air at such 

 elevations. 



In the summer I reside at Chamounix, and from time to time I go up 

 to the observatory — about once a week at least — and I have thus made 

 already twenty-one ascents of Mont Blanc. When at the observatory 

 gjl 90-__n 



