163 EIGHTH ANNUAL REPORT OP 



and have agreed to co-operate fully with us in the observation of the 

 general and particular phenomena of meteorology. A similar move- 

 ment has been made in the legislature of Massachusetts for the establish- 

 ment of a system of observations ; and it is hoped that the other States 

 of the Union will follow these examples. We are also happy to state 

 that the medical department of the army, under the direction of Surgeon 

 General Lawson, has signified its willingness to unite with us in the 

 same system, and to furnish the new military posts with instruments 

 constructed on the same plan, and compared with the Smithsonian 

 standard. We hope, therefore, within the coming year, that there will 

 be established at least fifty stations in different parts of North America, 

 furnished with accurate instruments of this hind. 



During the past summer I visited Canada, principally for the purpose 

 of examining the meteorological instruments and the method of using 

 them employed at the Observatory of Toronto. Captain Lefroy, the 

 director of this institution, offered me every facility for acquiring the 

 desired information. He also furnished me with a list of military posts 

 in Canada at which observations may be made, and gave assurance of 

 the hearty co-operation in our labors of the officers attached to these 

 posts. We have also a prospect of procuring permanent observations 

 from Bermuda, some of the West India islands, and from Central 

 America. 



From all these statements, it will be seen w T e are in a fair way of 

 establishing a general system of meteorology, extending over a great 

 portion of North America, including many stations furnished with com- 

 pared instruments referred to the same standard. When fully organ- 

 ized, it will constitute one of the most important systems ever instituted; 

 but to bring it fully into operation will require a judicious expenditure 

 of all the funds at our disposal for this purpose. At the last session of 

 the Board one thousand dollars were appropriated for meteorological 

 purposes, the greater portion of which has been expended for instru- 

 ments, among which are those to serve as standards ; an equal sum at 

 least will be required for the next year. 



In connexion with the regular meteorological system, successful ap- 

 plications have been made to the presidents of a number of telegraph 

 lines to allow us, at a certain period of the day, the use of their wires 

 for the transmission of meteorological intelligence. We propose to fur- 

 nish the most important offices along the lines with sets of instruments, 

 and to give the operators special instructions for the observation of par- 

 ticular phenomena. It is hoped by this means to obtain results not 

 otherwise accessible. Instruments for this purpose are now in process 

 of construction, and as soon as they are completed the transmission of 

 observations will commence. 



The establishment of the extended system of meteorology which we 

 have just described is a work of time and labor, the correspondence 

 alone being sufficient constantly to occupy the time of one person; and 

 the adjustment of the several parts of the plan has required more time 

 than rny other engagements would permit me to devote to it. 



