Kew Observatory. 319 



one of the first in the field, and if his processes have since been 

 improved by Brooke, Welsh, and others, he has at least the 

 credit of first pointing ont the capabilities of this wonderful 

 agent. His original barograph is even now in use at the 

 Kew observatory, a similar instrument is in operation at Oxford, 

 and another will shortly be elected at St. Petersburg. 



Mr. Konald was succeeded in his office by Mr. John Welsh, 

 whose untimely death has been much regretted, but who, not- 

 withstanding his short career, left a name well known among 

 magneticians and meteorologists. He was the pioneer in those 

 scientific balloon ascents, which have since been pursued in so 

 indefatigable a manner by Mr. Glaisher, and from the very 

 complete arrangements which he was the means of introducing 

 at Kew for testing barometers and thermometers, as well as 

 from his improvements in magnetical instruments, his name is 

 deservedly known, and his judgment highly respected. But 

 we must now hasten to inform our readers of what goes on at 

 present at the observatory, and even to him whose motto is 

 cui bono we hope to demonstrate the use of the institution. 



We have already stated that the Kew observatory is phy- 

 sical rather than astronomical, and we may now add that the 

 branches of science to which the labours of the staff have 

 been hitherto most devoted are meteorology, magnetism, and 

 heliography, and these have received an amount of attention 

 which could not easily have been bestowed upon them by any 

 private individual. To begin with meteorology. It was only 

 when the great practical importance of this science first began 

 to be perceived, that accuracy in the construction of barometers 

 and thermometers was at length regarded as absolutely essen- 

 tial to the progress of our knowledge. 



It is difficult for any one living in these latter days of 

 accurate inquiry, who has, perhaps, only handled the delicate 

 and exquisite instruments which are now constructed by opti- 

 cians, to realize the inaccuracy and slovenliness with which the 

 indispensable barometer and thermometer were constructed not 

 a great many years since. We have all heard with a smile of 

 Sir W. Armstrong's village hostess, who was afraid her weather 

 glass was not exactly right, for all the quicksilver had run out 

 of it ; but we can hardly believe that twenty years ago many 

 opticians who, perhaps, esteemed the presence of mercury 

 essential to the barometer, yet took little pains to measure 

 accurately the length of column of that fluid. We should also 

 like to know how many observers in those dark days ascer- 

 tained the temperature of their mercury. 



Then again with thermometers. Was the atmospheric 

 pressure always noted when the boiling point of an instrument 

 was marked off by the optician, or could either optician or 



