282 Progress in Science. [April, 



From the other side of the Atlantic we learn that in the United States a 

 system of telegraphic weather reports and of storm warnings is in process of 

 J# organisation, under the superintendence of General A. J. Megens, the chief 

 signal officer. This is a most important measure, for hitherto the meteorolo- 

 gical observations taken in the United States, though in themselves copious 

 and valuable, have been of an isolated and, therefore, desultory character, as 

 was unavoidable, owing to the vast extent of territory covered by the stations. 

 It is, however, to be regretted that, in drawing up the report which announces 

 the proposed scheme, care has not been taken to resort to the latest sources of 

 information in Europe. The state of things described as existing in this 

 country and in France in 1870 is that which prevailed in the years 1862-3. 

 No notice whatever has been taken of the discontinuance of weather fore- 

 casts, or of the other changes which occurred on the death of Admiral Fitzroy. 



While speaking of the development of meteorology in the States, we should 

 not omit to notice that the government of Canada are also organising a general 

 system of observation for the several provinces of the dominion. Among the 

 proposals for storm-warnings in. America, there is one by a Mr. Watson which 

 is rather amusing. He suggests that notice of storms should be given by the 

 discharge of artillery ! 



The Common Council of the City of New York have established a very 

 complete meteorological observatory in the Central Park, under the management 

 of Mr. Daniel Draper. This observatory is fitted with self-recording instru- 

 ments, somewhat similar in principle to those at the observatories in con- 

 nection with our own Meteorological Office. Experience will show whether the 

 alterations introduced by Mr. Draper are improvements or the contrary. 

 Among other instruments there is a self-registering rain-gauge. The descrip- 

 tion of the instruments will be found in the " Thirteenth Annual Report (1869) 

 of the Committee of the Central Park." 



In Holland, the Marine Department of the Meteorological Institute, after 

 eight years of nearly total silence, has resumed the publication of results. 

 The present issue, edited by Lieutenant Comelissen, consists of " Sailing 

 Directions from Java to the Channel," and is a new edition of the work pub- 

 lished by Lieutenant Audran in 1858. It is in two parts. Part I. is in the form 

 of an atlas, and exhibits the actual crossings of each meridian and the length 

 of voyage for each ship. The epoch chosen for classifying the passages is 

 the month in which they cross the parallel of St. Helena, being about the 

 middle of the voyage. Part II. contains a discussion of the results, with 

 sailing directions based upon them. Of the two Appendices, the first is " On 

 the Storms of the Southern Hemisphere ;" the second consists of " Hydro- 

 graphical Notices." 



Herr von Freeden has brought out No. III. of the " Mittheilungen of the 

 Norddeutsche Seewarte," which is a discussion of the tracks of the North 

 German Lloyd's steamers from Bremen to New York — 374 passages in all. 

 Unfortunately, as the logs date from the period prior to the establishment of 

 the Seewarte, they contain no barometrical or thermometrical observations, 

 referring exclusively to wind and weather, distance made good every day, and 

 amount of coals expended. The specially meteorological portion of the work 

 consists of remarks on Ice, Storms, and Wind. 



It appears that ice is principally met with between the meridians of 46 and 

 51 , and is rarer to the westward of that district than to the eastward.' 



The storms are analysed carefully, and it would be impossible for us to give 

 even a satisfactory sketch of the discussion. The direction from which they 

 most frequently blow is, on the whole, between W. and N.N.W. As regards 

 the time of their occurrence, 50 per cent of the entire number are recorded 

 during November, December, and January ; 26 per cent during February, 

 April, and October ; 12 per cent during March and September ; and the 

 remainder are distributed over the four months from May to August. The 

 examination of the storms with reference to longitude shows that they reach 

 a maximum for 30 W., and maintain it to 45 W., their direction being north- 

 westerly, i.e., between W. and N.N.W. West of the meridian of 55 W., the 



