56 
bringing together a very complete set of instruments for a 
magnetical and meteorological observatory, principally com- 
posed of English and German magnetical instruments — 
amongst others the recently constructed, photographically 
recording magnetograph — and of selfrecording meteorological 
instruments constructed in Holland after the principle of those 
then used at the Utrecht Observatory. 
At the commencement of 1862 I arrived in India full of 
hopes, but it soon became clear to me that their realization 
would meet with considerable difficulties. The expenses for 
the erection of an observatory had heen estimated in Hol- 
land much too low. Solid building required for an obser- 
vatory, is very expensive in this country, and the staff of 
an observatory has to be paid much higher here than in | 
Europe. The consequence was, that the plan for an obser- — 
vatory which I submitted to Government in the year of my 
arrival at Batavia, was rejected, and that in the first years 
of my staying in this country I could not succeed in ob- 
taining the necessary funds for an observatory. The question 1 
then arose whether it would be necessary to erect at Bata- 
via an observatory adapted for hourly observations, whether 
an observatory of the second order, where observations were — 
only made three times a day, would not be sufficient. I could 3 
not agree to this, because such an observatory would have 1 
no value at all in promoting our knowledge of terrestrial — 
magnetism, whilst its value for meteorology would be only 
a very limited one. 
At last, however, I was fortunate enough to see my | 
views accepted by Government, and at the end of 1875, 
nearly twelve years after my arrival in India, the necessary 
funds were granted for building the Batavia Observatory, 
for which I had presented my first plan to Government 3 
shortly after my arrival. 
In the meanwhile I had done my best to aecomplish , as 3 
well as circumstances allowed, the object for which I had 4 
i ETE UR 
