58 
Director of the Royal Dutch Meteorological Institute at q 
Utrecht, who first made a detailed plan to give execution - 
to it;—to the Kew Committee and to the staff of the 1 
Kew Observatory, at which Institution I found so ample — 
opportunity for studying terrestrial magnetism and meteoro- 
logy; but above all to General Sir Epwarp Sasıne who did - 
all he could to promote my object, and who placed with the - 
utmost kindness his great experience in magnetical research 
at my disposal. 
On account of the great delay which by unforeseen cir- 
cumstances the building of the Batavia Observatory expe- | 
rienced, I have been unable to fulfil entirely the expeeta- 1 
tions of those who so kindly lent me their assistance when 
I was preparing for my undertaking. But the principal 
object for which I went to India, has been attained. The 
work done at the temporary observatory, however little it 
may be, has, I flatter myself, afforded ample proof for the 
great services which magnetical and meteorological observa- 
tions in this country may render to science, and for the fu- 
ture, the study of terrestrial magnetism and meteorology in 
the East Indian Archipelago has been founded on a solid 
basis by the erection of a central observatory at Batavia, 
provided with the best instruments now required by science. 
The organization of meteorological stations at other places. 
in the Archipel will not meet with such great difficulties as. 
the erection of the central observatory: the expenses will be 
relatively small, and the observatory will afford ample op- 
portunity for obtaining well trained native observers, able 
to make the observations at the stations under the super- 
intendence of surgeons of the Army or other Government 
officers. A first step. has already been made by the orga- 
nization of a great number of stations spread all over the 
Archipel, at which observations of the rain will be made 
principally by surgeons of the Army and other Government 
medical officers. On January 1*, 1879, these observations, 
