88 Proceedings of the British Association. 



or whose reputation in those sciences is such as to give their opinions, 

 in matters respecting them, a commanding weight. Accordingly it 

 was resolved, at the York meeting last year, to invite the attendance 

 of the eminent individuals I have alluded to at this meeting, with the 

 especial objects of conference on the subject. And in the interval since 

 elapsed, knowing the improbability of a complete personal reunion 

 from so many distant quarters, a circular has been forwarded to each 

 of them, proposing certain special questions for reply, and inviting, 

 besides, the fullest and freest communication of their views on the 

 general subject. The replies received to this circular, which are 

 numerous and in the highest degree interesting and instructive, have 

 been printed and forwarded to the parties replying, with a request 

 for their reconsideration and further communication, and have also 

 been largely distributed at home to every member of our own Council, 

 and the Committee of recommendations, and to each member of the 

 Council and Physical Committee of the Royal Society, which, conjointly 

 with ourselves, memorialized Government for the establishment of the 

 observatories. 



In addition to the valuable matter thus communicated, I am 

 happy to add, that several of the distinguished foreigners in question 

 have responded to our invitation, and that in consequence this meet- 

 ing is honoured by the personal presence of M. Kupffer, the Director- 

 General of the Russian System of Magnetic and Meteorological Ob- 

 servation ; of M. Ermann, the celebrated circumnavigator and meteo- 

 rologist ; of Baron von Senftenberg, the founder of the Astronomical, 

 Magnetic, and Meteorological Observatory of Senftenberg; of M. 

 Kreil, the director of the Imperial Observatory at Prague ; and of 

 M. Boguslawski, director of the Royal Prussian Observatory of 

 Breslau, all of whom have come over for the express purpose of 

 affording us the benefit of their advice and experience in this dis- 

 cussion. To all the conferences between these eminent foreigners 

 and our own Magnetic and Meteorological Committee, and such of 

 our members present as have taken any direct theoretical or practical 

 interest in the subjects, all the members of our Committee of Recom- 

 mendations, will have free access for the purpose of enabling them 

 fully to acquaint themselves with the whole bearing of the case, and 

 the arguments used respecting all the questions to be discussed, 



