INDIAN METEOROLOGY. 303 



the three cyclones of November and December 1886 in the Bay of 

 Bengal, was issued in February 1888. An account of the Balasore 

 cyclone of May 1887 was prepared as the first part of a new publi- 

 cation of the Department, called the " Cyclone Memoirs." 



Special attention was paid by Mr. Eliot to the condition of the 

 barometers used at various stations, and steps taken to remedy the 

 irregularities discovered. 



In publishing the summary of the winter snowfall, and the 

 monsoon forecast based chiefly upon it, Mr. Eliot announced in the 

 first week of June 1887 that the general indications were favourable 

 in North-east and North India, and somewhat unfavourable in 

 Southern India. He predicted early and abundant rain in Northern 

 India, and more especially in Upper India, and more or less deficient 

 rains in the Poona, Sholapur, Belgaum, and adjacent districts. 

 The forecast was in general agreement with the actual character of 

 the monsoon. 



During 1888-89 there were some important changes effected in 

 the Department. Part of these had been sanctioned tentatively in 

 the previous year, and as they were found to work smoothly, 

 Mr. Eliot eventually submitted his final proposals, which were 

 sanctioned with effect from the 1st January 1889. Tbey were as 

 follows :■- — 



(I.) The permanent retention of 8 a.m. as the hour for the obser- 

 vations telegraphed daily to Simla, Calcutta, and Bombay for the 

 various daily weather reports issued by the Department, and the 

 discontinuance of the 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. observations at 88 of the 

 157 observatories maintained by the Department. The change of 

 the general hour of the morning observations from 10 a.m. to 8 a.m. 

 enables the Simla Office to issue the daily weather report in the 

 afternoon of the same day, and the Bengal reporter to issue the 

 Bay of Bengal report at about 11 a.m. or at the beginning of the 

 office day to Calcutta merchants, shippers, &c. The acceleration in 

 the publication of the daily reports was much appreciated in 

 Calcutta and Bombay, as well as by the Government of India. 



A great change was also made with regard to the returns used 

 for scientific discussion in the annual report. Inasmuch as in the 

 case of 88 stations the previous records were vitiated, owing to 

 careless observations or imperfect instruments, it was decided to 

 discontinue the 10 and 16 hours observations at these stations, and 

 to continue them only at the remaining 69 stations, the meteoro- 



