iv INTRODUCTORY NOTE. 



It was contemplated from the commencement to establish as soon as practicable, 

 as a constituent part of this system of Observations, a Low-Level Observatory at 

 Fort- William, at which Hourly Observations should be made similar to those made 

 at the top of the mountain, but want of funds rendered it impossible to carry this 

 proposal into effect for some years. But a legacy of £500 from the late R. M. 

 Smith, Esq., and a donation of £1000 from the Association of the Edinburgh 

 International Exhibition of 1886, enabled the Society to carry out this desired object. 

 Accordingly a first-class Meteorological Observatory has been erected in Fort- 

 William, the self- registering instruments for which were supplied by the Meteoro- 

 logical Council. At the same time a Station, similar in all respects to the Society's 

 other Stations, has also been established within the grounds of the Observatory, 

 the instruments in this case being furnished by the Scottish Meteorological Society. 

 This Low-Level Observatory was completed on July 14, 1890, and the regular 

 Hourly Observations were forthwith commenced. 



The following are the present staff of the two Observatories : — Messrs R. T. 

 Omond, F.R.S.E., Superintendent; Angus Rankin, First Assistant ; James Miller, 

 Second Assistant ; S. Nisbet, Third Assistant ; and William Stewart, Road 

 Overseer and Storekeeper. The Directors take this opportunity of expressing their 

 sense of the great services rendered to the Observatory by Mr Omond and the other 

 members of the staff, who have carried on the laborious and trying work of making 

 hourly eye-observations in all weathers, by night as well as by day, — a work 

 attempted nowhere else, — with an intelligence, enthusiasm, and completeness which 

 leave nothing to be desired. The Directors desire to record their great indebtedness 

 and cordial thanks to Messrs H. N. Dickson, F.R.S.E. ; A. Drysdale, M.A. ; 

 C. Gray, V.S. ; W. Hay; A. J. Herbertson ; J. M'Donald, M.A. ; Professor A. C. 

 Mitchell, D.Sc, F.R.S.E. ; R. C. Mossman, and R. Turnbull, who have from time 

 time given their services gratuitously as observers in relief of the staff. 



A financial statement of the funds of the Ben Nevis Observatory, from 1883 to 

 the commencement of the present year, is appended,* from which it is seen that 

 £11,989, 18s. 5d. have been received from all sources by the Council for the 

 purposes of the Observatories. Since then £316, 17s. have been received, making 

 in all £12,306, 15s. 5d. On the other hand, since January last the expenditure has 

 been £1422, 15s. Id., the sums expended being chiefly connected with the com- 

 pleting and equipping of the Low-Level Observatory, which has cost about £1700. 

 The accounts now show a deficit of £579, 10s. 7d., with £344, 17s. 8d. of out- 



* Page vii. 



